Connect
Week of September 4, 2011
Bible Verses: Psalm
133:1-3; 1 Corinthians 12:12-18, 21-26.
Lesson Focus: This
lesson highlights the priority of community among believers as revealed in the
Bible. Community produces blessing, provides care, and is created by God.
Community is Vital: 1
Corinthians 12:12-18.
[12] For just as the
body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many,
are one body, so it is with Christ. [13]
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks,
slaves or free--and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
[14] For the body
does not consist of one member but of many. [15] If the foot should say, "Because I am
not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less
a part of the body. [16] And if the ear
should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,"
that would not make it any less a part of the body. [17] If the whole body were an eye, where would be
the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense
of smell? [18] But as it is, God
arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. [ESV]
[12-13] Unity in diversity. The phrase the body, introduced in verse 12,
perfectly illustrates the two themes of variety and unity. Many members … one body is Paul’s summary of the matter. The way he
ends verse 12 is highly significant. We would expect him to say: “Just as the
body is one and has many members, so it is with the church.” In fact, he says, so it is with Christ. It is important
not so to identify Christ with His church that we lose sight of His
pre-eminence and transcendence. Nevertheless, Paul is clearly referring here to
the way Christ today manifests Himself by the Spirit to the world through His
church. In order to accomplish His work on earth, Jesus had a body made of
flesh and blood. In order to accomplish His work today, Jesus has a body that
consists of living human beings. Paul is affirming both the rich variety and
the deep unity in Christ Himself. In this all Christians share as members of
this one body through this one Spirit. In verse 13, the being
baptized by the one Spirit and the
drinking of one Spirit are clearly
equivalent expressions. In this context it is likely that baptized carries the double connotation of ‘being initiated into’
and ‘being overwhelmed by’. For example, contemporary secular Greek sources
spoke of a submerged ship being baptized. Paul seems, then, to be saying both
that Christians are in the Holy Spirit, and that the Holy Spirit is in
Christians, parallel to our being in Christ and Christ being in us. By
reverting to another metaphor used to describe the Holy Spirit, wind or air or
breath, we can see the same truth: a new body is surrounded by air, but must
also breathe in the air, if it is to carry on living and growing. If all
Christians have been initiated into and overwhelmed by the Spirit through the
work of Jesus the baptizer, if Jesus has made all Christians drink of the
Spirit, it is legitimate to ask today whether the church as a whole or a
particular local church or an individual member is genuinely experiencing what
Paul is describing. In verse 13 Paul can appeal, not just to an event, but to
an experience in the life of every Corinthian believer. This event, this
experience, transformed them from pagans to Christians, introduced them into
the community of Christian believers, and began an experiential participation
in the Spirit’s presence and power. We need today to point one another with
expectancy to Jesus the baptizer as the person who longs to take us all deeper
and deeper into the reality of the Spirit’s power and presence. It is not a
question of one special experience to be imposed upon all; but it is a reality
to be experienced, and that experience can be continuous and daily. This
expectant openness to experience the Spirit more and more on the part of every
Christian will unite the body in eager dependence upon Jesus. The reference in
verse 13 to Jews or Greeks, slaves or
free, reminds us of the many-colored diversity of the body of Christ.
Corinth was a cosmopolitan seaport full of people from many different cultures.
That presented difficulties, but it offered immense potential for a robust
testimony to Christ. The more we today draw on the richness of the world-wide
community of believers, the more pungent and attractive will be our testimony.
