The Cross, Resurrection, and the Empathy of God

Somehow, for me, every Easter is different. Despite the number of years that I have experienced Passiontide and Easter services, or the frequency with which I have picked up my favourite (now rather care-worn) bible; the events of the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ strike me with fresh meaning and significance, new realisations. One onlooker at the time, - a Roman Centurion, had a moment of realisation that must have been for him, world-changing:

‘Now when the centurion who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son” (Mark 15:39, NRSV)

Perhaps the centurion wished then, that he had met and known Jesus earlier. I’m sure that when he heard three-days later, the uncontainable un-hushable news that Jesus, the one they called Messiah had risen from the tomb, he said (if only to himself) “I knew it!”

Others, of course, had known at Jesus’ birth that God was doing something wonderful for the world. The extraordinary cosmos-changing, life changing fact of the incarnation was reflected and announced by an extra-ordinary signal in the sky which led both shepherds and kings to an encounter with Jesus.

‘When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with Joy’ (Matthew 2:10).

Similarly, the event of the resurrection was accompanied by a disturbance of the usual ‘laws of nature’ signifying God’s power and authority;

‘And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.’ (Matthew 28:2)

For me, these two events are linked by another miracle: God’s empathy with humanity. In Jesus, God is with us – suffering when we suffer, sharing joys when we are joyful. Through the action of being born; living and dying and experiencing life just as we all do, Jesus shows his intimate knowledge and care for humanity on a global and individual level.

It is truly wonderous that the creator of the universe loves us; the created. Amazing that God wants relationship with us which includes knowing what it is like to be us. God knows what it is like to be you, to be me. The Oxford dictionary describes the verb ‘empathise’ as meaning to ‘understand and share the feelings of another’  Jesus does not merely sympathise with, or pity us;  our Emannuel empathises with us – enters our lives In a full and costly way.  In Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, God -the supremely loving parent and sustainer of all creation, draws close to us to bring comfort, peace, and healing when we are in need, and to delight in all that is life giving and affirming when we are joyful.

“ I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” John 10:10

Of course, once we have recognised that through Jesus we are in relationship with our ever-living, ever loving God, we must recognise too, that relationship is not a one-way street.  We must take seriously the God who takes us seriously and be led by Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:40 “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

Just as the God empathises so fully with each of us that in Jesus God seeks us out to bring healing peace and Joy into our lives, so are each one of us called and enabled (if we answer), to be a part of God’s mission of healing and renewal.

I would love those of you who may be reading this, to take some time to pray for the mission and ministry of us at CHM - and as you do so, my prayer is that you will know yourselves to be loved and known by God more fully and more joyfully each day.