Think of the countries of the world. There are many people in the government, but we often focus on the leader at the top. Whether it’s a president, a prime minister or a chairman, we have one general name: the head. We have people to head up a corporation or any business. The head is very important. In our world today, it symbolises where the power is. Jesus understood the power of this symbol. He played with it, and made a point. He asked for a Roman coin. Whose head was on it? Caesar’s. Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s; give to God what is God’s.
Moralists for the ancient Roman empire would sometimes speak about the head and the body. The people needed a powerful head, and they should be grateful to have a minor role. They could be a foot, doing the dirty work. They needed to give honour and tribute to their head. They could expect no honour for themselves.
Today, Paul speaks about the body. But it’s a bit different from Colossians 1:18 where Christ is the head and the church is the body. And it’s also a little bit different from Ephesians 4, where again Christ is the head, and we as the Church grow into him.
Here in 1 Corinthians 12, the whole body is Christ! In verse 27, Paul says, “Now you are the body of Christ”. That “you” means everyone he is writing to – “You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it”. He thinks of a human body, to show how ridiculous it is to feel left out because we’re not a hand or an eye. The human body needs feet and ears, too. Paul sees that the church is already Christ’s body. It needs every kind of Christian for it to work properly.
Every spiritual gift has its place. The gifts are there to provide service. Every spiritual gift must be useful, not only to the one who has it, but to the whole body.
Even more than that, Paul mentions body parts that are not naturally very beautiful. We tend to cover them up, to give them special attention.
This is the way of a good body. A true Christian community looks after the ones who need some extra support, some special attention. When we support the ones who appear weak, we may find that they have something special to offer. It’s important to value every part of the body.
As he nears the end of this passage, Paul does seem to give priority to some giftings after all. Apostles, prophets and teachers are numbered 1, 2 and 3. Then come the other gifts, the ones that make more of a show. Paul reminds us that communicating the gospel is the main aim. We must keep focussed on the wonderful, good news of Jesus and his saving love. Miracles and tongues and healings can help, but they must serve the greater purpose.
So is Jesus not also our head? Of course he is. That’s also true. Going to Ephesians 4:15, we grow into Christ as we “speak the truth in love”. That’s Paul’s next point, as he prepares to move forward to 1 Corinthians 13. Jesus, unlike Caesarb, is focussed through love on the good of all. With Christ as our head, our work is also for the common good.
26 Jan 2025
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