1 Corinthians 11:17-26 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 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. 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!
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 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.” 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.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
In the above focus, Paul is concerned about the spiritual health of the Corinthian church. He cannot commend them for the way they act and their attitude when they gather together as one body. These meetings do more harm than good. He criticizes them for their divisions; their willingness to damage the unity of the body of Christ on the basis of whom they follow in their religious lives. He knows some of this division originates out of spiritual pride, believing one leader understands better THE WAY than other apostles or leaders. Sarcastically, he says, No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. Choosing different leaders to follow has affected their love for others outside of their religious clique. They are squabbling over what person they should follow in their spiritual lives, probably over who has the right theological positions in living as a Christian. They are proud about how they came to Christ, who baptized them, who first taught them the way to Christ. We see that some of them claim they follow Christ, but what Christ? Are they following the Christ of works, his lifestyle or the redemptive Christ? We do not know that, but we do know that Paul states that he desires not to know Christ in his fleshly walk but as the Redeemer: from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. (2 Corinthians 5:16-17) The worldly or fleshly man or woman will always land on division, exalting themselves and their opinions. This division from the beginning of time have spawned arguments, battles, and even wars. Disagreements bring bitterness and hatred to the souls of people, finally cropping out in actual combat or separation. Therefore, Paul appeals to the Corinthian church to put their lack of unity aside, instead, coming together in the binding power of love for their brother and sister IN CHRIST. I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:10-12) This pernicious lack of love for others in the church was not part of the church from the beginning. After Peter finished his first sermon to the Jerusalem people, three thousand people stepped forward to follow the Messiah, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. What is recorded of those new converts is amazing, All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people, the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:44-47) The best way to destroy the gathering together of believers and their testimony to the world is division, disgruntledness hidden in the hearts of those who claim salvation, a new life. But the joy of gathering together and the happiness of unity of the congregants is attractive to the worldly, for this is not the scene of their own lives or the ones around them. Seeing people lifting their hands in praises to God and the joy on their faces is attractive to the world, for they have a desperate hunger for that kind of unity with the God of Creation. So, the early church exploded in size and fervency in serving the Lord. We also see in the early church God manifesting himself through signs and wonders. Where joy is, the power of God is manifested in full measure. The joy of the Lord is our strength.
Paul is concerned about the lack of love for others of some in the Corinthian congregation. When they come together supposedly to commemorate the death and resurrection of the Lord for their salvation, they do not share their food and drink with the less fortunate believers among them. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. These people gather together in a selfish and self-willed way, maybe even showing off how prosperous they are. In doing so they bring shame on the less fortunate. Do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? This depiction by Paul of a greedy and self-willed people within the Corinthian church exposes the worldly nature of some people. He instructs them that their gathering together should be done in order, discerning the body of Christ and the unity of the church. Taking the elements of communion should be done in order and in thoughtful reflection of what Jesus has done as the Redeemer of their souls.
The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 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.” 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.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. This is a reenactment of the salvation experience, for no one can become a new creature without participating in eating and drinking of the body of Christ.
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” (John 6:53-59) Jesus told the rabbi Nicodemus, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (John 3:3) To be born again comes from eating the bread of life and drinking of Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Therefore, communion is a very solemn activity, a time of deep gratitude to Christ for bringing new life; it is not a time to fill your stomach with food and drink. It is not a time of not discerning the full body of Christ. All who are participating in communion with deep gratitude are part of the Living Body of Christ. All have been commissioned to serve Christ within his body. Therefore no one is more or less important in the kingdom of God. The name of Christ is imprinted on the new-born lives of Christians. Christians are followers of Christ, He in them and they in Him. Consequently, Christians are to emulate God’s love for all people. Their unity under the banner of love should be seen by all people in the world and in the church. Christians are recognized by the world as followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus is loved by many, but also hated by many in the world. His name is used often as an expletive, a word used to curse someone or something. Peter and John were arrested by the Sanhedrin after the crippled man at the Temple gate was healed. The authorities were upset with Peter and John because they did this miracle in the name of Jesus. They had killed Jesus, so they wanted Jesus’ name to be forgotten in Jerusalem, but now because of this healing, Jesus’ name and notoriety was being spread once again throughout Jerusalem. So, the Sanhedrin brought Peter and John before them and told them not to speak of the name of Jesus anywhere in Israel. Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:18-20) Because of the threat of the authorities in Israel, the church of the living God was now being pressed to keep the name of Jesus hidden, away from the ears of the people. Peter and John revealed this threat of the authorities to the church, knowing that the church was in great danger of a violent action against them if they testified about Jesus’ power and redeeming work. But the believers, instead of gathering in fear and anxiety, gathered in prayer, lifting their voices to heaven in thanksgiving to Jesus’ wonderful intervention in their lives. While they were doing this, quoting the scriptures and in prayer, a mighty power hit their building, the place they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:31) Rather than back off in speaking the name of Jesus, they came forward within their communities, speaking about the salvation of God through the name of Jesus. Peter in his first sermon, capitalizes this boldness when he tells a large crowd about the name of Jesus. “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. (Acts 2:22-24). In the forefront of the believers ministry about Jesus was the fact of the resurrection in and through Jesus. They were bold in teaching that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, that new life, forever life, was accessible to all people who put their trust in Jesus and his work on the cross. They were expressing communion to the world; in and through Jesus you can be born again. Paul is reminding the church in Corinth that their ideas of whom they should follow in their faith are a waste of time, for they are embedded in the body of Christ which is one of unity and peace. He tells them that they should take seriously the elements of communion, for life comes from eating and drinking of Jesus, not in whom they are following. He is telling them that self-indulgence and separatism are not of God but of the world. We who now live two thousand years from that time should also take seriously the elements of communion. We should speak boldly the name of Jesus and his redeeming work. The name of Jesus ought not to be hidden from view. We often attempt to demonstrate God through love and kindness to others in and out of the church. That is good but it is no substitute for the name of Jesus. Do people know we are Jesus-people, or do they know only that we are kind and somewhat different from others. Let us pray as the early church did, “Lord, stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:30) If that is to happen, we must be bold in proclaiming the name of Jesus. May each of us walk in that boldness today.
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