[14-18] We need one another. Paul now
uses the human body to illustrate truths about life in the body of Christ. The
stress in verses 15-16 is on a wrong kind of independence which could be based
either on feeling not needed and unimportant, or on resenting not having been
made or gifted differently. If we are together the body of Christ, we need one
another, not only for the health of the body as a whole, but also to enable
each individual to operate at full potential. Any Christian who operates
independently from others is reducing his own effectiveness and that of the
body as a whole. The practical application of this truth in a local situation
is surely obvious: at the very least it means a genuine effort by those in
pastoral oversight to recognize, train and release the gifts of every
individual for effective service. That means recognizing hidden talent,
crossing denominational and other boundaries, moving away from clerical
monopoly, and developing partnership in ministry outside the immediate locality
and indeed with a global perspective. We need one another and we live in a
world where communications of all kinds make it possible for this to be
practically realized. A body which is all eyes and ears is not a body. Each
member is unique, distinctive, irreplaceable, unrepeatable. This is the glory
of the church as the body of Christ. Instead of allowing ourselves to be cast
in any one mold, we ought to relish the differences and learn to capitalize on
them. It is true of most churches that there are many round pegs in square
holes: they become jammed. Equally, there are many square pegs in round holes:
they are either too big to belong or too small to fill the need. There are also
many pegs trying to fill several holes at once. That leads to many others lying
around unused. Another variation on the same theme happens when new pegs are
forced to fit into existing holes, instead of being allowed to find their own
niche or a totally new kind. We differ from one another, because God wants
those differences to be molded into a special unity which is demonstrably his
own doing. Rather than build up community out of diversity, we often tend to
let each sub-group form its own unit and grow in isolation from other natural
groupings. The community which is alive to the Spirit is committed, by
Scripture, to the costly struggle of living out the reconciliation of all men
to one another and to God, by uniting black and white, new believer and mature
disciple, Jew and Gentile, young and old, male and female, single and married.
There are many other, more subtle, distinctives which we can easily and
unconsciously stifle, to the point where the body has effectively lost several
limbs by social, cultural or intellectual amputation. We differ from one
another and only God, who made us different, can hold us together.
Community Cares for its Own: 1
Corinthians 12:21-26.
[21] The eye cannot
say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the
feet, "I have no need of you." [22]
On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are
indispensable, [23] and on those parts
of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our
unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, [24] which our more presentable parts do not
require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part
that lacked it, [25] that there may be
no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one
another. [26] If one member suffers, all
suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. [ESV]
Paul continues
speaking of body parts to illustrate how foolish it would be for the eye to say
to the hand, or the head to the feat, I
have no need of you. This verbalizes the actual attitude of some
Corinthians toward their brothers and sisters that Paul seeks to change. Eye and head are transparent metaphors for those in leadership roles, who
are likely to be more affluent and better educated. The hands and feet represent
the laboring class. Eyes and heads in the church always get special
treatment and then begin to think that they are special. A sense of superiority
can breed notions of self-sufficiency, since those who think that they are
all-important can imagine that the minor players are superfluous and
dispensable. It is obvious in a body that no part is autonomous, but Paul uses
the body analogy to turn self-centered vanity upside down. It is, in fact, the
unpresentable parts that are the most necessary for the body to live, and they
receive special treatment. The weaker and superior members are only apparently
or seemingly so, and appearances are deceiving. Such apparent weakness has no
relationship to their real value and necessity to the body. In the same manner,
the persons with deceptively ordinary and unprestigious gifts are as necessary
for the proper functioning of the community as those who put on a more glittery
display. All are of equal value; but if there is to be any over-compensation,
it is to be for the less favored. The church is not to be like its surrounding
society, which always honors those who are already honored. It is to be
countercultural and bestow the greatest honor on those who seem to be
negligible. Paul continues the analogy in verse 23 by noting the special
attention paid to these necessary, but unpresentable, members. These
unpresentable parts may seem to be the most shameful part of the body, but our
very attention to them – our constant care to cover them and shield them from
trivializing and vulgarizing public exposure – demonstrated that they are
actually the most necessary of the body’s members, those with the highest
status. Verse 24 affirms that this is God’s very intention. God composed, implying mixing and blending,
deliberately so. Paul employs the body analogy to undermine the hierarchy of
values that habitually honors those already honored and humiliates those
already humbled in society. The so-called gifted and glorious members should
share their glory with the unglorious and invest them with honor instead of
flaunting their gifts or gloating over their illusory superiority. The
conclusion in 12:25-26 expresses the purpose of this ordering of the body: that there may be no division in the body,
but that the members may have the same care for one another. The opposite
of division is showing care for one another. Evidence of callous indifference
to the plight of the “have-nots” at the Lord’s Supper [11:17-34] reveals a
bodily breakdown. Their behavior at their Lord’s Supper disclosed their
prejudice: these members could go missing with no great loss to the church. All
have experienced, at one time or another, how the whole physical body suffers
when one member hurts. The same is true for the body of Christ. As one attends
to physical ailments in the body, so Paul expects the church to attend to those
members who are suffering. The principle of love embodied in the cross mandates
that one should always seek honor for others, which stands in absolute
antithesis to the dominant value that seeks honor only for oneself in a
preening self-indulgence. The gift of the weaker, unpresentable members to the
church give others a concrete opportunity to practice love and patience.
