This is the point in our study where we would normally take some time to look at 1 Corinthians 11. However, I’ve already dedicated seven, count them, seven posts to 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. Rather than go back over that material, let me summarize each post and let you refer back to them if you want something more in depth:
Are you ready to exegete? In this post I merely introduced the study, mentioning that these verses are the most read verses in our assemblies (particularly 11:23-26). It’s ironic, however, that the context of these verses is almost never mentioned at the time of the reading. (Read more)
What’s the point of 1 Corinthians? Next I looked at the context of the whole book. I see the main point of 1 Corinthians being an appeal for unity. Not all agree that it’s the central idea, but it’s undeniably an important theme, especially in the passage we’re studying. (Read more)
Wait, wait… don’t tell me. Besides stealing the title of one of my favorite radio shows, this post addresses the fact that Paul was dealing with a specific problem, rather than writing a general treatise on the Lord’s Supper. “Paul begins the discussion by saying that they weren’t waiting for one another. He ends the discussion by telling them to wait for one another. What was the problem? They weren’t waiting for one another.” (Read more)
How not to have a common meal. This post studies verses 17-22 of 1 Corinthians 11. “For now, let me point out that Paul, as he often does, deals with a practical problem by getting to the theological root. By acting as they are acting, the Corinthians show that they can’t tell the difference between this special meal and any other meal that they would eat. Paul says, “If you truly understood what the Lord’s Supper is about, you wouldn’t act the way you are acting.” (Read more)
What I also delivered to you. This is the big kahuna, verses 23-26. In this post I focus on the fact that Paul is correcting the “unworthy manner” in which the Corinthians have been taking the Lord’s Supper. “The Lord’s Supper is a fellowship meal, or it is not the Lord’s Supper. When we forget that fact, we are in danger of taking it in an unworthy manner. We do well to hearken back to that fateful night when Jesus started this unbroken chain of remembrance.” (Read more)
Discernment, judgment and the Lord’s Supper. Misunderstandings of 11:27-32 are behind a lot of our funeral attitudes toward the Lord’s Supper. “I’ve been in many settings where parts of this were read before the Lord’s Supper, and I had the feeling that the reader was trying to scare the audience a bit. Who wants to be guilty of the body and blood? Who wants to eat and drink judgment? Who wants to get sick and die?” Admittedly, a lot of our translations have not really helped us understand these verses. A careful study will help us to see that Paul is not calling for individuality in the Lord’s Supper, but the exact opposite. “The Corinthians needed to understand the significance of the Lord’s Supper and needed to remember Jesus’ sacrifice. But their biggest need was discernment, being able to recognize the body of Christ that is the fellowship of believers. They needed to see that taking the Lord’s Supper is not an individual event; it is a corporate meal. It is an act of the body, as a body.” (Read more)
Final thoughts on 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. I wrapped up the study with this last post. Besides pointing out that Paul does not forbid taking the Lord’s Supper in the context of a meal, I tried to tie together the thoughts from this entire section “What we need to take away from this passage is the horizontal nature of the Lord’s Supper. We do not take it in isolation. We take it as a body, in an act of the body. Let’s not get so caught up in other details that we miss the main point of this passage. It’s pretty simple, actually. When you eat, eat together. Wait for one another. Be aware of one another.” (Read more)
All right, I admit, it’s the height of egotism to quote yourself. But I wanted to give 1 Corinthians 11 its due as we examine the Lord’s Supper.