Contents
- The kingdom of heaven is a reality of the life of our spirit. Since one spirit, one vital breath, animates us all, we are all brothers and sisters, and in the spirit we interact with each other, we share each other’s joys and sorrows, we communicate with each other.
- The dimension of spirit is eternal. Eternal life has already begun within us, since nothing can kill what is spirit.
- Entering eternal life means living the trusting relationship that unites us to the source of life in God. This same source unites us to one another as the members of the same body are united under the same head.
- The parable of the invited to the dinner.
- The theme of the abundance of fruits.
Related articles
1. John 4, 1-42 The source of living water
2. Augustine on happiness
3. Mark 14, 1-11 The perfume poured on Jesus
4. The filial relationship
5. Genesis 1, 2 Ruah, the spirit of God is feminine
6. Matthew 6, 9-13 Our Father
7. Luke 14, 15-24 Those who are invited to the dinner
8. John 6:1-15 Multiplication of the breads
The kingdom of heaven, the members of the same body
The Gospel often speaks of the Kingdom of heaven; Jesus forges parables to give us an idea of it, but he always tells us that this reality is indeed within us. The problem is that we don’t see it, because it’s a reality concerning the life of the spirit, indicated by the word “heaven”, or “skies”, inaccessible to human sight, but in fact the most important part of life.
What is spirit is not subject to the constraints of space and time. In this invisible Kingdom, we are all brothers, for it is the same spirit, the same vital breath which gives us life. The apostle St. Paul tells us that we are all members of the same body; we draw life from the same head, and we are linked to one another – this is the life of the spirit. Interaction, the bond that unites us, enables us to feel for one another, to share the joys and sorrows of our brothers and sisters and to perceive them as our own, to desire to share something beautiful we possess and to see our joy multiplied when another admires a beautiful landscape in our company or rejoice in tasting something we cooked.
An invisible bond unites us all with each other, with those on the other side of the planet and with those who are no longer in our time. For us, this bond is vital, the source of all joy, and what our brothers and sisters around the world experience touches us too. Can we really be indifferent to the difficulties that a part of humanity is going through without being deeply touched by them?
The mystery that unites us to one another is that of the spirit that gives life to the world, the spirit of God, the vital, life-giving breath. It is in the spirit that we communicate with one another, it is the spirit that brings us together and makes us members of the same body. When the members of the body have achieved perfect harmony with each other, when each one gives thanks for everything the other brings, and addresses this thanksgiving to God, then we have the kingdom of heaven. But this is a spiritual and eternal reality, and it’s already here. We are invited to enter it now. Jesus sent the apostles to announce to the world that the kingdom of heaven has come near to us, that it is within us (Matthew 10:7 and Luke 1:21). To enter eternal life right now, all you have to do is to be like a child, as Jesus tells us in the Gospel (Matthew 18:3). This means rediscovering the trust of the little child in those who give him life, recognizing that we are children of God, and find a multitude of brothers and sisters. This is celebrated in the Christian baptism ceremony, as we approach the source of life. A source made manifest to us in Jesus Christ, a source that originates in God’s inexhaustible mercy, a source that flowed from the side of the crucified Christ (see John 4, 1-42 The Source of Living Water). Baptism thus celebrates our entry into eternal life, when we enter into a trusting filial relationship with the one who gave us life in abundance with the benevolence of a father and the unconditional love of a mother (see The filial relationship and Genesis 1, 2 Ruah, the spirit of God is feminine).