Community Leads to the Lord’s
Blessing: Psalm 133:1-3.
[1] Behold, how good
and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! [2] It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of
his robes! [3] It is like the dew of
Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded
the blessing, life forevermore. [ESV]
The psalmist
pronounces a blessing on those who dwell
in unity. During the pilgrimages, the Israelites enjoyed an ecumenical
experience on their way toward and in Jerusalem. The pilgrims came from many
different walks of life, regions, and tribes as they gathered for one purpose:
the worship of the Lord in Jerusalem. Their unity was in conformity with the
regulations for the three annual feasts. During the feasts the Israelites
celebrated their common heritage – redemption from Egypt and their encampment
around the tabernacle in the wilderness. The fellowship of God’s people on
earth is an expression of the priesthood of all believers, a promise made to
Israel and renewed to the church in Christ [1 Peter 2:9-10]. The psalmist
compares the expression of harmonious unity to sacerdotal oil. The oil prepared
for use in the tabernacle was a special, fragrant oil, whose recipe was not to
be imitated. In addition to being used for the consecration of the Tent of
Meeting, only the high priest and the priests could be anointed with this oil,
associated exclusively with priestly service. The specific reference to Aaron
should not be limited to him, as the whole priesthood was anointed with oil.
Here Aaron is the head of the priestly clan. His name is representative of all
the priests. Through the priestly institution the Lord assured His people of forgiveness
and blessing. At the same time the allusion back to primitive Israel in the
wilderness conjures up the association of the unity of the tribes around the
tabernacle and the receiving of the high priestly ministry of Aaron after he
had been consecrated by oil. The simile further compares the unity of the
brotherhood to the plentiful oil, which flows down from the head to the beard
and to his robes. Because of the high altitude of Mount Hermon (over nine
thousand feet above sea level) and the precipitation in the forms of rain,
snow, and dew. Mount Hermon was proverbial for its lush greenery even during
the summer months and for its dew that sustained the vegetation. The experience
of the pilgrims is like that of the refreshing dew of Hermon. During the summer
months virtually no precipitation falls on Jerusalem, even in the form of dew.
During these months at least two pilgrimages were held: the Feast of
Firstfruits in May/June and the Feast of Booths in September. Regardless of how
harsh the conditions of the pilgrimage, life, or nature, the fellowship of the
brotherhood of God’s people was refreshing. The psalmist returns to the note of
blessing. Where God’s people are living together in unity, there the Lord sends
blessing by His command. The nature of the blessing is specified in the second
part of verse 3: life forevermore.
Life with its fullness of enjoyment in the presence of God is a gift of God.
Psalm 133 reflects Israel’s capacity to appreciate the common joys of life and
to attribute them to the well-ordered generosity of Yahweh.
Questions for
Discussion:
1. What important truth is
Paul emphasizing by comparing the church to a human body? How can you put this
truth into practice in your local church?
2. Why is both unity and
diversity important in the church? What does Paul mean by baptized in one
Spirit and drink of one Spirit? Why is his teaching here essential for there to
be unity in the church?
3. What is your response
when a fellow Christian is honored? How do you respond when someone is
suffering? How does the body-concept of the church instruct you concerning
these two situations?
References:
1 Corinthians, David Garland, Baker.
The Message of 1
Corinthians, David Prior,
Inter Varsity.
Psalms, Volume 3, James Boice, Baker.
Psalms, William VanGemeren, EBC, Zondervan.