I Corinthians 12:12-14 & 21-26

Unity and Diversity in the Body

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

For Reflection

The Holy Spirit once bought us a refrigerator. As crazy as that statement sounds, it’s true. You see, we were in a tight spot financially. Our van needed repairs, our garage door was broken, our son lost his front tooth in a freak hockey accident, we were in the middle of an expensive adoption, and suddenly our refrigerator quit working. We didn’t know how we were going to make ends meet and the fridge seemed like the icing on a bitter cake. We didn’t want to admit it, but we needed help.

The truth? We were too proud to tell anyone that we were struggling. But God knew. And he moved unexpectedly in the heart of a friend. We received a phone call telling us to go pick out a new fridge. God wanted to buy us one.

How wonderful! How beautiful! This is truly the Body of Christ at work! And yet, the undeserved gift of a new refrigerator was surprisingly hard to accept. There’s a saying that goes: “It’s better to give than to receive.” That’s true on many different levels. But it becomes especially poignant when we accept that it’s fun to be a generous giver—and difficult to be a gracious receiver. It can be empowering to be on the giving end and humbling to be on the receiving end.

Sometimes spending ourselves means allowing others to be the hands and feet of Christ for us. If we like to give of ourselves—our time, our money, our gifts, our resources—is it so hard to imagine that sometimes other people would like to be grace for us?

We need each other. And sometimes those roles will change. At times you will give, during others you may be asked to receive. Our passage today reminds us that if one part of the Body of Christ suffers, every part suffers with it. And suffering in silence, in isolation and independence, might just rob others of the opportunity to spend themselves on behalf of you.

For Discussion

• Share a time when you were on the receiving end of a gift. How did you feel? Were you a gracious receiver?

• Do you agree with the statement “it’s better to give than to receive”? Why or why not? Do you think this is a Biblical principle?