For the body does not consist of one member but of many.

1 Corinthians 12:14

The apostle is comparing the body of Christ – his church (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18) – to a physical body in order to teach the church at Corinth that God considered it proper that not all of them had the same miraculous spiritual gifts (12:1-13).  In doing so, he reminds the Corinthians that their bodies are made up of many parts rather than just one (12:14).

He continues: “If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body.  And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing?  If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?  But as it is, God arranged the members of the body, each one of them, as he chose.  If all were a single member, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, yet one body” (12:15-20).

Some Corinthians coveted gifts which God had given to others (14:1-40).  This might have caused some of the ones who lacked the miraculous gift which they coveted to think so negatively of themselves that they viewed themselves as not truly part of the church.  Using various human body parts as an analogy in the above passage, Paul is showing them that even though they did not have the particular spiritual gift that they so craved that their brother had, they were just as much a legitimate and needed part of the body of Christ as their brother.  God chose to give that particular gift to their brother for a reason, just as he chose to give them their own miraculous ability.

Both would be equally needed in order for the body – the church – to function to its fullest potential.  “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’  On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require.  But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.  If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (12:21-26).

I didn’t think much of any of my ribs that were out of sight under my skin and didn’t seem to do nearly as much as what my hands or legs which I could see could do…until I broke just one of those ribs.  Then I found out very quickly that even that one little bone did a lot more than I thought it did.  The Corinthians with the spiritual gift of knowledge might have thought themselves less special or necessary than their brethren who could speak in tongues because the latter would get more attention and praise.  However, Paul’s point is that the spiritual gifts which they might think are not as awe-inspiring and thus “weaker,” “less honorable,” and “unpresentable” are in fact “indispensable” and worthy of “greater honor” from God even though they might be figuratively “covered up” with “greater modesty” in comparison to the gifts that were in the open and getting more attention.  In the end, God arranged it this way to promote unity and equal care and honor among all within his church.

Miraculous spiritual gifts do not exist today (13:8-13), but the principle espoused by Paul in the above passage still apply.  Preaching and song leading might get more attention than quietly giving sacrificially or encouraging someone who has lost a loved one, but many times the latter proves to do just as much good – or even more good – than the former.

– Jon