Lord's Supper 1 Corinthians 11:17-33

Introduction

Text Read

17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

23 For I received from the Lord what 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 also He 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 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. 33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

Text Explained

The portion of the Word of God that we are looking into today is one that is very well known by most of us. Or at least a section of it is. Part of today’s Word is something we read EVERY month as we gather together and remember Christ’s death. The death that paid the debt of our sin. Yet today I want us to look at this text in context. The text we read each month is a section from the Letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth. It is astounding to me, though perhaps it shouldn’t, at how messed up this particular church was. In a nutshell, they were a church that had many spiritual gifts, yet they also had a great many serious problems. We read of those problems from the very beginning of the letter. In 1:10-17 & 3:1-23 we read of Divisions in the Church. 1 Corinthians 1:12 “What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” In 5:1-13 we read of a man who was having relations with his step-mother. And the church was arrogantly accepting of him. 1 Corinthians 5:1–2 “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.” In 6:1-11 we read of Christians taking fellow Christians to court in front of unbelievers and sullying the name of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 6:6–7 “but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?” In 6:12-20, the very same chapter, Paul goes after those in the Church who seem to think it is “ok”, for whatever reason, to have relations outside of marriage. 1 Corinthians 6:15 “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!” Then in 7:1-5 it seems like others, in an attempt to be holy, withheld proper and right relations from their spouses. 1 Corinthians 7:5 “Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” Still others in the church at Corinth were tied up in some of the idolatrous practices they had been saved out of. 1 Corinthians 10:19–22 “What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?” And this is not even all the problems of the Church at Corinth. For they had another problem which we focus on today. The mishandling of the Lord’s Supper. That most basic of practices that ought to unite Christians everywhere became a source of problems for that Church. Let’s read 11:17-22 again.

17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. Paul has already addressed these divisions yet he is quick to clarify that not all divisions are bad. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. Those who would teach a different gospel are to be opposed and the genuine are to be proved. In that way, we ought to divide/separate. Yet that is not the focus of Paul here. The division he is referring to is not the godly type of division but rather it is a division of have’s and have nots that was occuring during their Love Feasts. Now a Love Feast was when the church got together, ate a meal, and celebrated the Lord’s Supper. However, these fellowships, as you and I might call them today, had become problematic. We read 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. In other words, they all brought their own food, the poor starved while the rich overindulged. So Paul condemns them. This meal was directly tied to the Lord’s Supper and they were perverting it by causing divisions in their actions. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? You could have eaten a meal at home rather than gorging yourself in front of your brothers and sisters who have no food. In doing this, Paul asks a rhetorical question: Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? YES!! they were despising God’s Church and humiliating the poor. What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not. They are perverting something that is supposed to bring unity among the brethren. Paul then reminds them all of what the Lord’s Supper IS! 23 For I received from the Lord what 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 also He 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. The purpose of the Lord’s Supper is not to humiliate one another nor is it an opportunity for you to gorge yourself. It is something to be done to remember that Christ died for your sins. His body was broken for your sins and His blood was shed to pay the debt of your sin. At the foot of the cross, the ground is level. The prostitute and the virgin, the thief and the honest man. Salvation occurs the same for everyone, yet in remembrance of the most unifying aspect of Christianity, the Corinthians were, by their actions, drawing distinctions. Paul does not condemn them for having food, but rather flaunting what they had in front of their brothers who did NOT have. Then Paul warns them of the danger of their sin. You see, one might say, “What is the big deal?” So Paul tells them. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. It is just a bit of juice and a bit of bread. What’s the big deal? Paul says that if you drink that small cup and eat that bit of bread in an unworthy manner you are guilty concerning the body and blood of Christ. In context here “unworthy manner” is referring to partaking of the Lord’s Supper while living in a way that demeans, humiliates, or disrespects other members of the body of Christ. More broadly unworthy manner means partaking of communion while living with un-confessed sin in your life. Every sin we have already mentioned that this church was dealing with would have fallen under this condemnation. By sinning against one another, they are sinning against those whom Christ bought with His broken body and shed blood, all while partaking of that holy table set apart specifically to remember His broken body and shed blood. How arrogant and proud must they have been to demean a fellow blood bought christian while simultaneously remembering the payment for their own salvation. For this reason Paul tells them and us, 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. So don’t live in your sin, examine yourself as you come to the Table, confess and forsake your sin, then remember. Dear Christian, 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. If you partake of this table without the gravity it requires, then you are bringing condemnation upon yourself. In fact, partaking of the cup and bread in this way, continuing in known sin, had already caused serious physical harm to some who were in Corinth. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. The gravity of this table was so great that individuals at Corinth had become physically frail, physically sick, and some had even physically died because they had treated the Lord’s table in such a contemptuous way. However, Paul reiterates the call to examine themselves by saying 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. When we judge ourselves according to the Word, we find where our sin lies and then we can confess it. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, when we refuse to judge ourselves according to the Word, when we say we have no sin, then the Lord, our Good Heavenly Father will step in and discipline us. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. The Apostle Paul now circles back to the specific situation at hand. Namely the some starving and some gorging. Paul says 33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— Do the Lord’s Table together. 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

