For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.
Paul is telling the people of Rome that they are part of one body. He continues with the part about different parts having different skills and strengths and that each part is needed. This is a familiar notion to many. This morning, I’m thinking about the end of this sentence, a phrase not as familiar to me.
We are all part of one body, and we who are many are one body in Christ. There is a relationship between each of us and Christ the body. Yes. But he continues. Individually, we are members one of another. This indicates a relationship to each other, and even a possessive relationship to each other.
If I’m a member of a club, that club can claim me as its own. If I’m a member of another, that other can claim me as their own. I am inseparably connected to every other member of the body of Christ. That junkie? Connected. Putin? Connected. Every other member. Connected.
One could argue that they’re also connected to me, that their behavior to me should reflect our connectedness. Yes, and I cannot manage what they do, only what I do. I can’t concern myself with how others treat me, because I cannot change it. But I can change how I treat others, or at least be mindful of it.
For some reason I’m struck by the notion that we are members of each other, in addition to members of Christ’s body. I want to walk through the day with that sense of wonder as I meet every other person, to whom I’m connected.
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