20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21 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. 22 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!
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night 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, 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.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.
33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. 34 Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. (1 Corinthians 11:20-34 NIV)
Sunday, I had the joyful honor of bringing a Lord’s Supper meditation, and I drew from the above passage from 1 Corinthians 11. Here is the essence of that meditation, plus some additional notes.
Outside the Gospels, this is the most extensive instruction on the Lord’s Supper. Had the Corinthian church not gotten the supper so wrong, we likely would never have this important passage. Thank you, Corinthians! How wrong did they get it? So wrong that whatever they had, it wasn’t the Lord Supper.
Here’s a description of what was likely happening at Corinth:
The churches in Corinth met in well-to-do patrons' homes … In Greco-Roman society, patrons often seated members of their own high social class in the special triclinium (the best room), while others were served, in plain view of this room, in the atrium (the couches in which might seat as many as forty persons). The guests in the larger room, the atrium, were served inferior food and inferior wine, and often complained about the situation. This societal problem spilled over into the church.
It appears that the Corinthians brought their Corinthian values to a Jesus meal. In doing so, they neglected the very people Jesus came to serve. The service was held in the evening. The rich had the time and resources to eat well, but the poorer had to work all day and some, literally, slave all day. How, in the name of Jesus, do you neglect these poor sisters and brothers? Paul told them that they dare not. Every bite they took, while withholding food from others, was a bite of judgement against themselves. They were in danger.
What should they do? Take the high sacramental meal in a worthy manner. Those of us who were raised with the King James version heard this:
Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 11:27 NIV)
“Unworthily,” has caused confusion and grief. We have seen concerned sisters and brothers refuse to take the Supper because they felt unworthy and feared special judgement against themselves. This is a sad misunderstanding.
Notice how the earliest church, having received this from the Lord, passed on the story of the Last Supper, and distinguished that night—“…on the night he was betrayed…” Why bring Judas into this sacred story? Because he was there, and there in the place of honor, dipping matzo with Jesus. Was Judas worthy to eat with Jesus? Or, what about Peter, on the other side of the table? On this dark night of Jesus’ greatest need, this brazen, cocky disciple would deny his Master three times. Was he worthy? Or what of the other ten? All but one of them fled the scene of the cross. Were they worthy?
If the Supper was only for the worthy, none of us could take it! There is only One who is Worthy, and He’s the Worthy Lamb, and our Host. In Michael Card’s “Come to the Table,” he gives us these lyrics:
And here at the table, sit those who have loved him
One is a traitor and one will deny
Though He's lived his life for them all
And for all be crucified
All of us, unworthy, are welcome, and when we feel most unworthy, we need most to take the Supper!
It is not being worthy that Paul calls us to, but a worthy manner. Of course, this means taking this high, sacramental moment seriously. But, specifically, for Paul, here, it means, “discerning the body.” Many times, through the years, I heard that I needed to close my eyes so that I would not be distracted by those around me, and “discern” Jesus’ body on the cross. There might be a good time to do that, but it’s not at this time. We need open eyes, looking around us. In the next chapter, Paul speaks a lot about the church as the body, and ends by saying, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27 NIV) Discerning the body, in this context, means thinking about, and loving your sisters and brothers, especially those who might be in need.
So, as we take the Supper, let me ask you to go to someone alone and join them, or some you don’t know well, or some you do know, who are hurting with grief, guilt, or financial difficulty. This is a time to come together before the Worthy Lamb, and break bread with others in love.
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1 (from IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament by Craig S. Keener, Copyright © 1993 by Craig S. Keener. Published by InterVarsity Press. All rights reserved.)
2 I see, in John’s Gospel, Jesus’ effort to save Judas. Sadly, Judas rejects Jesus, and receives Satan and that evening for him became the “dark night of the soul.”
3 Michael Card, “Come to the Table” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9txi01Ht2mA