Transcript The Lord’s Supper at Corinth

A Study of 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
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1 Corinthians 11:17-22—Paul Rebukes the
Corinthians For Their Perversion of the
Lord’s Supper.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26—Paul Reminds the
Corinthians of the Lord’s Instructions
Concerning the Lord’s Supper.
1 Corinthians 11:27-34—Paul Applies these
Instructions to the Corinthians.
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Paul established the church at Corinth on the second
journey when he came to Achaia. (Acts 18:8)
Paul would continue working with these brethren for 18
months. (Acts 18:11)
Later Apollos, having been brought to a full knowledge of
Christ, went to Achaia to labor with the saints. (Acts 18:27)
In the meantime, Paul on his third journey came to Ephesus.
(Acts 20:31)
During this time Apollos, who had worked with the
Corinthians for a while, returned to Ephesus. (1 Cor. 16:12)
Could Have Apollos Witnessed a Changing of Attitude in
Corinth? (Acts 18:27; 1 Cor. 16:12)
Paul Wrote 1 Corinthians from Ephesus on the Third
Journey.
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Paul rebuked them for divisions. (1 Cor. 1:10
ff.)
Paul warned them of immorality. (1 Cor. 5:9)
Paul answered questions about marriage. (1
Cor. 7:1)
Paul addressed the issue of eating meats
sacrificed to idols. (1 Cor. 8:1)
Paul dealt with abuses of the Lord’s Supper (1
Cor. 11:17-34).
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The Corinthian society had its communal
dinners with religious overtones.
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Idolaters often ate their meals together in the
temples in honor of the gods (1 Cor. 10:19-22)
Likewise trade guilds meeting in honor of their
patron gods also had dinner meetings.
The imperial cult appears to have been established
in Achaia with special feasts and sacrifices to the
emperor and his family.
The Isthmian Games were conducted with festivals
under the shield or protection of the patron gods of
the games.
The Jews had special benevolent feasts as well.
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Some dinners were provided by a host who
might either apportion an equal part to all or in
other cases allow the food to be distributed on
a first come, first served basis.
Some dinners were financed by a combined
payment by each of the guest.
Others were private dinners where each
attendant brought his own food and ate it.
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Instruction: Paraggello
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To give orders, command, instruct, direct.
Paul is commanding that things be set right.
Paul will not praise them.
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Ref. 1 Cor. 11:2
 Mike Willis: “I censure you severely.”
 Richard Lenski: “I’m blaming or rebuking you”
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Because you come together not for the better
but for the worse.
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Come together:
 The context is the assembly. (vv. 18, 20, 33, 34)
 The same verb is used in 14:23 & 26.
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The purpose of Christians gathering together is to
edify. (1 Cor. 14:26) Instead what happened in
Corinth was to their detriment. (1 Cor. 11:30)
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For—Paul now explains why their
congregational assembly was a hindrance.
Paul was hearing about divisions in the church.
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Ref. 1 Cor. 1:11
Divisions—schisma—is derived from the idea
of something rent or torn.
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The Lord’s Supper, a spiritual feast that Christ
intended to promote unity (1 Cor. 10:16) was
producing disunity and division at Corinth.
These Christians were divided and yet still in the
same local church.
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• “in part I believe it”
• Mike Willis—“And I partly believe it. This is a very
conciliatory statement to the church in Corinth.
Though the reports of the schisms in Corinth were
continually reaching Paul, he would not believe that
things were actually as bad as they were reported to
be. Nevertheless, where there was so much smoke
there had to be some fire. There was a problem in
Corinth, even though the reports concerning it might
be exaggerated.”
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For there MUST also be FACTIONS.
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Must—DEI—of necessity.
 Mike Willis: Hence, God’s purpose is served by
the church problems as the latter half of this verse
explains.
 “so that those who are approved may
become evident among you.”
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“the wheat will be separated from the tares.”
“the cream will rise to the top.”
Jim McGuiggan: “When ungodliness manifests itself as
division, keep your eyes open and the righteous will shine forth
in the glory of their Father. So, the divisions act as the black
velvet background (used by the jeweler to highlight his gems)
against which people approved of God are highlighted.”
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In name they may have been gathering
together to eat the Lord’s Supper, but what
they were doing was not eating the Lord’s
Supper.
Two Abuses of the Lord’s Supper:
 Lord’s: Kuriakos—Belonging
to the
1. The poor and the
richLord.
were
 Supper: “The
wordinto
supper
(deipnon) is used
divided
cliques
because the
meal supper
was the was
most viewed
important
2. evening
The Lord’s
meal of the day and not because of the time at which
as a common meal.
it was observed.”
