Those who appear weak and lacking in ability are not to be despised by those who are stronger and more able. Those who seem feeble are necessary, since we could not live or perform our duty to God without them. They may be the sick, elderly, or the disabled, but their service, although sometimes less visible, is no less vital. Those greater gifts, such as the evangelist or pastor, can never hope to fulfil their ministries unless the more lowly ministries fulfil theirs. The great crusades of well-known evangelists are often attended by many thousands. But who has invited these thousands? Was it the elderly mother who regularly witnessed to them and encouraged them to come to Christ? Was it the spouse who faithfully lived out their Christian life as a witness before their partner which finally brought them to seek Christ in the gospel rally? All these unnamed disciples, and many more besides, have worked together to bring the harvest home. No evangelist ever has, and no evangelist ever will, succeed in his ministry without the healthy function of the entire body of Christ. 12:23 And those members we consider less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our unpresentable members are clothed with dignity. Some parts of the human body are presentable - we do not usually cover our faces when we go out, but we would not dream of going out with our bottoms uncovered, and so we bestow on them the honour of a covering! Evidently, rather than despise the less respectable parts of the human body, we honour them with our care and attention. Again, although the illustration seems ridiculous, the truth of it must be applied within the church. Those who are of lower rank, are less favoured than others with spiritual endowments, or who are
physically or mentally weak, or who lack ability, should never be overlooked. They must be shown the appropriate level of care; the attention bestowed on them must correspond to their need, not their ability.
pastor will soon notice that he or she is struggling.
12:24 But our presentable members do not need this. Instead, God has blended together the body, giving greater honor to the lesser member.
Paul broadens his description of the church as Christ's body by explaining that if one member suffers, all the others are affected. Literally, we all experience the sufferings of every single member of the body.
We have no need to bestow extra effort on the presentable parts of our bodies. The greater honor referred to is the greater attention, labour and care which must be bestowed on the less presentable parts of the human body. Seemingly, if God has blessed me with some useful gift, it is because He saw that I lacked something within my life, which only my service for Him could provide. 12:25 So that there may be no division in the body, but the members may have mutual concern for one another. God has arranged the members of the body in this way so that every member should have equal concern for all the others. However, Paul does not mean that we should bestow care on the weak at the expense of the strong. We must also be careful not to neglect the needs of our stronger brothers and sisters. A person may have a weak heart and strong teeth, but do they, in order to take good care of their heart, neglect to brush their teeth? Of course not! Many spiritual problems and divisions have arisen in churches because the pastor has shown care for the needy members but thought that the strong would not need his loving help and caring ministry. Morris is right when he observes that ‘no special care is to be lavished on one member to the detriment of other members’. Indeed, any church congregation which prays more for their weak and sick members than for their 21
12:26 If one member suffers, everyone suffers with it. If a member is honoured, all rejoice with it.
‘When a thorn enters the heel, the whole body feels it, and is concerned: the back bends, the belly and thighs contract themselves, the hands come forward and draw out the thorn, the head stoops, and the eyes regard the affected member with intense gaze (Chrysostom)’. On the other hand, if one member is honoured (given glory), then we can all rejoice together with them; meaning that there can be no rivalry in the church. 12:27 Now you are Christ's body, and each of you is a member of it. In summing up, every believer is part of the body of Christ, but each has a different function. 12:28 And God has placed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, gifts of healing, helps, gifts of leadership, different kinds of tongues. God has set certain offices in the church, all of which are allotted different tasks. The emphasis Paul makes here is not so much on their distinction as on the unity of their function. Whilst it appears that Paul lists these ministries in order of the authority exercised by each, his intention is rather to stress the vital importance and interdependence of them all. The teaching that every member is of equal worth in the