March 10, 2024
1 Corinthians 11:17-34
“Communion Admonition”
Service Overview: Once again, Paul lays into the church for some screwy stuff that was happening during communion, and in doing so paints a beautiful picture of the precious gift communion is, and how the church is to regard one another.
Memory Verse for the Week:
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42 (NIV)
Background Insights:
- Since the beginning of the church, it was customary for the believers to eat together (Acts 2:42, 46). It was an opportunity for fellowship and for sharing with those who were less privileged. No doubt they climaxed this meal by observing the Lord’s Supper. They called this meal “the love feast” since its main emphasis was showing love for the saints by sharing with one another. (Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Wise, 127)
- Though the Corinthians were supposed to gather to celebrate their unity in Christ, various factions and cliques huddled into their own exclusive groups. (Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on 1 & 2 Corinthians, 170)
- Approaching the Lord’s Supper (Communion) with some of the church members hungry, while others had gotten drunk, made a mockery of what was to be a holy and unifying time for the believers. (Grant R. Osborne, Life Application Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Corinthians, 159)
- The specific nature of the problem is described in verses 20–22: When the church gathers for its communal meal, some of the Corinthians who have greater resources are feasting on their own food and wine, while others “who have nothing” are going hungry. As a result, Paul declares that—contrary to what they may suppose—what they are eating is not in fact “the Lord’s Supper”; it is their own private meal (vv. 20–21). (Richard B. Hays, First Corinthians, 195)
- “In an unworthy manner” in verse 27a translates the Greek adverb anaxios (“unworthily”). Paul does not use the adjective “unworthy,” which would have referred to a person’s character, but highlights instead the nature of their actions. Thus his “warning was not to those who were leading unworthy lives and longed for forgiveness but to those who were making a mockery of that which should have been most sacred and solemn by their behaviour at the meal.” (Craig L. Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, 307)
- The metaphor of sleep is often used in the Bible for the death of a believer and never an unbeliever. (Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in 1 Corinthians, 234)
- The Corinthians were guilty of letting their rich take precedence over their poor and of gluttony. Perhaps being influenced by the pagan festivals they once indulged in, the wealthy gorged themselves. All the while the poor (many of whom were probably slaves) went hungry, receiving little or nothing to eat and drink because it was soon gone. (Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in 1 Corinthians, 232)
What does God’s Word hold as essential to communion, and how can we live into these essentials as his people?
- The call to look back — be diligent in remembering.
(vv. 23–26a | Deut. 6:12; Psalm 77:11; Isaiah 53:5; Luke 22:19-20; John 6:53-58)
This “remembering” is not simply the recalling of historical facts. It is a participation in spiritual realities. At the Lord’s Table, we do not walk around a monument and admire it. We have fellowship with a living Savior as our hearts reach out by faith. (Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Wise, 130)
The Lord’s Supper is related to the past by virtue of its link to the Passover. In addition, what Jesus talked about in the Upper Room has since taken place, so His death on the cross is past to us as well. He tells the disciples that they were to do this sacrament “in remembrance of Him.” To the extent that our celebration of the Lord’s Supper is a remembrance, the focus is on what took place in the past. (R.C. Sproul, What Is the Lord’s Supper?, 15)
We should remember that it is through Christ’s death that we are reconciled to God and each other. He has made us one, and we set our hearts on pursuing unity in love. The Lord’s Supper is a great time to pray and plan for oneness with our brothers and sisters. It is a time to explore new ways to be kind, compassionate, and forgiving. (Edward Welch, When People are Big and God is Small, 206)
- The charge to look ahead — embrace, celebrate, and proclaim the good news.
(v. 26b | Mat. 24:14; 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:19; Acts 1:8; 1 John 1:3)
The bread and wine exist not simply to stir cognitive remembrance but to light a fire of unquenchable longing for the Savior whose body and blood they symbolize. These visible signs are also a means of grace by which the Spirit excites and intensifies our thirst for what Jesus alone can offer. (Sam Storms, One Thing, 41)
Nowhere is God so near to man as in Jesus Christ; and nowhere is Christ so familiarly represented to us, as in this holy sacrament. (Richard Baxter, The divine life: in three treatises, 25)
Every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper in this world, we shouldn’t only look back to Christ’s past accomplishments, but to the future feast that is yet to be fulfilled. There is still more of the kingdom of God for us to experience. We have experienced the inauguration of the kingdom in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, but we still await the final, future consummation of the kingdom. So when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we see that it’s not just a sign of what has already happened, but it’s also a sign and seal of what will happen in the future. (R. C. Sproul, What Is the Lord’s Supper?, 29)
The purpose of the Lord’s Supper is to receive from Christ the nourishment and strength and hope and joy that come from feasting our souls on all that He purchased for us on the cross, especially His own fellowship. (John Piper, “Idolatry, the Lord’s Supper, and the Body of Christ” sermon)
- The need to look within — examine your heart.
(vv. 27–28, 31–32 | Ps. 139:23-24; Prov. 4:23; 1 Cor. 5:7; 2 Cor. 13:5; 2 Tim. 2:15)
The realization that we are not worthy (that we don’t deserve a place at the Lord’s Table) is the very position from which Christ welcomes us to the feast. We are the guests whom the host has graciously invited. Humility must be the engraving on our invitation. (Grant R. Osborne, 1 & 2 Corinthians, 162)
The statement in verse 27 about eating the bread and drinking the cup “unworthily” has often been misunderstood to mean that only the perfectly righteous can partake of the Lord’s Supper, and the call for self-examination in verse 28 has been heard as a call for intense introspection. This is, however, a grave misreading. Paul’s words must be understood in the context of the specific situation that he is addressing: The more affluent Corinthians are consuming their own food and shaming the poorer members (vv. 20–22). In this context, to eat the meal unworthily means to eat it in a way that provokes divisions (v. 18), with contemptuous disregard for the needs of others in the community. (Richard B. Hays, First Corinthians, 200)
- The duty to look around — consider others and take action.
