He Empathizes with Us, Pt 1

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

It’s not “He Gets Us,”[1] as one particular growing movement would like us to believe, where the emphasis appears to be on us rather than God Himself. Is this the direction Christians should be moving in, with the emphasis on us? Is it all about us or is it all about God?

17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:17-18 ESV)

The above verses from Hebrews speak of the fact that Jesus literally stooped and was made in every way human, with the exception that He did not have a sin nature as we do. However, in every other way, He was (and remains) totally human. While alive on earth, He was tempted and tried just as we are tempted and tried. Unlike us, Jesus took temptation to its fullest level, yet without ever giving into that temptation to sin. Who is better qualified to offer us strength during our own times of temptation? Who can better empathize with us?

By way of example, the person who has unexpectedly lost a spouse or other loved close friend or family member goes through a period of stress-related grief. People who have lost spouses or close loved ones can offer solace and comfort to another person because they’ve been through it themselves. It happened to them. When they come alongside another person who has also lost someone special, they comprehend what that feels like. In short, they can fully empathize.

This is Jesus. Even though He never sinned, He fully empathizes with us because He experientially understands what we go through. He knows the gravity of temptation, how unrelenting it can be and what it does to us emotionally. Because of this, He comes alongside us to offer His strength to overcome temptations we face. He’s not just telling us through His Word to resist temptation. He is speaking as Someone who has been there. Of course, for our part, we need to seek and submit to Him when we are faced with situations that can easily overwhelm us.

13 As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
14 For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:13-14)

Our Lord pities/has compassion on those who fear (reverently respect), Him. Why? Because He intimately knows our frame, not simply because He created us, but because He lived life on planet earth as a human being (while remaining God). This connection with humanity is something far greater than I think we can truly understand in the here and now. We can have glimpses now. We can grow in our understanding, but we will never arrive to the point where we have learned all we need to know about Him and just how much He loves us and can so easily relate to us; our problems, our trials, our temptations and even our victories in Him.

Over the years since I’ve been a Christian, I see where I have failed to get to know Jesus as well as I would like to know Him. Having received salvation at the age of 13, I’ve spent the last 55 years trying to grow in my faith. There are times I can look back and see very clear answers to prayer. During those times, I knew beyond doubt that Jesus was involved in those situations. As I’ve written about before, it is very good to have those memories of instances of answered prayer because it increases our faith and grows our relationship with Him.

Jesus’ empathy leads Him to want to help us by responding to our prayer requests and empowering us to resist temptation. Too often are we guilty of just going to him when we need something? Is this what we do with our friends, family or spouses; only approaching them when we need their help with something? If so, we would probably lose friends and family.

If we look closely at the two verses above from Hebrews 2 (and read those verses again very slowly to let the meaning sink in), we see a number of things. We are told that Jesus was made “like His brothers” (fellow human beings), “in every respect.” What this ultimately means is that Jesus, like us, experienced the ins, outs, travails, and even pleasures associated with being fully human.

The whole process of living life as a human being created within Jesus the unrelenting ability to be merciful and faithful. Merciful to us, His fellow human beings, and faithful to completing the Father’s will every step of the way. He, more than anyone else, fully understands what it means to suffer under the afflictions that humanity suffers under. He was tested. He was tried. He was tempted. Yet, in all these things, He never wavered and never failed to fulfill the Father’s will. He grasps the hard reality of how difficult it is to continue to serve the Father, to resist the devil and to flee from temptation. He personally understands and because He knows just how difficult that all is, He is able to be the High Priest that we all need.

Jesus prays for us as He prayed for His own in John 17, His high priestly prayer (and we are included in that prayer!). He continues to intercede for us, bringing our needs and requests before the Father. He brings our confessions of sin before the Father and applies His propitiation to it, which results in our forgiveness. All of this – including His demeanor toward us – is based on the mercy He personally and experientially received and learned from becoming a full-fledged human being.

One of the things that has tripped me up over the years is that it is difficult to know how and if we are actually getting to know Jesus. When we enter into a friendship with another person or someone who ultimately becomes our spouse, it is a process that takes time. We slowly move toward another with conversation, doing things together, sharing like minded pursuits. All of these things create a bond that makes us appreciate that relationship. As time passes, usually a good relationship will become a better relationship. Eventually, if that relationship continues to grow, two people will become somewhat “knit” together in spirit. This is often the natural progression of two people coming together in friendship or even eventually, in marriage.

It’s essentially the same with Jesus, though a bit different as well. With Jesus, we do not have the benefit of seeing Him physically, hearing Him audibly, or any of the other things that we share with another person. The fact that we lack these things where He is concerned makes it more difficult to appreciate and even determine the depth of our relationship with Him. How do we measure that? Yet, God expects us to pursue Him and opened the door to that end.

This is the difficulty for me and maybe for you, as well. How exactly do we get to know Jesus? I’m not even close to being an expert on the subject. I can only tell you what I know and what I’ve learned and sometimes, it doesn’t seem like it’s all that much. But if God wants and expects us to endeavor to get to know Him, there must be a way to do that, right?

Obviously, our relationship with Him begins with His Word. It is impossible to get to know Him unless we are willing to find out about Him through the Word He wrote and gave to humanity. That’s the first step. But it’s not just reading it. It’s endeavoring to understand it and become so familiar with it that we can recall sections of His Word readily. Memorizing sections of His Word also plays a huge part. It also includes spending time with Him in prayer as well.

We are told in His Word that His Word is a two-edged sword. It is active, alive, dividing the soul and spirit. Ultimately, His Word also judges the thoughts and attitudes of each person’s heart (Hebrews 4:12). Of course, for that to happen, His Word needs to be in our hearts, doesn’t it? It does no good to us if it is never opened, never read and never memorized.

It is through the process of praying that we give Him our concerns, problems and worries. It is through prayer that we gain strength from Him to overcome. I’d bet most Christians are aware of this process yet don’t enter into it enough. My problem is that I often try to solve my own problems first, before I think about going to Him.

Imagine being married for decades but not be in the habit of sharing your concerns with your wife or husband. Instead, you try to deal with it on your own, leaving your spouse out of the loop. What does this do to that relationship? It harms more than helps. The two becoming one means, among other things, that we are joined together in spirit and purpose. Because of that we need to be willing to share with and rely on the other person to help us when we need help. We should also look for chances to be there for the other person as well.

As a Christian, do you find yourself not talking to Him about what concerns you, preferring instead to keep it to yourself and handle things on your own? How can we think we will get to know Him when we do that? God allows trials and issues to come our way so that we will take them to Him, so that we can see Him actually work in our lives. When we see Him moving and taking care of things, this increases and strengthens our faith in Him.

After nearly 40 years, I understand how my wife will react in certain situations. I also know that she loves me a great deal because she is always showing it. She supports me in my endeavors. When I have concerns, I don’t hesitate to discuss them with her. She does the same with me.

It’s not that Jesus “gets us,” it is that He fully empathizes with us. He understands our plight and wants to see us gain the victory. That can only happen as we depend on Him.

Because God the Son took on human form and lived among us, He actually knows experientially what we face. He fully understands our weaknesses, our difficulties and trials we face. Moreover, He is able to not only empathize with us in our own humanity, but is equally qualified to help us in our own struggles against sin more than anyone else.

[1] https://hegetsus.com/en/about-us#FAQ

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

Source: https://studygrowknowblog.com/2025/05/08/he-empathizes-with-us-pt-1/