Body Parts



Depending on my mood, 1 Corinthians 12 is my favorite chapter in the entire Bible. I find the image of the Body of Christ to be so compelling. The interconnected nature of how we are to live, the the affirmation of how our baptismal identity forms us as one, the leveling of status found in the body. All of these things are amazing.  

But I particularly love the ways in which it celebrates the different ways that we participate in the body. 

Verse 15 says:
If the foot says, “I’m not part of the body because I’m not a hand,” does that mean it’s not part of the body?
Not pictured: hands

 First of all, that makes me laugh. It's silly.

But also, it gets to the heart of what can make the Church so special, or what can make it so flawed.

The foot is part of the body, no matter what the hand may say. Every part of the body is a part of the body and on one can say otherwise. I wish we could understand that. Because too often we shut people out, leave people behind, or ignore people because they are a different part of the body. We look for our monolithic body that thinks, believes, and acts in the same way we do. This is addressed in verse 17, which I contend may be the most unsettling image in the entire Bible:

If the whole body were an eye, what would happen to the hearing? And if the whole body were an ear, what would happen to the sense of smell?

Our self-importance gets in the way of our ability to see that we need other people's gifts. We think what we do is so necessary that everyone else needs to do it too. But we need the reminder that Paul shares in verse 22:

 Instead, the parts of the body that people think are the weakest are the most necessary.

This, but like all over a human body. *shudder*

 Because we'll never be a body without understanding that all parts of the body are integral to the body.

But I think there's a caution to this text as well. One of my favorite parts of being a pastor is getting to know people. Not just meeting them, but spending time with them. Getting to know about their families, their hobbies, and their passions. And I think something that we often get wrong in the church is we see members of the body as gears rather than parts. 

Not every part of the body is a hand, and that's good. But sometimes the church needs a hand to serve on some such committee. Now if there's no hand available, we'll get in touch with a foot and tell them they need to learn how to use chopsticks. Desperation leads us to forcing an ear to try tasting the food. Not only does this not work, but eventually the foot develops a cramp from trying to hold chopsticks, and the ear gets filled with mashed potatoes. I think I've gone to far down this metaphorical rabbit hole.

Hands really do work best for this.

But I hope we can learn from Paul in this letter. I hope we can keep seeing people for who they are and celebrating those things that make them so important to the body. Feet are for walking, ears are for hearing, hands are for chopsticks, and all of the body is for serving God.

Peace,

Jeff Fox-Kline

 

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