Jesus: The Empathetic Son

People often claim, that Jesus doesn't understand;

'Jesus doesn't understand what I'm going through.'

' Jesus doesn't understand temptation. He lived such a holy life, its so much harder for us, I mean he was God, isn't that kind of cheating?'

Well, Jesus understands pain. People don't seem to understand the cross. Sometimes they depict it as an icon of religion. Sometimes they just don't think about it. To start off with, the cross is incredibly painful. 6 inch spikes are stabbed through your wrists. You are then hung by them as you slowly suffocate and your lungs fill up with your blood. Its called asphyxiation. And along with that, on that day he had been tortured beyond my imaging. Pain beyond bearing. A 'cat of nine tails' had tenderised his flesh (similar to tenderising meat,) then hooks were sunk into his back, (sometimes so deep they would reach the ribcage,) and the flesh ripped out of the back.

Jesus understands stress, according to ChristianAnswers.net; 'So great was the stress that tiny blood vessels were rupturing in his sweat glands and emitting as great red drops that fell to the ground.' I often think I understand stress.  I DO not, I have never been faced with my own death, I have never been told the hour and date I was going to die. Or literally have the weight of the whole world on my shoulders. Jesus wishes he could run away, he says so in the Garden of Gethsemane 'Father, take this cup from me, not by my will but by yours.' But he still depends entirely on God. He doesn't run away.

 Jesus understands temptation, he was tempted for 40 days and 40 nights in the desert. That is a SERIOUSLY long time. I know I definitely would give in after a much shorter time. I'm sure there were plenty of time when Jesus was tempted, but that is just the most noteworthy.

Jesus understands humiliation. Everyone has this vague idea that Jesus led this life where noone ridiculed him, everyone just fell on their face when he got near. People PLOTTED HIS DEATH. His mother thought he was crazy, even though she was convinced by an angel that he was the Christ. Then, he died on the cross. The cross was reserved for the lowest of criminals. The ones who had done the most horrendous crimes. And yet Jesus, who had lived a perfect life was condemned by the ones he came to save.

Jesus is empathetic. Jesus understands where we are coming from. Jesus understands. Jesus had situations much worse then alot of people who complain about their lives. Jesus had all the trials and temptations we have. BUUUUUT ...He was much stronger then us. He outshone us. He relied upon God the whole way through all the trials, all the hard times. He is the perfect example. I want to live by it each and every day.



Inspired by Nat Smith.