“Panic not, fear not, worry not, blame not, complain not, condemn not and criticize not, BUT Trust God, Have Faith, Be hygienic, Stay home, Socially distance, Mask up, Pray always, Love people, worship God, reach out and Serve society” Isaac De-Graft Takyi
Know all and you will pardon all. —Thomas à Kempis[1].
Dear readers, as we move beyond COVID-19 and experiencing different faces of re-opening, let us look to the example of Christ and the Apostle Paul to make a difference in our world and community. Be empathetic. Live with empathy.
What does the word Empathy mean?
- This is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another[2]
- This often means entering into someone else’s pain to co-suffer with the person or people.
- Empathy is generally understood to mean sharing in another person’s emotional experience in a particular situation[3]
Jesus—Our Example of Empathy
Matthew 14:13-21.
13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. [4]
Lessons
- Isolate yourself to spend time with God, your Father
- See the crowd as your Father sees them
- Do something about what you see—the vision
- Heal the sick, Feed the hungry—help people.
- Begin with what you have currently—use what is available
- Say a blessing over it and give it out in faith
- Do not waste anything—gather the fragments
Mark 6:34; Matthew 9:35-38
34 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things[5]
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Lessons
- See the crowd as people lost without Christ
- See and know that the harvest is ripe and plentiful
- Go to towns and villages, urban centers and ghettos,
- Preach the Good News in words and deeds to the harassed and helpless
- Pray to the Father for more workers into the harvest field
The Apostle Paul, our Example of Empathy
Romans 13:1-7 (NIV)
1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. 6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Referencing from Jesus, and Peter
- Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.—1 Peter 2:13-14
- Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work—Titus 3:1
- They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”—Mt 22:21
Lessons—Showing Empathy to Your Country:
- Respect and submit to governing authority
- Every governing authority is of the Lord
- To disobey a governing authority is to displease God
- Governing authorities are God’s servants
- Obey them because of punishment and conscience
- Pay your taxes right on time
- Pay your revenue or bills promptly
- Pay respect to all in authority
- Honour all in authority honourably
When we put ourselves in the other person’s place, we’re less likely to want to put him in his place. Farmer’s Digest[6]
[1] Morgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson’s complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed., p. 254). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
[2] Soanes, C., & Stevenson, A. (Eds.). (2004). Concise Oxford English dictionary (11th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[3] Stevenson, D. H. (1999). Empathy. In D. G. Benner & P. C. Hill (Eds.), Baker encyclopedia of psychology & counseling (2nd ed., p. 397). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 14:13–21). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mk 6:34). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[6] Kesler, J. (1988). Being holy, being human: dealing with the expectations of ministry (Vol. 13, p. 101). Carol Stream, IL; Waco, TX: Christianity Today, Inc.; Word Books.
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