What is empathy according to the Bible?

Answer 1

“So Long as you can sweeten another’s pain, life is not in vain,” wrote Helen Keller. Keller certainly understood emotional pain. At the age of 19 months, an illness left her totally blind and deaf. But a compassionate teacher taught Helen to read and write in Braille and, later, to speak.

Keller’s teacher, Ann Sullivan, knew only too well the frustration of fighting a physical disability. She herself was nearly blind. But Ann patiently devised a way to communicate with Helen by “spelling out” letters on Helen’s hand. Inspired by the empathy of her teacher, Helen decided to dedicate her own life to helping the blind and the deaf.
What Is Empathy?

One dictionary says that empathy is the “identification with and understanding of another’s situation, feelings, and motives.” It has also been described as the ability to put oneself in the other fellow’s place. So empathy requires first of all that we comprehend the circumstances of someone else and second that we share the feelings that those circumstances provoke in him. Yes, empathy involves our feeling another person’s pain in our heart.

The word “empathy” does not appear in the Bible, but the Scriptures do refer indirectly to this quality. The apostle Peter counseled Christians to show ‘fellow feeling, brotherly affection and compassion.’ (1 Peter 3:8.) The Greek word rendered “fellow feeling” literally means “to suffer with another” or “to have compassion.” The apostle Paul recommended similar sentiments when he exhorted fellow Christians to “rejoice with people who rejoice; weep with people who weep.” Paul added: “Be minded the same way toward others as to yourselves.” (Romans 12:15, 16.) And do you not agree that it would be practically impossible to love our neighbor as ourselves if we did not put ourselves in his place?

Most everyone has a degree of natural empathy. Who has not been moved when seeing heartrending images of starving children or distraught refugees? What loving mother can ignore the sobbing of her child? But not all suffering is readily discernible. How difficult it is to comprehend the feelings of someone who is experiencing depression, a concealed physical impediment, or even an eating disorder—if we have never had such problems ourselves! Nevertheless, the Scriptures show that we can and should develop fellow feeling toward those whose circumstances we do not share.

Jehovah is our prime example of empathy. Jehovah feels personally the pain his people suffer. He told the Jews who had returned from Babylon: “He that is touching you is touching my eyeball.” (Zechariah 2:8.) Keenly aware of God’s empathy, Bible writer David said to him: “Do put my tears in your skin bottle. Are they not in your book?” (Psalm 56:8.) How comforting to know that Jehovah remembers—as if they were written in a book—the tears his faithful servants shed as they struggle to keep their integrity!

Listen. By listening carefully we learn what problems others face. And the better we listen, the more likely they are to open up their hearts and reveal their feelings.

Observe. Not everyone will openly tell us how they feel or what they are going through. A keen observer, however, will notice when a fellow Christian seems depressed, when a teenager becomes uncommunicative, or when a zealous minister loses his enthusiasm. This ability to sense a problem in its early stages is vital for parents.

Use your imagination. The most powerful way to stimulate empathy is to ask yourself: ‘If I were in this situation, how would I feel? How would I respond? What would I need?’ Job’s three false comforters proved incapable of putting themselves in his position. Hence, they condemned him for imaginary sins that they assumed he must have committed.

Imperfect humans often find it easier to judge mistakes than to understand feelings. However, if we try hard to imagine the distress of someone afflicted, it will help us to sympathize rather than condemn.
We may not naturally be very empathetic, yet we can cultivate this fellow feeling. If we listen more attentively, observe more keenly, and imagine ourselves in the situation of another more frequently, our empathy will grow. We will as a result feel impelled to show more love, kindness, and compassion to our children, to other Christians, and to our neighbors.

Never allow selfishness to smother your empathy. If you would like further information or a free home Bible study, please contact Jehovah's Witnesses at the local Kingdom Hall. Or visit http://www.watchtower.org

Answer 2

According to the Bible empathy is understanding what someone else is feeling sharing aand caring.

Answer 3

No..they might nicely be as genuine as something and lots are brought about by Chemical imbalance.genes surpassed down. some are brought about by plenty psychological abuse once you're youthful...you basically initiate out in existence with a depressing sheet. Christ and His capability facilitates plenty that might assist you yet, some circumstances this takes years. All In Christ timing. Your Pastor is abit harsh. once you have a real problem,..you will see that there is not any reason to be depressed after which you're.you will cry for no reason. A sunny day feels like a black cloud. Staying centred on Christ facilitates this problem very much in existence and following His Teachings.

Answer 4

Empathy is putting yourself in anothers place (not literally) so that you can know how they feel about something or a situation. That's empathy in any book.

Answer 5

a gift from God--1 corinthians chapter 12