When a coworker called in sick due to extreme pain, everyone at the office was concerned. After a trip to the hospital and a day of bed rest, he returned to work and showed us the source of that paina kidney stone. Hed asked his doctor to give him the stone as a souvenir. Looking at that stone, I winced in sympathy, remembering the gallstone I had passed years ago. The pain had been excruciating.
Isnt it interesting that something so small can cause a whole body so much agony? But in a way, thats what the apostle Paul alludes to in 1 Corinthians 12:26: If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. Throughout chapter 12, Paul used the metaphor of a body to describe Christians around the world. When Paul said, God has put the body together (v. 24), he was referring to the entire body of Christall Christians. We all have different gifts and roles. But since were all part of the same body, if one person hurts, we all hurt. When a fellow Christian faces persecution, grief, or trials, we hurt as if were experiencing that pain.
My coworkers pain drove him to get the help his body needed. In the body of Christ, someones pain ignites our compassion and moves us toward action. We might pray, offer a word of encouragement, or do whatever it takes to aid the healing process. Thats how the body works together.
INSIGHT
Paul often uses the metaphor of the body to represent the church (see Romans 12:35; Ephesians 1:2223; 4:1213; Colossians 1:18; 2:19). In todays passage he makes the observation that were not only to share each others pain but also to rejoice in the blessings other believers receive. Surprisingly we may find that more difficult.
Do you find it easier to share in others pain or in their joy?