Equal Consequences

And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 1 Corinthians 12:26

One / All – Liberty, equality, fraternity.  The French national motto probably won’t trace its heritage back to the apostle Paul, but it should.  In fact, this motto is the anthem of all believers in Messiah – liberty, given through His sacrificial death; equality, produced through His obedience to the Father; and fraternity, resulting from our adoption into the family.  A thousand years before the French adopted the phrase, Paul spoke of its application in the church.  One for all.  All for one.

We read it.  We believe it.  But do we practice it?  That’s the telltale evidence of our actually hearing what Rabbi Paul is saying.  Since words without actions are useless air, unless we put into practice the idea of fraternity, unless we really live “one for all – all for one,” none of our noble platitudes will make any difference.  What’s worse is that we will sin in our omission, for sin is knowing what is good to do and not doing it (James 4:17).

The Greek is a paradigm of opposites:  heis – one, and panta – all.  “If one member” sets the stage.  Imagine all the things that can happen to any one member of the Body.  You instantly have your own list of events, but don’t forget to add those things which will probably never become part of your life journey.  Don’t forget to add starvation, persecution, torture, martyrdom and disgrace.  Maybe you should take a look at this http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7670747.stm (wait until the advertisement is over).

Of course, you don’t have to go to Orissa to see what’s happening around the world.  You can find the same thing in Haiti, two-hundred and fifty miles from affluent South Beach, Miami.  You can go with me to Honduras, El Salvador or Guatemala.  Or you can spend some time in the barrios of our own cities.  While we sit in comfortable pews, brothers and sisters in the Body are suffering.  One – all.  Does it make you weep?

The usual response is, “How can I do anything about this?  The problems are so big.  These people are so far away.  It’s all I can do to just keep up with my own life.  How can I take on a burden that overwhelms me?”  Yes, indeed.  It does overwhelm, doesn’t it?  One – all.  How do we make this a reality?

I don’t have the answers.  All I know is that I must do what I can do.  I must fly to Haiti to help build a road, to figure out a way to provide clean water and to help support a clinic.  I must stand in the cemetery among the voodoo relics and cry out to the Lord for His grace.  I must go to Honduras to teach, to feed and to offer myself in what small ways I can.  And I must help those who are called to Orissa and other places where my family is in trouble.  What God asks of you will be quite personal.  You may want to come with me (you would be gratefully welcomed) or God may have something else in mind for you.  The question isn’t where.  It’s how.

How will you take up the cross of your brothers and sisters?  How will you become one for all?

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