Clearing-the-Fog

Sympathy and empathy are not the same thing. We may use the words to mean the same thing, but in reality, they are different creatures all together.

Sympathy is a feeling of sincere concern for someone who is going through difficulty or pain. It’s the sentiment that says, “I’m sorry you are hurting.” But that’s about as far as the concern goes. It is an acknowledgement of the situation a person is facing.

Empathy goes much deeper. It is sincere concern as well, but it carries with it an identification with the hurting person. “I hurt with you.” When you empathize with someone you put yourself in their shoes and imagine what they must be feeling and experiencing. Empathy is to personally identify with the situation a person is facing.

There is, however, another level to this. That level is the level of compassion. Compassion is not just feeling the hurt of another person; it is a concern that desires to do something about the situation. It is an active feeling that seeks to alleviate the pain. Compassion says, “I will do whatever it takes to stop your hurting.” It is a willingness to take the time and the effort to try to bring about change for the person who is hurting.

Exodus 2:23-25 gives to us a clear illustration of compassion. 

Exodus 2:23–25 (NLT) – “Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. ²⁴ God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ²⁵ He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.”

The setting is the miserable slavery being experienced by the children of Israel. The text tells us that God heard their cries of misery, and He remembered His promises to their forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The passage continues by telling us that God looked down and saw their condition. But then comes God’s compassion toward them. God “knew it was time to act.” God was setting out to correct the situation. It wasn’t enough to feel sorry for them or to identify with what they were going through. God was going to set in motion His plan to correct the situation.

A very familiar parable of Jesus is the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. This parable further illustrates the distinct difference between sympathy, empathy, and compassion. Three different men approached a poor man who had been beaten and robbed by highway bandits. No doubt the priest who came along first had some sympathy for the man – “Oh, I’m sorry that guy is hurt. Hope he gets better.” However, he had better things to do. That’s sympathy.

The Levite, the text tells us, didn’t just pass him by, but went over and looked at him. No doubt, he was thinking, “Man, that guy is hurting. I can imagine what he must be going through. That could have been me.” He probably felt empathy toward the wounded man and his situation. The Levite, though, didn’t want to involve himself enough to help out.

But then the despised Samaritan showed up. Although Jesus never told us in the story that the wounded man was Jewish, the inference was that the man was the “enemy” of the Samaritan. The whole gist of the story was that this man who shouldn’t have shown any sympathy or empathy to his enemy, actually went beyond the response of the priest and the Levite. He felt for the guy and had a desire to alleviate his pain.

Luke 10:33–35 (NLT) – “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. ³⁴ Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’”

The Samaritan had compassion on him and went to work to meet his needs. There is a big difference between hurting for the man and meeting the man’s needs.

This week, who do you need to show some compassion to? Not just to acknowledge their troubles in sympathy; not just to hurt with them in empathy; but actually to have the desire and take the time to help them. Set a goal to find someone to whom you can show compassion! After all, God showed compassion toward you in the cross of Jesus Christ; follow His lead in reaching out to someone else in need!