To enter into the filial relationship, then, is to receive and welcome everything from God, in trust: even the trials and difficulties that will make the child grow and mature. Here, then, is man’s error, when he is mistaken about his own good (see Augustine on happiness). Let’s recall the episode in which two sisters welcome Jesus into their home (Luke 10:38-42). Martha goes to great lengths to prepare the table and cook, to make sure she’s worthy of welcoming Jesus, and she berates her sister for not helping her. Her sister Mary, on the other hand, simply sits at Jesus’ feet and lets herself be filled by him, by his words, his gaze, his mercy, his benevolence. She had entered into a filial relationship, that of a toddler who allows himself to be overwhelmed by the thousand attentions of his parents, in gratitude. Jesus addresses the two sisters thus: “Martha, Martha, you worry and fuss about many things. Only one is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part; it will not be taken from her.” The best part Mary chose is greater than anything we can hope for. It is communion with Christ, the Son of God, who gives us access to the filial relationship with God, his eternal relationship in which the son contemplates the face of the father. And we know the father through the son, his only son, who leads us to him, letting us into the mystery of the Trinity, sharing with us his filial relationship, thus giving us access to the father. He invites us to call God our father: by his love, by his life, given up for us, he has made this possible, he has united us so closely to himself, that we have been filled with his filial love. In this profound communion with the Son, Mary, Martha’s sister, perceived the extent of the only Son’s love for us, and anticipated the apostles when she understood in advance that Jesus was going to give himself up for us, he was going to offer us his life. That’s when she poured perfume on him, the precious perfume she had kept to embalm his body. Perhaps she realized in advance that death could not hold him captive, so she anticipated his resurrection: she poured the perfume over the head of Christ, who was visiting her. The apostles didn’t understand this gesture, and criticized her, saying she had wasted precious perfume that could have been sold and given to the poor. But Jesus paid her tribute (Mark 14:6-9): “Let her go! Why torment her? Beautiful is the gesture she’s done for me. You’ll always have poor people with you, and when you want to, you can do them good; but you won’t always have me. What she could do, she did. She perfumed my body in advance for my burial. Amen, I say to you: wherever the Gospel is proclaimed – in the whole world – what she has just done will be told in remembrance of her.” (See the full passage in Mark 14, 1-11 The perfume poured on Jesus )
Some Church Fathers believe that this is the same Mary, Mary Magdalene the sinner, who had previously shed tears on Christ’s feet, wiped them with her hair and poured perfume on his feet, thus taking service to the extreme, giving everything of herself, going beyond the role of servant, paying homage to his death and resurrection: Christ having thus introduced her into the depths of the Father’s plan and love, the extent of which she saw in the forgiveness offered by Jesus, or better still, in God’s gift, eternally renewed, offered to mankind again and again, seventy times seven times, for-giving, that is, repeating his gift, renewing it for each and every one of us. Seventy times seven times (Matthew 18:22), that is, endlessly renewing his invitation to enter God’s rest, the rest of the seventh day, the rest of eternal life, which is offered to mankind right now when one welcomes God’s gift, the gift of life, when one drinks from the fountain of eternal life, tasting the gratuity of the filial relationship.
And Jesus reminds us: “Do you want to enter eternal life? Be like a little child” (Matthew 18:3).
Biblical texts
Matthew 13 The parables of the Kingdom
Matthew 13:31-33
31 Ἄλλην παραβολὴν παρέθηκεν αὐτοῖς λέγων Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν κόκκῳ σινάπεως, ὃν λαβὼν ἄνθρωπος ἔσπειρεν ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ αὐτοῦ-
31 He proposed them yet another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man, having taken it, sowed in his field.
32 ὃ μικρότερον μέν ἐστιν πάντων τῶν σπερμάτων, ὅταν δὲ αὐξηθῇ, μεῖζον τῶν λαχάνων ἐστὶν καὶ γίνεται δένδρον, ὥστε ἐλθεῖν τὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ κατασκηνοῖν ἐν τοῖς κλάδοις αὐτοῦ.
32 it is the smallest [seed] of all seeds, but when it has grown, it is larger than plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
33 Ἄλλην παραβολὴν ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ζύμῃ, ἣν λαβοῦσα γυνὴ ἐνέκρυψεν εἰς ἀλεύρου σάτα τρία, ἕως οὗ ἐζυμώθη ὅλον.
33 He told them another parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of flour, until the whole was leavened.”
Matthew 13:44-48
44 Ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν θησαυρῷ κεκρυμμένῳ ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ, ὃν εὑρὼν ἄνθρωπος ἔκρυψεν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς χαρᾶς αὐτοῦ ὑπάγει καὶ πωλεῖ ὅσα ἔχει καὶ ἀγοράζει τὸν ἀγρὸν ἐκεῖνον.
44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure buried in the field, the man who has found it, covers it again and out of his joy goes selling everything he has and buys the field.
45 Πάλιν ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐμπόρῳ ζητοῦντι καλοὺς μαργαρίτας-
45 Again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls:
46 εὑρὼν δὲ ἕνα πολύτιμον μαργαρίτην ἀπελθὼν πέπρακεν πάντα ὅσα εἶχεν καὶ ἠγόρασεν αὐτόν.
46 having found a very precious pearl, being gone, he sold all he had and bought it.
47 Πάλιν ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν σαγήνῃ βληθείσῃ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ ἐκ παντὸς γένους συναγαγούσῃ-
47 Again the kingdom of heaven is like a net that is cast into the sea and gathers of every kind:
48 ἣν ὅτε ἐπληρώθη ἀναβιβάσαντες ἐπὶ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν καὶ καθίσαντες συνέλεξαν τὰ καλὰ εἰς ἄγγη, τὰ δὲ σαπρὰ ἔξω ἔβαλον.
