"Jesus wept"
John 11:35
I remember as a child being told, "What do you have to cry about? BE A MAN! Real men don't cry." What a lie that was and is! Because of that statement, I began to hide my feelings and put on a stoic expression. I took to heart the lyrics of a Simon and Garfunkel song "I am a rock":
"I've built walls,
A fortress deep and mighty,
That none may penetrate.
I have no need of friendship,
friendship causes pain,
It's laughter and it's loving I disdain.
I am a rock,
I am an island."
I quite honestly believed that wearing the mask of stoicism would protect me from the pain of having to let people see....me.
At one point, I was drawn into a discussion about the humanity of Christ. I was skeptical of the idea that Christ had emotions as do we. I followed the discussion with interest as both sides of the issue were discussed. On the one hand, how could Christ effectively minister to so many hurting people if His emotions were expressed. On the other hand, how could Christ minister to so many hurting people if He had no emotions to express. Good points! Both sounded plausible and valid on the surface. Then came the truth of the matter, found in John 11:35, "Jesus wept."
You see, how could Christ ever truly know what it's like being human if He locked away His emotions and became so stoic? Over and over in scripture we read the phrase, "and He was moved with compassion." Does that sound like someone you'd want to know? You bet your boots I want to know Him! Why would ANYONE want a cold, calculating, unemotional being to rely on for their eternal life?
Compassion is Empathy in Action! Because Christ knows exactly what we must endure, He can empathize with us and walk with us through that Valley of the Shadow of Death. I can love because He first loved me.
Consider that!
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