Empathy

Scott McKinney
January 30^th 2022
Hebrews 4:15-16

A

“We live in a culture drowning in an ocean of self-obsession.” —Erwin McManus

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” —Hebrews 4:15

Empathy is the ability to understand and

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” —Hebrews 4:16

Mercy is where we don’t get what we do deserve-

Both this woman and Jairus have a great need for Jesus.
Beyond that they could not be any more

Jesus became

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” —2 Corinthians 5:21

“He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” —Mark 5:34

Study Questions

Synopsis- We live in a narcissistic culture where people are drowning in an ocean of self-obsession. Jesus brought to the world a different way to live. The way of Jesus is the way of empathy. Empathy is the ability to share and understand the feelings of other. The empathy of Jesus does more than understand our weaknesses. The purpose of Jesus’s empathy is to bring us into a relationship with God through grace and truth.

-Give an example from life of narcissistic behavior.
-Give an example of empathetic behavior.

Read Hebrews 4:15- For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

-What difference does it make to you that Jesus empathizes with us?
-What is it about the empathy of Jesus that gives us confidence as we approach God?

Read Mark 5:22-28
-What are the differences between Jairus and this woman as they approach Jesus?
-Who do you relate to more in this passage- Jairus or this woman?

Read Mark 5:29-33
-Why was it important to Jesus that this woman come forward?

Read Mark 5:35-37
-Why is it significant that the journey to the house of Jairus begins with Jairus leading and ends with Jesus leading?

Read Mark 5:38-43
-Contrast the way that the mourners at the little girl’s funeral saw death with the way that Jesus saw it.
-How do you see death? Is it a matter of “all hope is lost,” or do you see it as sleep?