Now in the next part Paul gives a great illustration of this unity with diversity. It is the illustration of the body and its many parts. He really develops this at length. I think the reason is that at this point in the context of this illustration, he introduces an idea which was not quite so obvious in the first part of the chapter. In it he talked about there being many gifts and yet one Spirit. As we think about that, we recognize that the Holy Spirit is the giver of the gifts, and we thank Him for it.
When he talks about the body having many parts, we remember that in Pauline theology (and you find it very strongly in the book of Ephesians) the body is not simply the church as if it were our body collectively considered, but the body of Jesus Christ, with Christ Himself as the head. By this image he links it all together. What gift we have, and how we use it, matters because in all our diversity we together belong to Jesus Christ. I think Paul would say, “You know, if you’re worried about what you ought to be doing in the church, and if you’re uncertain about whether you have any role, or if, when you exercise your role, what you do is worth anything or makes a difference, just think what it is you belong to. You belong to the body of Christ. It’s Christ’s body. Therefore, how you function in a certain sense affects Christ Himself, as He operates on earth through His people.”
This illustration makes some obvious but important points. The first one is that all of these parts have different functions. The eye sees, but it does not walk. The foot walks, but it does not handle. The hand handles, but it does not think. All the parts of the body have different functions, and so do we. And that is not a failure. That is the way God made it because that is what He wants.
Secondly, all parts are necessary. Paul is saying, “What kind of a body would it be if it didn’t have feet?” Sometimes that happens. People lose limbs because of an accident or a disease. That is a sad thing. Or what of a body that did not have eyes or a body that did not have hands? All those parts are necessary. So do not say, “Well I only have this gift, and I’m not even sure it’s a gift. Maybe it doesn’t really matter.” Of course it matters! Why? Because God gave it to you, and He put you within the church of Jesus Christ by the new birth and, therefore, you are to function with that gift within that body, to the health of the body, which is the body of Christ.
The third point is that a part of the body that is considered the least attractive is the most necessary. From a merely physical point of view we generally say that the face is the most attractive. But, you know, you can have a terribly disfigured face, and you can still function very, very well. You can do anything that anybody else can do except perhaps be in the movies. But take away something that is very unattractive and see what happens.