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• Mike Willis: “There is some discussion regarding how
the Lord’s Supper came to be associated with a common
meal. Some think that the early Christians viewed the
Lord’s Supper as related to the Passover Feast (if this
were so, the Lord’s Supper would likely have been
observed only once a year as was the Passover feast.) A
more likely explanation is that the Greek worship which
commonly had a feast together was brought over into
the Lord’s church. Whatever might be the explanation
of its origin, the meal was not well received by the
apostle Paul.”
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“each one take his own supper first.”
Johnny Felker—“Instead of, as in our assemblies, the
supply for the Lord’s
provided
What Supper
should being
have been
a by the
church as a whole
throughto
a common
collection
memorial
the selfless
act of to
purchase the elements,
it appears
that, inchurch
the Corinthian
Christ where
the entire
assembly, each as
person
withofthem
bread and
equalbrought
recipients
Christ’s
fruit of the vine for the Lord’s Supper.”
grace partake was turned into a
 Mike Willis: “The rich were not waiting for the poor to
feast of selfishness where the
arrive at the meal but were going ahead and eating what
social distinctions became clear
they had brought. The meal was not something in
and disunity abounded.
which everyone shared; rather, it was a public meal in
which everyone ate his own supper.”
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Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink?
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Mike Willis: “Paul, by this rhetorical question,
commanded the Corinthians to eat at home. The
congregational assembly is not designed to be a place for
eating, and, certainly, the Lord’s Supper is no common
Lessons:
meal. Many twentieth century churches have not taken
Theywhat
werePaul
to eat
common
seriously
wrote
in this meals
verse. at
Hehome.
is not only
They were
not to of
use
assembly
as a the poor,
condemning
the refusal
thethe
rich
to share with
feastingaltogether
time for the
common
he is forbidding
practicemeals.
of eating a
The Lord’s
is not
a common
meal.
common
meal atSupper
the public
assembly.
This verse
prohibits the perverting of the congregational assembly
into an occasion for a common meal.”
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Or do you despise the church of God and
shame those who have nothing?
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Disrespect is shown in two ways:
 To the church
 To the poor
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One shows disrespect for the church by perverting
the assembly into something it was not intended to
be.
One shows disrespect for the poor by flaunting an
abundance of food in front of those who have none.
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Paul Appeals to Direct Revelation for His
Authority.
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Gal. 1:11-12; 1 Cor. 14:37;
Paul Delivered Those Instructions to the
Corinthians.
The Way to Correct Error Is to Go Back to
Divine Revelation. (Jeremiah 6:6)
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“the night in which He was betrayed”
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At the very time Jesus was instituting the memorial
feast to remind us of His love men with calloused
hearts were seeking His demise.
Contrast:
 Jesus’ love
 Judas’ disregard
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“He…took bread”
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They were observing the Passover feast. Therefore
the bread was unleavened. (Exodus 12:15-20)
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He had given thanks.
Jesus customarily did this before meals. (John 6:11; Luke
24:30)
 Jesus does this before instituting the memorial feast. We
should follow in His pattern.
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He broke it
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In Jewish culture, bread was made in flat loaves that were
commonly broken to be shared.
 This was the practice of Jesus when presiding over common
meals. (Matthew 14:19; 15:36; Mark 8:6, 19; 14:22; Luke 22:19;
24:30)
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Depending on the context, to break bread can refer to the
Lord’s Supper. (Acts 2:42; Acts 20:7)
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This is My body
Mike Willis: “The apostles could not have understood
that Jesus’ literal body and blood were meant when He
said, “This is my body” because His literal body was very
much present when they took the bread and ate it; they
knew that they did not eat His literal body. Furthermore,
had the cup been transformed into the literal blood, they
absolutely could have not partook of it because of the
Mosaical prohibition against eating of blood. What
Jesus meant was that this feast was instituted as a
memorial of His body and blood, as the text goes on to
explain.”
 Note: Jesus identified the contents of the cup as fruit of
the vine, not His literal blood. (Matt. 26:26)
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This is My body, which is for you;
NKJV—broken
 Not in the best MSS.
 Perhaps broken in the sense that His body stopped
functioning.
 Ref. John 19:36;
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Do this in remembrance of Me
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To think that men could actually forget what Jesus
has done might seem unlikely to us.
How soon did Israel forget Jehovah’s deliverance?
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Do this in remembrance of Me
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This is a command
 “Keep on doing this”
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This is a memorial
 To think that men could actually forget what Jesus has
done might seem unlikely to us.
