SCRIPTURE Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:27
THOUGHT Think with me for a moment about the names given to God’s people: first you have “children of Israel” or “Israel,” because that’s what God re-named Jacob after the man wrestled with him all night. No one really knows what the new name means, but most scholars go the obvious route: “wrestles with God.” Then you have “Jew” which comes from “Judah,” or “Yehudah,” a Hebrew name which shares the same root as hoda’ah, meaning acknowledgement or submission. The Yehudah rejects idols and acknowledges and submits to God.
So, hang with me here — we go from wrestling to submitting, and then we come to the New Testament, where the people of God become “the body of Christ.”
There is irony in Paul daring to call the gathering of redeemed sinners the body of Christ. Such a sacred term, applied to such broken people – but such is the miracle of redemption. My spiritual heritage, like that of ancient peoples, is wrestling, submission, and brokenness. I can’t explain why, but that truth is very profound to me.
Imagine Jesus breaking the loaf, tearing off one piece, then another as he explains that this breaking is what will happen to his body for our sakes. Just as Christ set the example of being broken for our wholeness, so as his body, we are called to be broken bread of life to the world he loves. As Paul explains, we carry in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed. “For we who live are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the [resurrection] life of Jesus also may be evidenced in our mortal body (2 Cor. 4:11 AMP).”
Maybe we could add another to the list of names for the people of God: people of wrestling, submission, brokenness and, ultimately, resurrection.
PRAYER Jesus, reveal your resurrection life in us and through us for the sake of others. Thank you for allowing us the sacred privilege of being re-named “Body of Christ.” Make us fruitful!
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Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.
Check out Walking When You’d Rather Fly, and learn more about the book and Amy’s other ministries. You will also find her devotional work at Words of Hope.
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