The einstein
He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. – Ephesians 4:16
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.
14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.
15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.
19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part!
20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.
21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.
23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So, we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen,
24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity.
25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other.
26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.
For over six decades, scientists and mathematicians grappled with an elusive geometry problem: creating a shape that tiles a surface without repeating patterns. This mysterious shape earned the name “einstein tile” (from the German ein = one + stein = stone).
In 2022, amateur mathematician David Smith made a breakthrough by discovering this elusive shape, which he fittingly dubbed “the hat” due to its resemblance to a fedora. Published in 2023, Smith’s discovery showcased an aperiodic 13-sided polygon that can completely cover a surface without gaps and without forming repetitive clusters.
This elegant and simple solution has finally put to rest a long-standing geometric puzzle.
Getting individual pieces to fit together correctly without gaps, overlaps, or repetition, as the new einstein fedora tile does, is not merely a conundrum for mathematics.
Just as the new einstein fedora tile fits together seamlessly without gaps, overlaps, or repetition, so too are the individual members of the body of Christ designed to work in perfect harmony. Each part, much like the tiles, is intelligently crafted to function together, creating a cohesive and unified whole. Just as the human body relies on its various parts to cooperate and perform their roles, the body of Christ flourishes when its members fit together and work in unison.
REFLECT & PRAY
“Since we all belong to each other, we should desire the welfare of each other” (Stanley).
Father, guide me to understand and embrace the role You have designed me to play in the body of Christ. Help me make the unique contribution You intended. Help me to “play nice” with all the other pieces.
INSIGHT
Ephesians 4:16 From whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
The Greek word translated as “fit together” is sunarmologeo. This term means to connect or join components to form a unified whole, much like stones in a building. The idea of how different parts of the body integrate can be expressed in several ways, such as “the body parts interconnect,” “all parts come together to create a whole,” “to cause to merge,” or “combine to form one body.”
Paul introduced this term by joining the prepositional prefix sun – “with”andthe rare verb harmologeo, meaning “to join together.” According to Wuest, this suggests that the body is intricately framed and knit together by joints, each part fulfilling its own role and function.
Paul used sunarmologeo to describe the meticulous process of constructing with stones, a task much more painstaking in the first century due to the absence of mortar. Instead, ancient craftsmen would carefully cut and smooth stones to ensure a flawless fit between them.
If these ancient builders could arrange stones with such precision and skill, we can trust that the Father even more skillfully designs and places individuals within the body of Christ. This divine craftsmanship ensures internal unity and harmony among the children of the King, who are all recipients of His grace (Hoehner).
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.
14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.
20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.
27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.
Paul depicted the Church as a human body, with different parts coming together and maintaining inherent unity through the unifying force of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Paul now emphasizes the necessity of having diversity in a body for it to operate as one. Each part (such as the eye or the ear) must be willing to perform its own function and not seek to function in a role for which it was not made. The whole body cannot be a single part, or it would not be a functioning body. So it is with the church. Members with one gift should not repudiate that gift and complain that they do not have some other gift. The apostles were to function as apostles, the elders as elders (1 Peter 5:5), the deacons as deacons (Acts 6:1-6), etc.”
“The logic of 1 Corinthians 12:17 is compelling: nobody can function as all eye, all hearing, or all smelling. So, for the church to function properly, it must have different gifts and offices. In 1 Corinthians 12:18-20 Paul brings the believers back to the sovereign purposes of God. It is God who has organized the body in the way he wants it. The implication is that it is the same with the church; according to God’s will, it is composed of many parts, so that it may function as one body – the body of Christ” (EBC).
Paul extends this analogy by declaring, “You are the body of Christ.” This profound truth applies to every believer. Given that the Lord Jesus Christ is no longer physically present on Earth, any task the Father wishes to accomplish must be done through us. We are literally called to be the body of Christ, serving as His hands to do His work, His feet to carry out His missions, and His voice to speak on His behalf.
This represents the highest honor for every believer. Each of us is an integral part of the body of Christ on Earth (Barclay).
It doesn’t take an Einstein to be an einstein.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
© Dr. H 2024
Dr H Reflections 