Epiphany III: I Cor 12:12-31

Because the text is so long, I will not provide it here. A one-paragraph summary of how the four Lectionary texts relate to each other is here. This essay will explore three themes in Paul's extended discussion of the image of the gifts of the Spirit in the Body of Christ. The passage may be outlined as follows:

12:12-20 Speaks of the necessity of diversity
12:21-26 Stresses the interdependence of members in Christ
12:27-31 Exhorts us to seek the "higher" gifts.

After a brief introduction, I will explore: (1) The Unity of the Body of Christ; (2) The Nature of the Body of Christ created by the Gifts of the Spirit; (3) Seeking Higher Gifts.

Introduction

In this section of I Cor. (chs. 11-14) Paul is primarily giving advice to the Corinthian Christians on worship. It seems as if people had used their social position or their spiritual gifts to try to create schism (skisma is the Greek word used in this passage--v. 25; the reality of "schism" is presented earlier in the book when Paul describes people who say "I am of Apollos" or "I am of Peter" etc.--3:4) in the congregation. Paul's perspective is that gifts of the Spirit should be used for the common good and for building up the Body of Christ. The image Paul uses in this passage is powerful but commonplace. Other ancient writers use the rhetoricial "topos" or topic of the body, but Paul uses it differently. The ancient writers use it in the context of political theory--to describe the way that the city should function. They use it in a conservative way, and by stressing the importance of each body part, they try to "keep people in their place." That is, the city as a body only does well if the various parts function as they should. Don't try to change your social location. However, Paul uses the image differently, to stress the diversity and interdependence of the members. In a striking departure from the ancient political theory, Paul includes vv. 23-25 where the less honorable members ought to be treated with greater respect in the Body of Christ. What is evident both in the Luke 4 and the I Cor 12 texts for this week is that the Gospel has social implications: for Jesus it means "release," which has an economic dimension to it. For Paul it means treating the "less honorable" members with greate honor. If we think that the Gospel simply baptizes the status quo, we haven't yet read Jesus or Paul very deeply.

I. The Unity of the Body

In the previous essay on I Cor 12, I stressed the ambiguity of some of Paul's language in vv. 1-11. In this week's reading, however, Paul is quite clear on the goal: the unity of Christ's body. But in these verses the unity of the Body of Christ is both a reality and a choice. Pauline ethics consist both of what we might call an "indicative" and an "imperative." You are something; therefore be something. You are the Body of Christ; therefore act like you are. That will be his message in a nutshell. The "you are" statement is in v. 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."

Notice the structure of the verse. It is in what scholars call chaism, or an "x-shaped" structure. We begin with the oneness of the body, then move to its diversity, then the diversity is emphasized again, before we return to the "one body." This "x-like" structure stresses the two "ends" of the "X." The body is one; we are one body. It is a fact. So, what do we do with that fact? We must live as if it is true. On many occasions in life we might not feel the reality of our unity or our discipleship or our giftedness in the Body of Christ. It may appear that life, on the contrary, is rapidly disintegrating. The sources of disintegration are easy to number: failing health, relational strains, economic straits, familial problems, or just a sense of lack of energy, direction or yearning for the God who called us to serve. Overwhelmed by these realities, we sometimes retreat into our defensive shell and act as if these realities are the final word in life. We don't live the truth we know to be the truth. So Paul reminds us in 12:13 that in fact we have all been baptized into this Body and all have drunk from the same Spirit. That is the first point: live the reality of discipleship in the Body of Christ.

II. The Nature of the Body of Christ

The nature of the Body of Christ into which we have been baptized is that it consists of diverse members, all of which are vital to the healthy functioning of the Body. Just below the surface of vv. 14-26 is a recognition that the diversity of gifts to the people of God brings the possibility of cacophony rather than order. Indeed, it almost promises to bring this cacophony. Whenever I read this section of I Cor 12 I am reminded of family photos on special occasions. You know those pictures--where 15 or 20 people of three or four generations are crammed into the same picture. In the picture everyone looks so peaceful and accepting and sweet. You know what the reality behind the picture is? Well, two minutes before the picture was snapped junior was bugging his cousin, grandpa was snapping at someone else, a third person was off doing his own thing because family gatherings oppress him, etc. That is, the "family unity" picture is not a fraud, but it tends to cover over some of the reality of family diversity and stress under the surface. In the same manner I am reminded of the play Noises Off which shows, in a hilarious manner, the tension between actors in a play while the are putting on a comfortable play. "Behind the scenes" (i.e., where real life is happening), things are near chaos; before the audience, however, things flow smoothly. These pictures help us realize that the nature of the body is to have difference and possibly the tension that comes with it, but that the underlying reality is that God has so equipped us so that there will not be "schism" (v. 25). We are one body. Ultimately, the tears that we shed, the suffering we undergo, and the joys we embrace, are for the sake of the entire body (v. 26).

III. Seek the Higher Gifts

The final seciton of the passage is unexpected and even a bit jarring. If we are all told to embrace our own gift in 12-26, why are we being told here, in 27-31, earnestly to desire the "higher" gifts? Well, that question really can't be answered until we know that the common "higher gift" is love, the subject of ch. 13. So, Paul, who for most of the passage has probed the unity theme, the peace theme, the upbuilding theme, now stimulates us to think of how we may aspire to a higher calling. We are not just our gifts; we are to seek the higher gifts. But, as we are thinking of a higher gift, Paul will show us something higher still. Thus, though we have gifts from God, we are not simply to be satisfied with them. Always strive (indeed, that could be the motto for Paul's life!), but in your striving, seek what is even more excellent. Paul has prepared us for the role of love in the Body of Christ....

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