I Corinthians 11:17-32 - 'Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you. Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you. For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.'
What does this mean?
This book was written by Paul around AD 55 to the church in Corinth, a diverse and cosmopolitan city with a mix of Jewish and Gentile Christians. The Corinthian church faced issues like division, immorality, and improper worship practices, which Paul addresses throughout the letter. He is responding to reports of disunity and disorder in worship, he is aiming to correct misunderstandings and provide guidance on Christian conduct, particularly in public worship settings.
The Chapter can be divided into two main sections, but we are focusing on the second half in this discussion:The Lord’s Supper (11:17–32).
- Paul rebukes the Corinthians for their conduct during the Lord’s Supper. The wealthy were eating and drinking excessively before others arrived, leaving poorer members hungry. This created division and contradicted the unity the Lord’s Supper symbolizes.
- Paul recounts the institution of the Lord’s Supper, emphasizing its purpose as a remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice. The bread represents Christ’s body, and the cup represents the new covenant in His blood.
- Paul warns against partaking “in an unworthy manner,” urging believers to examine themselves to avoid judgment. This implies approaching the Lord’s Supper with repentance, reverence, and awareness of its communal significance.
- Paul attributes illness and death among the Corinthians to their misuse of the Lord’s Supper, stressing the seriousness of the sacrament.
Love Feasts & Lord’s Supper
Paul addresses the Corinthians much like he would many modern congregations. Their gatherings, rather than being beneficial, are detrimental. It’s commendable that they assemble (unlike many Christians today who neglect this, disobeying Hebrews 10:25), but regrettably, their meetings do more harm than good.
A major issue with the Corinthian Christians’ gatherings was their divisions, which Paul had heard about and could believe, given their history and character.
Verse 20: "Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper."
The love feast (or agapē meal) was a communal meal in the early Christian church, rooted in Jewish fellowship meals and Greco-Roman dining practices, where believers gathered to share food, fellowship, and worship. It was distinct from but often closely associated with the Lord’s Supper.
The love feast was like a full meal where believers, rich and poor, ate together, often preceding or incorporating the Lord’s Supper. This practice reflected the church’s identity as a unified body. But, as we see in this Chapter, the love feast had become a place for division.
The love feast was meant to bring unity, but it became a place where social status dictated treatment. In my opinion, it became what we’d call to day, “cliques,” based on status or “who you know.”
The wealthier Corinthians arrived early, ate lavish food, and even got drunk, while poorer members arrived later and found little or nothing to eat. Paul calls this “despising the church of God” and “humiliating those who have nothing,” undermining the gospel’s message of equality. Paul’s message is both strong and plain, “If you want to eat or drink selfishly, do it at home!”
The Lord’s Supper, either during or following the love feast, was meant to proclaim Christ’s death through the bread and cup, symbolizing his body and blood. However, the Corinthians’ selfish behavior made their participation “unworthy,” failing to “discern the Lord’s body.”
Paul tells them the consequences of this: Disrespectful behavior during the Lord’s Supper brings God’s corrective discipline. The judgment was serious. Some Corinthian Christians faced illness, and others even died, due to God’s corrective discipline.
What does this mean for us?
Churches vary in how they practice communion, but Paul’s warning about not taking the Lord’s Supper “unworthily” remains highly relevant for Christians today. It addresses timeless principles of reverence, self-examination, and unity in worship.
It was never meant for us to treat Communion as a routine or rushed ritual without reflecting on Christ’s sacrifice.
Christian believers must approach the Lord’s Supper with careful consideration of its profound significance, it is not something to take lightly. For those unreconciled with God, participating in the Lord’s Supper lacks meaning, as they fail to recognize the meal’s true value, and failing to “discern the Lord’s body.” This participation is deemed “unworthy.”
Unworthily: The term suggests a violation of the covenantal significance of the meal, echoing Jewish concerns about profaning sacred rituals (Jews eating animals sacrificed on the altar were to be mindful that the blood was shed to atone for their sins, or they, too, partook unworthily. Leviticus 22:2-9)
Must examine (1381) dokimazo from dokimos = tested, proved or approved, tried as metals by fire and thus purified from dechomai = to accept, receive) means to assay, to test, to prove, to put to the test, to make a trial of, to verify, to discern to approve. Dokimazo involves not only testing but determining the genuineness or value of an event or object. That which has been tested is demonstrated to be genuine and trustworthy.
Paul urged the Corinthians to judge themselves so that they wouldn’t be judged.
This is hard, but I believe: Individuals who are not born-again believers participating in communion when they should not is “unworthy,” failing to “discern the Lord’s body, and brings judgement from God.
2 Corinthians 13:5 says “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”
Judas & the Lord’s Supper
John 13:27 says: ‘Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” ‘
If Communion signifies the Lord’s death and return, and Judas was a primary cause of His death, then by partaking of the bread unworthily, Judas was bringing judgment upon himself.
Immediately after Judas partook of the bread, judgment followed as Satan entered him, ultimately leading to his death.
Blood Transfusions
Partaking in communion is similar to a blood transfusion, where a person receives blood from a donor to restore health after significant blood loss. When believers partake of the wine or grape juice in communion, it prophetically represents receiving Jesus’ blood, which brings healing, forgiveness, and restoration as part of Christ’s body. However, if a donor’s blood type doesn’t match the recipient’s in a transfusion, the body rejects it as foreign, triggering a hemolytic reaction that destroys the transfused blood cells. This can cause fever, chills, organ failure, or even death if untreated—much like Paul’s warning about some Corinthian believers becoming weak, sick, or dying due to unworthy participation.
