Since You Also Are in the Body

Two Responses to Those Who Suffer

　　When we witness others suffering, we typically have two reactions: First, most people feel sympathy, grieving for their misfortune and thus caring about their well-being; second, some individuals can understand the sufferer’s perspective, empathize with their feelings, and resonate with them. When disasters receive extensive media coverage, we naturally experience the first reaction toward the victims. This sympathy drives us to offer care, condolences, or aid (such as donations) to those suffering, hoping to alleviate their pain. However, does what we do truly help them? This is a question well worth exploring. Excessive expressions of condolences may place undue pressure on those suffering. Repeated discussion of the disaster may also cause secondary trauma. In these acts of sympathy, we often assume the role of benefactors, extending aid from a safe distance. Yet, our perspectives and positions may differ significantly from theirs. As media coverage diminishes, our understanding of the victims’ needs and conditions gradually fades. Our attention and sympathy wane, and we may even judge their feelings based on our own yardsticks.

　　The second type of response is less familiar to us, requiring us to put ourselves in their shoes, adopt the perspective of those suffering, and empathize deeply with their plight. Setting aside our own views and deeply immersing ourselves in the sufferer’s perspective and emotional world best affirms their feelings and demonstrates our most genuine humanity and solidarity. However, such deep resonance is quite exhausting for most people—even professionally trained counselors. If boundaries are neglected during the process, it may even plunge one into depression or psychological distress.

“Remember” and “Since You Also Are in the Body”

　　Nonetheless, the Epistle of Hebrews urges believers to adopt an attitude akin to the second response toward those persecuted for their faith: “… and [remember] those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body” (13:3b ESV). The verb “remember” is in the present tense in Greek; accordingly, NIV renders it as “Continue to remember …” The command denotes more than mere mental recollection or a verbal expression of concern, but a call to take concrete action to provide ongoing assistance to those in tragedy. This command to continue remembering those who are mistreated is grounded in the recognition that “you also are in the body,” indicating that all share in the weakness of bodily existence. This common humanity thus becomes the basis for solidarity with those who suffer.

　　This solidarity with others is fully revealed in Christ’s redemptive work. Hebrews 2:11 states that the Son of God, as the High Priest, and the people who are called His brothers and sisters “all have one source.” Since the people “share in flesh and blood,” possessing fragile human nature, Christ likewise shared this humanity and “partook of the same things” (2:14), “to be made like his brothers in every respect” (2:17), having “suffered when tempted,” “to help those who are being tempted” (2:18), thereby fulfilling the high priest’s role of atoning for the people.

　　The author of Hebrews further describes the High Priest as one who is capable of “[sympathizing] with our weaknesses” (4:15). “To sympathize” (συνπαθῆσαι, NIV renders as “to empathize”) is not merely an emotional response, but a shared experience of human frailties, having been “in every respect … tempted as we are” (4:15). Christ, as the High Priest, does not stand aloof in a position of superiority, merely pitying with our plight as those who, in human frailty, fall into temptation and are unable to deliver themselves. Instead, He chose to be “made like [us] in every respect” (2:17), even to the point of experiencing the same frailties. This means full participation in our human weaknesses as an expression of solidarity with us.

　　Whether we can “remember” those who suffer and feel their pain as our own depends on whether we have learned to be like Christ—laying aside our own status, perspectives, or perceived differences, to acknowledge, embody, and accept that we share the same fragile humanity as those who are suffering. One weakness of human nature is the tendency to flee from pain—our own and that of others. However, to disregard the suffering of others by erecting boundaries through various justifications and severing the bonds that connect us amounts to the implicit claim that one’s own humanity is more noble, more divine, and more entitled to protection than that of others. To share in the experience of others and to be joined with those who suffer, one must identify with them in the same way that Christ identifies with us. Only then does our companionship and aid hold meaning.