(vv. 33–34 | Acts 2:46; 20:35; Rom. 12:10; 1 Cor. 10:17; Phil. 2:3; Heb. 10:25; 1 John 1:7)
Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbour, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat—the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself—is truly hidden. (C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, 46)
Paul’s vision of community comes into conflict with the Corinthians’ conventional social mores, which require distinctions of rank and status to be recognized at table: the more privileged members expect to receive more and better food than others. Paul regards this as a humiliation for the community and as an abuse of the Supper of the Lord, whose own example contradicts such status divisions. (Richard B. Hays, First Corinthians, 193)
The “agape feast” (from the Greek word for “love”) was part of the worship at Corinth, but some serious abuses had crept in. As a result, the love feasts were doing more harm than good to the church. For one thing, there were various cliques in the church, and people ate with their own “crowd” instead of fellowshipping with the whole church family. (Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Wise, 128)
How we love and defer to one another speaks volumes about our walks with God. (Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in 1 Corinthians, 231)
These two distinct but inseparable aspects of early Christian worship—the love feast and the Lord’s Supper—emphasized authentic unity in the body of Christ. This unity was evident not only through words but through actions. As believers came to the meeting of the church physically hungry and spiritually thirsty, they departed physically and spiritually satisfied, having had meaningful fellowship with Jesus Christ through intimate fellowship with His body, the church. (Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on 1 & 2 Corinthians, 169)
Gospel Connection…
In communion, we participate in the work of Christ, both internally and externally as we remember what he did for us, and seek to do the same for others.
(Is. 53:5; Mat. 22:36-39; John 6:35; 6:53-58; Rom. 5:8; 12:9-13; 1 Cor. 10:16; Eph. 5:21)
To know Jesus rightly is to know him through the eucharistic story. Further, to know ourselves rightly is to know ourselves as the recipients of his self-giving. (Richard B. Hays, First Corinthians, 204)
This supper calls us again and again to confess our sin and to open ourselves to leading a new life. In particular, this meal summons us to live—as the invitation to the table in the older Methodist communion service proclaimed—“in love and charity with [our] neighbors.” (Richard B. Hays, First Corinthians, 205)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- What do the elements of the Lord’s Supper teach about Christ’s past and future work?
- How does the regular taking of the Lord’s Supper remind you of your continual need for Christ?
- What does the Lord’s Supper teach about the unity of believers?
- Why was a division among believers at the Lord’s Supper so severe in Paul’s eyes?
- How might Christians identify whether there are factions in their churches (or whether they are unknowingly part of a faction)?
- Why must the church never be divided into those who have wealth and those who do not?
- In what ways does the Lord’s Supper sound a warning and offer hope?
Quotes to note…
Jesus’ death on the cross ushered in the new covenant (or agreement) between God and humanity. This concept is key to all New Testament theology. Under this new covenant, Jesus died in the place of sinners. Unlike the blood of animals, Jesus’ blood truly removed the sins of all who put their faith in him. (Grant R. Osborne, Life Application Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Corinthians, 161)
Nowhere in the New Testament do we see Jesus or Paul or Peter or any other inspired author interpreting Jesus’ words either literally or figuratively. In fact, the New Testament doesn’t seem concerned with questions about what the bread and wine are. Rather, it seems more concerned with how the proper observance of the Lord’s Supper is meant to affect the participants, the manner in which they are to partake, and the meaning of the celebration. (Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on 1 & 2 Corinthians, 173)
In the early church and later, the Lord’s Supper was called the “Eucharist,” taking its definition from the Greek verb eucharisto, which is the Greek verb that means “to thank.” Thus, one facet of the Lord’s Supper has been the gathering of the people of God to express their gratitude for what Christ accomplished in their behalf in His death. (R.C. Sproul, What Is the Lord’s Supper?, 2)
Jesus Christ took the cup and the loaf—the ingredients of a common meal in that day—and transformed them into a meaningful spiritual experience for believers. However, the value of the experience depends on the condition of the hearts of those who participate; and this was the problem at Corinth. (Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Wise, 129)
Those who eat at the Lord’s Table, proclaiming his death until he comes (11:26), are thereby also bound to one another through the death of the Lord that is thus celebrated. (Gordon Fee, Corinthians, 522)
It is ironic that the very meal intended to demonstrate the unity of believers has become one of the most divisive ceremonies of the Christian church throughout its history. (Craig L. Blomberg, 1 Corinthians, 266)
At the Supper a believer’s relationship and communion with Christ are deepened, and the solidarity between believers and Christ is attested” (Tom Schreiner, 1 Corinthians, 210)
Religious meals are more than taking in physical nourishment. They have great spiritual value and significance. At Communion we draw near to our God as a community, a family of faith. (Daniel L. Akin, 1 Corinthians, 203)
when we eat the bread and drink the cup together, we are bonded together in community with Christ and with one another. … authentic Christian worship draws us together around the table of the Lord in such a way that we become a covenant people, receiving the blessings of fellowship with God and sharing our lives with one another. (Richard B. Hays, First Corinthians, 173)