Text Applied

Symbolism Matters: The importance of the symbol of the Lord’s Table cannot be understated. On the one hand it is just a piece of bread and a bit of juice. However, it is not the parts that make the Table important, it is what the parts mean. For instance, if I were to start flirting with another woman, you would rightfully say “How dare you!?!?” Why? It’s just a round piece of metal on my finger and the marriage certificate is just a piece of paper and some ink. Yet we KNOW that it is so much more than that. It is not about the inherent worth of the paper and ink. It is about what that ring and paper symbolize. This bread symbolizes the body of Jesus which was broken open to the point that Isaiah 52:14 “As many were astonished at You— His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and His form beyond that of the children of mankind—” This cup symbolizes the His blood which was shed to forgive your debt of sin. To partake while continuing in sin would be like going to a bar to pick up person of ill-repute while wearing your wedding ring. Partaking of the Lord’s Table while holding on to known sin is making a mockery of the debt Christ paid on your behalf.

The Severity of Partaking in an Unworthy Manner: The severity of this act is laid out in our text today. Physical weakness, physical illness, and death. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. Some at Corinth had died as a result of treating the Lord’s Table with such irreverence. Dear one, you and I are not greater than they. Oh but you might say, “I don’t want people to think less of me if I don’t partake.” You fool! It would be better for you not to partake then to risk weakness, illness, and death. Do not treat the Lord’s Table and thereby the Death of our Savoir so lightly! Just as a a wedding ring is not just a piece of metal on your finger, but rather a representative of your marriage, so to is the Lord’s Table not just a bit of bread or a bit of juice, it is what these items represent which is Christ’s broken body and shed blood to pay your debt of sin. How dare any of us treat it with such contempt. However, our text tells us a better way than to simply not partake.

Examine Yourself: Dear one, we are called to examine ourselves. Just as David said in Psalm 139:23–24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” Examine yourself, and ask God to reveal where you have sin. If there is something between you and your brother, in as much as you are able, make it right and then partake. Where you see in the mirror of scripture that you have sin, ask God to Psalm 51:7 “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Dear one, examine yourself in the mirror of the Word of God and when God shows you sin, you confess it, then partake. And I promise you it will make the Lord’s Table all the sweeter, for you will have yet greater knowledge of what Christ died to forgive.

Concluding Thought: This Table that we are about to receive, it is more than simply bread and juice, it represents the broken body and shed blood of our Lord who died to pay your debt of sin. The severity of partaking with known sin in your life is great so examine yourself, then partake with a grateful heart for our Savior has forgiven us so much. Just as Jesus said of the sinful woman who was forgiven. Luke 7:47 “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Dear one, your sins are many, and by Jesus’ broken body and shed blood, they are forgiven. So rejoice with great thanksgiving.

Unity IN Christ. Not Unity in our favorite sports tems or unity in our political affiliations but Unity IN Christ. What He says we are to do, we are unified in doing that what He says to abstain from, we are unified in obediently abstaining.