 |
| LESSONS FROM THE HUMAN BODY |
| The body needs an eye, and the eye needs a body. |
| The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 12:12 |
| Can you get along in life without eyes? Of course, but you must make adjustments. You must rely more on other senses and depend on friends, or perhaps a seeing-eye dog, for extra help. Regardless of what adjustments you make, however, your body will remain incomplete without eyes. You will miss out on color and design and all the visual delights this world offers. An eyeless body can cope, but a bodyless eye is unimaginable. The most beautiful eyes in the world, when detached from a body, are lifeless and worthless. Eyes need a body that will bring them blood and receive their nerve impulses. Many Parts, All Working Together In chapter 12 Paul gives a clever anatomy lesson, with a purpose. By comparing members of the church of Christ to parts of a human body, he neatly explains two complementary truths the Corinthians had failed to comprehend. Any part of a body, he says - such as an eye, or a foot - makes a valuable contribution to the whole body. Whenever a single member is missing, the entire body suffers. And, he continues, no member can survive if isolated from the rest. Alone, an eye is useless. All parts must cooperate to form a single, unified body. Paul relied on body images to explain both the diversity and unity of God's followers. The body analogy fit so well that he referred to it two dozen times in his various letters. It became his favorite way of portraying the church. |