1 Corinthians 12 (The Comparisson Game Part 2)

I love the many metaphors in the Bible: water is truth and knowledge, a tree is used to describe Jesus and also to describe us when we're planted by the stream (water), as well as the many metaphors referencing light, the rock, storms, fruit, etc.

Notice what is true here: they are all things in nature!  I love that.  God didn't create a metaphor with the telegraph, since that lovely invention has come and gone; instead, He uses His own creation, which He know will outlast all of man's inventions.

So it is with today's metaphor: the human body.

The human body represents all Christians everywhere, all Christians in your church, all Christians in your family or on your street.  No matter which group of Christians you observe, this metaphor works for them all:  we are one body (through the Holy Spirit) with many different and equally important parts.

 ¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free —and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 

This reminds us that we do not need other labels to define us -- our race, our gender, our political position -- but rather, the only label we need is Christ.  We used to independently call our own shots, but now we belong to something even greater than ourselves.  As I constantly remind myself: it's not about ME.  It's about HIM.

But, as I shared yesterday, in our humanness, we often think it would be better if we were given a different gift or task...

 ¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 

All the parts are important!   But we don't always see that, so let's extend this metaphor a bit...  Let's say that I am an ear.  I'm kind of weird looking, not very large, often hidden by hair and hats.  So, I say to myself how I wish I could be more like the eyes, who are so pretty and expressive and get to wear certain make-up that makes them POP!  And I also wish I were like the hands because they get to touch everything and feel things that I will never get to feel.  Or the tongue...yes, he's kind of slimy and a little weird, but he gets to taste everything and be such an important part of speech.  Now THAT'S important.  But....imagine not being able to hear the beautiful music of symphonies and favorite bands, not being able to hear the birds chirp on a sunny, spring morning, and not being able to hear the giggles of babies and even the sorrowful wailing of your dear friend who's just lost his daughter.


Every single gift and task is important.  Without any one part, the body would be impaired!  So it is in the body of Christ.


²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

We are all connected, and we all matter.  Every single one of us.  Yet, by being part of a greater whole, the body, our significance is also kept from being blown out of proportion.  Yes, we are important, but we are not completely indispensable.  God will succeed in His plans with or without us!  We can still function without our hearing, can we not?  And having one enormous ear wouldn't be better, but would make us more into a monster!  Yes, we do need to stay in-check, don't we?

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸ And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

Only when we can accept our "part" to be our part, can we flourish!  And let's not focus on the lesser gifts...like having voluminous hair and perfectly pouty lips.  Instead, let's focus on the greater gifts, the necessary things.  Is a good stomach not more important than good facial structure? :) 


And yet I will show you the most excellent way.

Tomorrow, we will dive in to what's the Most Important of All....