Are You the Missing Eyeball?

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them. Romans 12:3-6a ESV

To spark discussion in the church’s new members class, a friend once posed a memorable question. “What would you think if you were walking down the street and saw an eyeball lying on the sidewalk?” Responses varied, but most fell into the “Something awful has happened” or “Something is terribly wrong” category. My initial thought was to alert the police and start looking for a body.

The human body is the most common and well-developed metaphor for both the local and universal church. Most of us are aware of this, yet we rarely act as if we believe it. Many people can believe in the body of Christ in a vague, universal sense. However, Paul was writing to the church in Rome. He said that they were “members one of another.” He was trying to convince them that they were connected to one another and should figure out some way to get along and function as a body.

It’s common to hear Christians say, “My faith is between me and God,” or “I don’t need to be part of a church.” They have all kinds of reasons, usually involving some kind of offense they experienced. The presence of hypocrites is a popular one. Then there’s always the irrefutable fact that some preachers are charlatans. You bet. True story. Unfortunately, churches are made up of people. This makes it certain that something irritating or hurtful will be said or done. Count on it.

Some people have truly experienced abuse and mistreatment in churches. I’ve seen some awful things. However, that doesn’t change the fact that finding an eyeball on the sidewalk is a sign that something terrible has happened. Some sort of compassionate and competent emergency help must be employed to try to save the eye. Without a body, it will surely perish. If there’s a body missing an eye, that’s a tragedy too.

As with the eyeball, each part of the body is uniquely designed for a specific purpose. Even something as important as an eye cannot function or survive on its own when separated from the whole. Similarly, each person in the church has a specific function, and the body is only complete when all its members are present and working together in harmony.

Paul didn’t say it would be easy. Maybe it’s not supposed to be. It doesn’t take much faith to love those who are lovable, or to enjoy the company of those who are congenial. Proverbs says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). Without a sharpening steel, your blade will be ever dull.

We need you! You need us. If you’re an eyeball on the sidewalk, ask someone to help you find a body to be part of. There’s one out there that needs you as much as you need it. We are, after all, members of one another. This is true whether we choose to believe it or not.