We Are His Body
By Brent Smith
In Jesus, God became flesh. After Jesus' death,
resurrection, and ascension, He built His church (~Matthew 16:18~; ~Acts
2:41~). Jesus no longer was in His physical body on the earth, so the apostle
Paul wrote that the church is the body of Christ (~Ephesians 1:22-23~). Christ
is the head of the church. The head of the body is in heaven, but His eyes,
ears, and feet are on the earth in the form of individual members of the body,
the church. "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members
of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one
Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles,
whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For
the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not
the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear
shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not
of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the
whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members
every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one
member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body"
(~1 Corinthians 12:12-20~).
When Jesus was on the earth, he used His hands to touch
people. Jesus touched a leper, Peter's mother- in-law, and two blind men.
Peter, James, and John were terrified at transfiguration and Jesus touched
them. Jesus used His hands to break bread and feed people. With His hands He
healed, gave comfort, and fed. As a member of the body, you are Jesus' hands.
Who do you touch?
When Jesus was on the earth, He used His eyes to see
people. He looked at multitudes and He looked at individuals and His heart was
filled with compassion because He saw their hurt and their need. He looked at
people from whom others looked away. He saw a grieving mother in the midst of a
funeral procession, a woman who was sick, unclean and socially outcast, a short
tax collector. You are Jesus' eyes. Who do you see?
When Jesus was on the earth He drank and ate with people.
He drank water from a well with a Samaritan woman and He ate with
tax-collectors and sinners; so much so that His enemies falsely accused Him of
being a drunk and a glutton. He ate with His disciples on a lonely hill, in an
upper room and by the sea shore. With whom do you eat?
When Jesus was on the earth He used His mouth to teach
people. "You are a teacher come from God!" He had the words of life and He
dispersed them. We are His mouthpiece now. The Head had imparted knowledge to
use through His Word, the Bible. Will you speak? We are the body of Christ.