In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
- 1 Corinthians 11:17-26
While Paul was discussing the worship service in the previous section of this letter, he now turns to a specific aspect: problems with how the Corinthian church was celebrating the Lord’s Supper. In this passage, he discusses the problems with the meal that accompanied the Lord’s Supper, and then how they should take the Lord’s Supper more seriously.
He starts right off by condemning their practices in verse 17. Not only does Paul not have any good things to say about them, but he says that their meetings do more harm than good. Why is that? Paul tells us in verse 18 that there are divisions among the believers, though he indicates that he has been hearing of these divisions, rather than experiencing them personally. But knowing what he knows about that group of believers, he indicates that there is probably truth in that statement. Human nature is such that divisions will occur among us. So, what was going on in that congregation?
One of the main divisions that scholars believe was occurring there was between classes – the rich and the poor. Those who were rich would be able to provide more food, and it’s likely that they were not sharing it with the poor as much as they should. The believers would gather for a meal together before their time of worship and the Lord’s Supper, which should have been a time of unity and growing together in community. However, it appears that the Corinthians had more of a selfish attitude rather than one of joining together to share what they had and to build up one another in the faith.
There are differences among the people, of course, as Paul indicates in verse 19. The phrase “which of you have God’s approval” is an interesting one, implying that not everyone who was a part of the congregation was actually a true believer. Paul is concerned for the life of the community, that perhaps some were not strong enough in their faith to withstand whatever was coming. He sees the need for them to join together as a community, in spite of their differences and in spite of their varying maturity in the faith.
Paul sets up the specific problem in verse 20, telling them that they are not eating the Lord’s Supper when they come together. They were not approaching the Lord’s Supper in a proper manner, giving it the reverence that it deserves. He explains this more in verse 21 when he shares that they are not eating as a community but rather having private suppers in different groups. Here is also where we see evidence that they weren’t necessarily sharing the food in an equal manner. One person may go hungry, while another person may get drunk, indicating that they had plenty of food and drink.
The custom for both Jews and Greeks in that day was to essentially have a potluck – everyone bringing food, and everyone having equal opportunity to partake of that food. Those who were rich would often bring more food, and those who were poor would bring less. But all would be able to share equally in the meal together. Paul is calling out the fact that they had cliques, and the rich were selfishly taking more since they brought more.
Paul calls this out with a series of rhetorical questions in verse 22. If the rich want to eat lavishly and not share with the poor, then they should just stay home and have their fill! Instead, they show up to the church gathering and humiliate those who have less by their lack of sharing. All are equal in Christ’s eyes, and that is how the church should act as well.
But the real reason that Paul does not support their actions is found in verses 23-25 where he compares it to the Lord’s Supper that Jesus instituted. This selfishness among the believers does not line up with the attitude of Jesus. Paul shares with them the words of Jesus that He shared at the Last Supper. The account of this can be found in all 4 gospels – Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-16, Luke 22:14-23, and John 13.
Aside from the fact that Jesus instituted this meal, we see why it is so important in verse 26: “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” This meal is one way that we continually remember and proclaim the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. This was not just meant for the first-century church, but we are to continue it today as well – until Jesus comes back again.
Many of the principles from this passage apply to us today. We should not have divisions among our churches, whether due to rich vs. poor or any other distinction. We should strive to create true Christian community in our congregations through sharing meals together and other options for fellowship. Those should be available to all people, regardless of income status or any other factor. When we do celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we should do so in a manner that appropriately honors the death of Jesus Christ.
How are you doing these when you gather together with other believers? What could you personally work on to improve unity and appropriately honoring Jesus in your congregation?
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