1 Corinthians 11:17-34
17 Now in giving this next instruction I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better, but for the worse.
18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it.
19 For there also have to be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you.
20 Therefore when you come together it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper,
21 for when you eat, each one takes his own supper first; and one goes hungry while another gets drunk.
22 What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What am I to say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I do not praise you.
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread;
24 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.”
25 In the same way He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy way, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
28 But a person must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For the one who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not properly recognize the body.
30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number are asleep.
31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
34 If anyone is hungry, have him eat at home, so that you do not come together for judgment. As to the remaining matters, I will give instructions when I come.
The Lord’s Supper
Disorder surrounding the Lord’s Supper
Next, Paul turns to a more serious issue – the disorder surrounding the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is what we today call Communion. Paul had received a report that there was disorder in their gatherings. Although he did not accept the report uncritically, he says that he believed it to some extent. What, then, was the cause of this disorder? (1) At that time, it appears that a fellowship meal was held before the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. In Greek, this meal was called the “agape (Love Feast).” (2) This meal consisted of each person bringing food to share with everyone else. In today’s terms, it was a potluck dinner. (3) The wealthy brought abundant food and apparently began eating on their own before everyone had arrived. This was an insult to the poor and became a cause of division within the church. As was the case with the issue of women’s head coverings that we studied previously, it is a serious matter when the order of the assembly is disrupted by unloving behavior. However, today’s passage raises an even more serious issue. The purpose of the Lord’s Supper had been distorted, and the Lord’s Supper itself had been profaned.
Improvement measures
To resolve this problem, Paul points to three things. (1) Remember the words of the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s Supper was instituted by the Lord Jesus on the night before His crucifixion with these words: “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” (2) Prepare yourself properly before partaking of the Lord’s Supper. Such preparation means coming with a heart of repentance and a heart of gratitude. If anyone eats the bread and drinks the cup without such preparation, that eating and drinking brings judgment upon himself. (3) If a Love Feast is held, wait until everyone has gathered before eating. If you are hungry, eat at home first. This is practical advice that is characteristic of Paul. What attitude have you had when partaking of the bread and the cup? Let us pray that we may come to the Lord’s Supper in the most blessed and fitting manner.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, a self-centered nature can turn even the blessing of the Lord’s Supper into a source of judgment. Please have mercy on us and cleanse us from our sins by the blood of the Lord Jesus. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.