48 when it was full, those who brought it to shore and spread it out, they gathered the good into a container and the rotten they threw out.
The following texts deal with the theme of members of the same body:
Romans 12:4-5
καθάπερ γὰρ ἐν ἑνὶ σώματι πολλὰ μέλη ἔχομεν, τὰ δὲ μέλη πάντα οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει πρᾶξιν, οὕτως οἱ πολλοὶ ἓν σῶμά ἐσμεν ἐν Χριστῷ, τὸ καθ’ εἷς ἀλλήλων μέλη.
For just as in one body we have many members, but all the members do not have the same operation, so we are many and we are one body in Christ, but considered individually we are members one of another.
1 Corinthians 6:15
οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι τὰ σώματα ὑμῶν μέλη Χριστοῦ ἐστιν;
“Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?
Ephesians 1:22-23
καὶ πάντα ὑπέταξεν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸν ἔδωκεν κεφαλὴν ὑπὲρ πάντα τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, ἥτις ἐστὶν τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ, τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν πληρουμένου.
And he put all things under his [Christ’s] feet and gave him as head over all to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who accomplishes all in all.
Ephesians 5:23
ὡς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς κεφαλὴ τῆς ἐκκλησίας, αὐτὸς σωτὴρ τοῦ σώματος.
as also Christ is head of the church, he is savior of the body.
Colossians 1:17-18
καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ σώματος, τῆς ἐκκλησίας-
and he [the son of the Father’s love] is before all things and all things have been joined together in him and he is the head of the body, of the church;
Colossians 1:4-23
4 ἀκούσαντες τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην ἣν ἔχετε εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους
4 Having heard your faith in Christ Jesus and the love you have for all the saints
5 διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα τὴν ἀποκειμένην ὑμῖν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ἣν προηκούσατε ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας τοῦ εὐαγγελίου
5 by the hope that is in store for you in heaven, which you heard before in the word of truth of the good news (εὐαγγελίου gospel)
6 τοῦ παρόντος εἰς ὑμᾶς, καθὼς καὶ ἐν παντὶ τῷ κόσμῳ ἐστὶν καρποφορούμενον καὶ αὐξανόμενον καθὼς καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν, ἀφ’ ἧς ἡμέρας ἠκούσατε καὶ ἐπέγνωτε τὴν χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ-
6 which has come to you and is bearing fruit throughout the universe and is also growing in you, since the day you heard and came to know the grace of god in truth:
7 καθὼς ἐμάθετε ἀπὸ Ἐπαφρᾶ τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ συνδούλου ἡμῶν, ὅς ἐστιν πιστὸς ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν διάκονος τοῦ Χριστοῦ,
7 as you [have] learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is trustworthy in Christ’s service on your behalf.
8 ὁ καὶ δηλώσας ἡμῖν τὴν ὑμῶν ἀγάπην ἐν Πνεύματι.
8 And who showed us your love in the Spirit.
9 Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἀφ’ ἧς ἡμέρας ἠκούσαμεν, οὐ παυόμεθα ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν προσευχόμενοι καὶ αἰτούμενοι ἵνα πληρωθῆτε τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ συνέσει πνευματικῇ,
9 For this reason also we, since the day we heard [this], unceasingly pray for you and ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,
10 περιπατῆσαι ἀξίως τοῦ Κυρίου εἰς πᾶσαν ἀρεσκείαν, ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ καρποφοροῦντες καὶ αὐξανόμενοι τῇ ἐπιγνώσει τοῦ Θεοῦ,
10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord toward all that pleases him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of god,
11 ἐν πάσῃ δυνάμει δυναμούμενοι κατὰ τὸ κράτος τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ εἰς πᾶσαν ὑπομονὴν καὶ μακροθυμίαν, μετὰ χαρᾶς
11 being made mighty in all power according to the strength of his glory, which leads you to all perseverance and patience, with joy
12 εὐχαριστοῦντες τῷ Πατρὶ ἱκανώσαντι ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν μερίδα τοῦ κλήρου τῶν ἁγίων ἐν τῷ φωτί-
12 giving thanks to the Father who enables us to share in the group (κλήρου that which is shared, received, assigned) of the saints in the light:
13 ὃς ἐρύσατο ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ σκότους καὶ μετέστησεν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Υἱοῦ τῆς ἀγάπης αὐτοῦ,
13 he delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son of his love,
14 ἐν ᾧ ἔχομεν τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν, τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν-
14 in which [the Son] we have redemption, forgiveness (ἄφεσιν letting go) of faults:
15 ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου, πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως,
15 He [the Son] is the image of the invisible god, the firstborn of all creation,
16 ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τὰ ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα, εἴτε θρόνοι εἴτε κυριότητες εἴτε ἀρχαὶ ἐξουσίαι- τὰ πάντα δι’ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται-
16 because in him all things were created in heaven and on earth, things visible and invisible, thrones, lordships, principalities and dominions: all things were created through him and for him;
17 καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν,
17 and it is he who is before all things and all things are gathered in him,
18 καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ σώματος, τῆς ἐκκλησίας- ὅς ἐστιν ἀρχή, πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, ἵνα γένηται ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτὸς πρωτεύων,
18 and he is the head of the body, of the church: he who is the principle, the firstborn from the dead, that he may be in all things first,
19 ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ εὐδόκησεν πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα κατοικῆσαι
19 since [god] saw fit that all fullness should dwell in him
20 καὶ δι’ αὐτοῦ ἀποκαταλλάξαι τὰ πάντα εἰς αὐτόν, εἰρηνοποιήσας διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ σταυροῦ αὐτοῦ, δι’ αὐτοῦ εἴτε τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἴτε τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.