 How soon did Israel forget Jehovah’s deliverance?
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In the same way: Indicates Jesus pronounced a
blessing of the cup.
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Mark 14:23;
After Supper: After the Passover feast.
The cup: Metonymy (Luke 22:17-21)
Covenant: Diatheke—is a declaration of one
person’s will. Not between equal parties.
In My blood: (ref. Exodus 24:8) This too was a
blood bought covenant. (Matt. 26:28)
New Covenant: Kainos—suggests new in
quality.
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For as often as: perpetuity, a regular
observance. (Acts 20:7)
You proclaim the Lord’s death until He
comes.
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It appears that the emphasis is on Christ’s death.
However, the Lord’s supper might be said to look
forward as well as backward.
 It is to be observed until He returns which implies He
rose, He ascended and He will return.
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These consequences apply to whoever.
These consequences apply to eating and drinking
in an unworthy manner.
Mike Willis: “Many have misunderstood the teaching of
this verse and refused to partake of the Lord’s Supper
saying that they are not worthy to partake. Although
none of us is worthy to our Lord’s sacrifice for our sins,
this verse does not teach that one must be worthy before
he can partake.”
 Unworthy is an adverb that modifies the verb eats.
 We are condemned if we partake in a careless manner.
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Guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
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Guilty—enouchos—is a forensic term, denoting the
connection of a person with his crime, or with the
penalty or trial, or with that against whom or which
he has offended. (Thayer 217)
In this verse it is the body and blood of Christ that
we have sinned against.
Johnny Felker: “To eat with disregard for what these
elements memorialize is to show disregard for the
body and blood of Jesus itself. Such disregard places
one at least in spirit with those who crucified Him.”
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We are to examine ourselves.
To prevent unworthy observance.
 Mike Willis—“This ‘testing’ to which a man subjects
himself is not to find out whether or not he is worthy to
partake of the Lord’s Supper; rather, it is designed to
keep him from committing the sin mentioned in the
preceding verse. Therefore, the man is to examine
himself to see if he is in the right frame of mind to
partake of the Lord’s Supper and, if he is not, to make
whatever alteration are necessary to get in the proper
frame of mind.”
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Judgment—krima—speaks of the judgment
or condemnation of God.
Judge—discerning—diakrino—which means
to distinguish, to judge correctly.
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“Weak” Athenes—refers to both physical
weakness and spiritual weakness.
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Physical weakness
 Sick
 Mathew 25:39, 43-44; Luke 10:9; Acts 5:15-16;
 Impotent
 Acts 4:9
 Weak
 Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38; 2 Cor. 10:10;
 More feeble
 1 Cor. 12:22;
 Weaker
 1 Peter 3:7;
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“Weak” Athenes—refers to both physical weakness
and spiritual weakness.
 Spiritual Weakness:
 Without strength
 Romans 5:6;
 Weak
 1 Cor. 4:10; 8:7; 8:10; 9:22; Gal. 4:9; 1 Thess.
5:14;
 Weakness
 Hebrews 7:18;
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Sick—arrhostos
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Physical:
 Matthew 14:14; Mark 6:5, 13; 16:18;
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Spiritual:
 (1 Cor. 11:30)
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Sleep—koimao
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Physical sleep
 Matthew 28:13; Luke 22:45; John 11:12; Acts 12:6;
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Physical death
 Matthew 27:52; John 11:11; Acts 7:60; 13:36; 1 Cor. 7:39;
15:6, 18, 20, 51; 1 Thess. 4:13-15; 2 Peter 3:4;
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Spiritual Sleep
 1 Cor. 11:30
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I tend to reject that idea of physical illness because
the condemnation of God for sin is not physical
illness or death but spiritual illness or spiritual
death.
The punishment for not observing it rightly today
does not seem to be physical illness or death, but
instead spiritual.
The judgment of God was a chastisement to move
them to repent. Physical death would be
“punitive”.
Spiritual weakness better fits the context: “not for
the better but for the worse”.
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If we would rightly judge (discern) the body of
Christ when we partake, then we would not
fall under God’s condemnation.
When we are judged, we are disciplined.
Disciplined—paideuo—used of giving fatherly
discipline.
 In what way would physical death be disciplinary. It
would be punitive.
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Wait for one another:
In what way was the rich eating before the poor or
the slave could assemble waiting?
 They were to wait so that all could properly share in
memorial feast.
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They were to eat their common meals at home.
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Turning the assembly into a “fellowship hall” would
bring the condemnation of God.
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