Ekklesia, Part II

This is the second article in an eight-part series on the nature and mission of the Church in the world today. As Roman Catholics, we believe that being a disciple of Jesus means living out our commitment through active involvement in the community called Church. In this series—entitled Ekklesia, the Greek word for Church—we are exploring the origins and characteristics of this community, as well as some of the challenges that the Church faces in the contemporary world.

Part Two: The Church in the New Testament

Christians believe that the Word of God found in the Scriptures is inspired by the Holy Spirit and continues to be normative for their lives in the present. This belief applies to questions surrounding what it means to be Church in the contemporary world. In this reflection, we will explore a few of the features of the rich portrait of the Church found in the pages of the New Testament and think about what this biblical witness has to say to the Church today.

The communities of believers who comprised the early Church flowed from the person and ministry of Jesus. Catholic experts on the Bible point out that the New Testament does not suggest that Jesus gave a precise blueprint for the life and structure of the Church. But it is equally clear that the Christian community had its origins in Jesus. Jesus’ message and ministry were addressed not just to individuals but also to a people. One indication of this fact is found in Jesus’ calling of the Twelve (see Mark 3: 14-16). The institution of the Twelve clearly reflected the traditional twelve tribes of Israel. The system of the twelve tribes had ceased to exist in Israel by the time of Jesus. But one dimension of the hope of the people of Israel was the restoration of the twelve tribes through a definitive act of God. The institution of the Twelve, then, implied that Jesus had come to gather the people of God; he sought the restoration of the lost and scattered Israel. When many in Israel did not accept his message, the Twelve symbolized the renewed people of God who eventually became the Church.

Scripture scholars also remind us that Jesus’ relationship with his disciples was distinctive when compared with other rabbis of the time. These relationships extended beyond the Twelve, to all of those who became his followers in the diverse circumstances of their lives. In the case of most rabbis, their disciples sought them out as teacher and, after a time of instruction, these disciples became teachers on their own. In the case of Jesus, it was he who summoned his disciples with the familiar invitation, “Follow me.” The conditions of following Jesus were demanding; nothing, not even family obligations, were to prevent disciples from responding to the good news that Jesus preached. The circle of disciples became the new “family” of Jesus, a family consisting of all of those who believed in him and sought to do the will of God in their lives. These were radical ideas in a culture that so highly prized the bonds of blood relations.

The New Testament emphasizes the role of the Spirit in animating and guiding the followers of Jesus after his death and resurrection. Luke’s account of Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles highlights the gift of the Spirit to this new community of believers, the Spirit who will continue to make the risen Jesus present for all time. It is this Spirit who is able to unite believers from many places in a reconciled diversity that does not abolish difference but enables them to live in communion with one another. It is also this Spirit who impels Christians to take up the mission of proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.

Paul writes beautifully of the gifts of the Spirit, which he calls “charisms,” in passages that are familiar to us (e.g., 1 Corinthians 12-14). Paul is deeply convinced that the Holy Spirit is active in the Church, sanctifying the members of the assembly and making them God’s holy people. The charisms, which are manifestations of the presence and power of the Spirit, are given for the building up of the entire community. Paul tells the Christians at Corinth that no one is without such a gift that can contribute to the life of the community. He had to remind them, though, that these gifts are not given for personal gain or as a cause for boasting; rather, they are gifts meant for service to the people of God.

It is in the context of reflecting on the gifts of the Spirit that Paul develops his beautiful theology of the Body of Christ. He tells the Corinthians: “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Cor. 12:27). For Paul this image is something much deeper than just a metaphor; it has a depth of reality to it that is enduring. The Christian community, which partakes of the Eucharistic body of Christ, embodies the presence of Christ in the world. Paul’s theology of the Body of Christ is further developed in the letters to the Colossians and the Ephesians. It becomes very important for the Church’s understanding of its own identity and mission throughout the ages.

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Robin Ryan, CP