20 And that through him all things might be reconciled to him, making peace through the blood of his cross, through him whether on earth or in heaven.
21 καὶ ὑμᾶς ποτε ὄντας ἀπηλλοτριωμένους καὶ ἐχθροὺς τῇ διανοίᾳ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς πονηροῖς,
21 And you, who were once strangers and hostile in thought in evil works,
22 νυνὶ δὲ ἀποκατήλλαξεν ἐν τῷ σώματι τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ διὰ τοῦ θανάτου, παραστῆσαι ὑμᾶς ἁγίους καὶ ἀμώμους ἀνεγκλήτους κατενώπιον αὐτοῦ,
22 but behold, he has reconciled you in the body of his flesh through death, to set you upright before him, holy, without blemish, blameless,
23 εἴ γε ἐπιμένετε τῇ πίστει τεθεμελιωμένοι καὶ ἑδραῖοι καὶ μὴ μετακινούμενοι ἀπὸ τῆς ἐλπίδος τοῦ εὐαγγελίου οὗ ἠκούσατε, τοῦ κηρυχθέντος ἐν πάσῃ κτίσει τῇ ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν, οὗ ἐγενόμην ἐγὼ Παῦλος διάκονος.
23 inasmuch as you have remained stable, steadfast, and without departing from the faith of the good news (τοῦ εὐαγγελίου of the gospel), which you have heard, the one who was proclaimed in all creation the one under heaven, the one whose servant I have become (διάκονος deacon).
1 Corinthians 12:4-27
4 Διαιρέσεις δὲ χαρισμάτων εἰσίν, τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα-
4 There are distinctions of gifts (χαρισμάτων of charisms), but it is the same Spirit:
5 καὶ διαιρέσεις διακονιῶν εἰσιν, καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς Κύριος-
5 and there are distinctions of service and it’s the same Lord:
6 καὶ διαιρέσεις ἐνεργημάτων εἰσίν, ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς Θεός ὁ ἐνεργῶν τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν.
6 And there are distinctions in activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
7 ἑκάστῳ δὲ δίδοται ἡ φανέρωσις τοῦ Πνεύματος πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον.
7 to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common benefit.
8 ᾧ μὲν γὰρ διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος δίδοται λόγος σοφίας, ἄλλῳ δὲ λόγος γνώσεως κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα,
8 For to one by the Spirit is given a word of wisdom, to another a word of knowledge according to the same Spirit,
9 ἑτέρῳ πίστις ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ Πνεύματι, ἄλλῳ δὲ χαρίσματα ἰαμάτων ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ Πνεύματι,
9 to yet another faith in the same Spirit, to another the gifts of cures [healings] in the same one Spirit,
10 ἄλλῳ δὲ ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων, ἄλλῳ δὲ προφητεία, ἄλλῳ δὲ διακρίσεις πνευμάτων, ἑτέρῳ γένη γλωσσῶν, ἄλλῳ δὲ ἑρμηνεία γλωσσῶν-
10 to another acts of powers [miracles], to another discerning spirits, to another [different] gendres of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues:
11 πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἐνεργεῖ τὸ ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ Πνεῦμα, διαιροῦν ἰδίᾳ ἑκάστῳ καθὼς βούλεται.
11 it is all this that the one and same Spirit works, distributing a particular property to each as it wills.
