Scripture: “They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.”
Observation: Today we get to the root of the issue—loss of connection to Jesus.
In English, when we say that we’ve lost connection with the head, we probably think first of an authority problem. That’s a primary relational connotation of the word/image of “head” in English. The head coach is the one who’s in charge, has the final say, and bears ultimate responsibility. That person is the leader of the staff and team. They have the authority. Everyone else has a role to play as well, working together in support of the common vision under the direction of the leader.
Now, all of that is true of Jesus. As the saying goes, the kingdom of God is not a democracy. He has full and complete authority. It’s a privilege for us to serve Him in God’s kingdom.
That said, this analogy for “head” is not what Paul is teaching here. When we read carefully, what we see is that the head is the source of the body’s life and vitality. Paul says, “They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body… grows as God causes it to grow” (emphasis mine). Paul presents a grotesque and vivid image—if you decapitate the body, it can no longer live and grow. “Ligaments and sinews” may support and hold the many parts of the body together, but no head, no life.
That’s the danger of getting drawn into alternate religious rules and celebrations, hollowed-out virtues, and lower objects of allegiance. We’re unplugging from our true source of life—Christ (and His Body), and attaching ourselves to shadows at best and outright fakes at worst.
One of the wonders of Jesus is that though He is our King and our obedience rightfully belongs to Him, as our head (as Paul paints the picture here), He comes first as our source of life, vitality, and grow. Within that relationship, obedience can follow from joyful trust rather than dreaded obligation.
Application: What competes for consistent connection with Christ in your life? When you are connected to Him, how do you support His Body, the church so that others’ connection with Him is strengthened?
Prayer: Lord, today strengthen my connection to you, my source of life, peace, and joy. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Everything in life competes against my time with Christ. I can over come the interruption by bringing my thoughts back to Christ. Working to keep Him in my daily life, I hope to be an example for others to accept Christ as their Savior.