Relentless EmpathySýnishorn

The Most Disobeyed Command in the Bible

The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5:14

Once, Jesus was asked how a person could gain eternal life. Jesus responded by saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and Love your neighbor as yourself.” The person asking wanted to justify himself, so he pressed the point and asked Jesus: “And who is my neighbor?” In response, Jesus told a story that has come to be known as the Parable of the Good Samaritan—arguably one of the most recognized stories in the New Testament.

A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when robbers attacked him. They stripped him, beat him, and left him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him he took pity on him. Luke 10:30-33

This story would have shocked the hearers! The religious people did not stop to love the broken man. Instead, it was an outcast “sinner” who took pity and obeyed God. Through this story, Jesus showed that loving your neighbor as yourself is an often disobeyed command. Even though we know of this command, we risk following in the footsteps of those who passed by on the other side. But be of good cheer; hope is not lost! The story also illustrates how we can move from pity to relentless empathy.

First, the Samaritan felt pity when he saw the injured man's condition. This discomfort led him to get involved. He bandaged the man. That is sympathy. Then he went the extra mile, gave the pitiful man a ride to an inn, and paid the bill. He not only met the immediate physical need but also sought to treat the man as he would like to be treated. That’s empathy. After this, the Samaritan said he would return and pay whatever accrued on the man’s account. That is relentless empathy!

In the command “Love your neighbor as yourself,” there can be two meanings of the word neighbor. At a macro level, it means loving everyone as if they were your neighbor. At a micro level, it means showing love to those nearest you at any moment. It sounds easy enough, but loving your neighbor as yourself is hard! In fact, there is only a one in four chance you will express empathy when interacting with others. There are three other options as well, but each of these does not follow the command of Jesus. The three hindrances to watch out for are:

1. If you love yourself more than your neighbor, that is pride.

2. If you love yourself less than your neighbor, that is shame/self-condemnation.

3. If it does not occur to you to love your neighbor, that is neglect/apathy.

These are the three main empathy blockers: pride, shame, and apathy.

Empathy is more than being kind and nice. Kind and nice are neat and clean. Empathy is messy in practice…but it is clear in Scripture. The Good Samaritan got messy in the process. As we follow in his footsteps, we will get messy, but we will also enjoy the praise of our Lord!

Reflection:

Which empathy blocker hinders you most?

How has reexamining the Good Samaritan story clarified your understanding of relentless empathy?

Create a list of “neighbors” who need an empathetic encounter from you. Start with those physically near to you, such as your spouse, your children, your co-workers, and people living in your neighborhood.