12 Καθάπερ γὰρ τὸ σῶμα ἕν ἐστιν καὶ μέλη πολλὰ ἔχει, πάντα δὲ τὰ μέλη τοῦ σώματος πολλὰ ὄντα ἕν ἐστιν, οὕτως καὶ ὁ Χριστός-
12 For just as the body is one and has many parts, and although all the parts of the body are many, there is one body, so also is Christ:
13 καὶ γὰρ ἐν ἑνὶ Πνεύματι ἡμεῖς πάντες εἰς ἓν σῶμα ἐβαπτίσθημεν, εἴτε Ἰουδαῖοι εἴτε Ἕλληνες, εἴτε δοῦλοι εἴτε ἐλεύθεροι. καὶ πάντες ἓν Πνεῦμα ἐποτίσθημεν.
13 indeed, all of us were baptized into one Spirit, whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, all of us were watered in the Spirit.
14 καὶ γὰρ τὸ σῶμα οὐκ ἔστιν ἓν μέλος ἀλλὰ πολλά.
14 indeed, the body is not one part, but many.
15 ἐὰν εἴπῃ ὁ πούς Ὅτι οὐκ εἰμὶ χείρ, οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐκ τοῦ σώματος, οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ σώματος.
15 If the foot said, “I’m not a hand, I’m not part of the body,” that’s not why it wouldn’t be part of the body.
16 καὶ ἐὰν εἴπῃ τὸ οὖς Ὅτι οὐκ εἰμὶ ὀφθαλμός, οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐκ τοῦ σώματος, οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ σώματος.
16 And if the ear said, “I’m not an eye, I’m not part of the body,” that’s not why it wouldn’t be part of the body.
17 εἰ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα ὀφθαλμός, ποῦ ἡ ἀκοή; εἰ ὅλον ἀκοή, ποῦ ἡ ὄσφρησις;
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would hearing be? If everything were hearing, where would smell be?
18 νῦν δὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἔθετο τὰ μέλη, ἓν ἕκαστον αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ σώματι καθὼς ἠθέλησεν.
18 But, behold, God has placed the members, one for each in the body, according to what he willed.
19 εἰ δὲ ἦν τὰ πάντα ἓν μέλος, ποῦ τὸ σῶμα;
19 if all [these members] were one member, where would the body be?
20 νῦν δὲ πολλὰ μὲν μέλη, ἓν δὲ σῶμα.
20 But, behold, many are the members, one, however, is the body.
21 οὐ δύναται δὲ ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς εἰπεῖν τῇ χειρί Χρείαν σου οὐκ ἔχω, ἢ πάλιν ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῖς ποσίν Χρείαν ὑμῶν οὐκ ἔχω-
21 It’s not possible for the eye to say to the hand, “I don’t need you,” or, again, head to toe, “I don’t need you.”
22 ἀλλὰ πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὰ δοκοῦντα μέλη τοῦ σώματος ἀσθενέστερα ὑπάρχειν ἀναγκαῖά ἐστιν,
22 but, much more, the members who seem to be the weakest are needed,
23 καὶ ἃ δοκοῦμεν ἀτιμότερα εἶναι τοῦ σώματος, τούτοις τιμὴν περισσοτέραν περιτίθεμεν, καὶ τὰ ἀσχήμονα ἡμῶν εὐσχημοσύνην περισσοτέραν ἔχει,
23 and those which we deem to be the least honorable of the body, these we honor most, and those which are not apparent [shameful], they have the most beautiful decoration,
24 τὰ δὲ εὐσχήμονα ἡμῶν οὐ χρείαν ἔχει. ἀλλὰ ὁ θεὸς συνεκέρασεν τὸ σῶμα, τῷ ὑστερουμένῳ περισσοτέραν δοὺς τιμήν,
24 Whereas those who have the beautiful appearance, there is no need [to embellish them]. But god has arranged the body having given that which lacks it the most honor,
25 ἵνα μὴ ᾖ σχίσμα ἐν τῷ σώματι, ἀλλὰ τὸ αὐτὸ ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων μεριμνῶσιν τὰ μέλη.
25 So that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may care for one another in the same way.
26 καὶ εἴτε πάσχει ἓν μέλος, συνπάσχει πάντα τὰ μέλη- εἴτε δοξάζεται μέλος, συνχαίρει πάντα τὰ μέλη.
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it: if one member is glorified, all the members rejoice with it.
27 ὑμεῖς δέ ἐστε σῶμα Χριστοῦ καὶ μέλη ἐκ μέρους.
27 you, you are the body of Christ and [you are] members individually [considering the part].