Many people saw them leaving and recognized them, so they ran ahead from all the cities and arrived before them. When Jesus arrived and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. — Mark 6:33-34
One of the theories about why Neaderthals went extinct was that they had limited empathy, the ability to feel what others were feeling. Empathy is a key building block for civilization. It is the basis for cooperation, negotiation, communication, and justice. While the Intelligence Quotient of someone may be important, much more so is the Empathy Quotient.
The EQ of Jesus, of course, was off the charts. Healing, feeding, listening, seeking out, confronting, sacrificing, forgiving. It’s what drew people to him, because they knew that when they were with him, they were with someone who made them feel heard, understood, and cared for.
One of the things that made Jesus so special was that his EQ was unconditional and universal. He didn’t connect just with people who were family or friends. He connected with strangers and even enemies. He couldn’t help himself. No wonder we believe him to be the Son of God: But God shows his love for us, because while we were still sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
This makes clear how we live out our faith. It’s always about transcending our differences and connecting with others as fellow flesh-and-blood people. Luckily, as opposed to the IQ, which is supposedly static, we can always improve our EQ. The Neanderthals may not have been able to, but we can.
Another good one, Greg. Thank You!
Yes