The Wonder of Skin

Series: The church as the extension of Jesus: His eyes, feet, hands, mouth, ears

Let me recommend a great book called Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Philip Yancey and Dr. Paul Brand, in which the authors explore the human body as an expression of spiritual reality.

Paul reminds us in I Corinthians 12:27, ‘Now you are the body of Christ.’ The human body is a great reminder of the way in which we represent Jesus in our world today. I see all kinds of skin when I look around me. Wrinkled, age-spotted, and worn skin on the elderly. Smooth and soft and without blemish on an infant. I see multiple shades of skin—light and dark. Take a look at your own skin. You can just look down at your hands or you can be more thorough, looking at yourself in a mirror. The skin that surrounds our bodies reminds us of our functions as Christians in this world. Just a few days ago, I cut myself and now that damaged skin has repaired itself. Think about it. God encloses us in a wrapper called skin that is pliable and flexible and lasts for, in some cases, 100 years. Our body’s skin serves many functions. And, when we think of Paul’s analogy of the body parts functioning like the church, what does skin do as a part of the body (church)?

1. When people meet us, the first things they observe about us are our outward features. Many impressions are drawn from seeing another’s skin. Likewise, we are making daily impressions on those we interact with. The first impression we make on someone may be the most important impression, because it may determine if we will have future opportunities for influence.

2. Our skin is filled with nerve endings, allowing us to sense pain and pleasure. The sense of touch is one of God’s great gifts to us as humans. As Christians, we are called to ‘feel’ the pain and suffering and needs of our world, and then, to respond to those needs. This was how Jesus functioned in His ministry. As the skin of God in this world, may we also be compassionate and caring to our world as we ‘feel’ its pain.

3. Our skin is amazingly pliable and flexible. It stretches and bends. It fits over variously shaped parts of the body. We, as the skin of the body of Christ, also need to be pliable and flexible in our methodology. As Paul adapted himself to Jews and Gentiles, to the weak and the strong, in order to reach all people, we need to be willing to try different approaches of ministry to reach our world.

The body as an image of the body of Christ is a great image. All the different parts with their individual functions remind us of our individual usefulness for God. Skin reminds us in numerous ways how we can serve God in this world. Look at your skin again right now. Are you representing God in the best possible way? What do people see when they interact with you?

Prayer: God, help me to be your skin in this world. Help me represent you to this world, feeling for others with compassion, adapting myself to the needs and concerns of others.

Terry Brown
Abilene, Texas