As we move into a direct study of 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, it would seem prudent to identify what motivated this discussion. What problem existed in the church in Corinth? Why did Paul feel the need to give instructions on the Lord’s Supper?

Fortunately, Paul makes it pretty clear. At the beginning of the discussion he states the problem: “When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk.” (1 Corinthians 11:20-21) The problem was that the Corinthians were not waiting on one another. This division in the church probably reflected the social divisions that were present. The wealthy could come to the assembly at any time, while slaves were at the disposition of their masters. The richer members would arrive early and eat the food they had, leaving the poorer Christians to try and make do with the little food they could bring. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. [Someone asked how they could get drunk with those tiny communion cups!]

In case we have any doubts about the pertinence of this problem to the teaching that Paul gives, we can look at the final instructions he gives. “So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.” (1 Corinthians 11:33) 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.

So what, you say (or not, if you’re more polite than I). Well, here’s the problem: people tend to rip verses out of context from within this chapter without even considering how they relate to the problem at hand! Paul wasn’t writing just to write. He was writing to correct a problem. Everything said in these verses relates to this problem in some way. If our interpretations can’t fit into that context, they’re not right!

To my way of thinking, this setting helps us understand much of what is said here and helps us to see other parts in a new light. In tomorrow’s post, we will take a closer look at verses 17-22 of 1 Corinthians 11. Wait for it!

Before launching into 1 Corinthians 11, we need to get a feel for the main purpose of 1 Corinthians. The vast majority of the letters in the New Testament, if not all of them, are occasional, that is, there was a specific something that caused the letter to be written. Something prompted the authors to write.

In Corinthians, we have a pretty good idea of what led Paul to write. First off, some men had arrived from Corinth (1 Cor. 16:17), seemingly bringing information from the church there. Paul speaks of receiving reports on what is going on (1 Cor. 1:11; 5:1) and throughout the letter speaks knowingly of the church’s situation. In addition, some in the church had apparently written to Paul asking questions about different issues (1 Cor. 7:1) and Paul responds to each question, often with a corrective.

Therefore it’s appropriate to talk about 1 Corinthians as having different “occasions,” different situations that Paul is responding to. In fact, Paul touches on no fewer than eleven different topics, sometimes going to great length to discuss the topic (chapters 8-10 on food offered to idols, chapters 12-14 on spiritual gifts). It would be oversimplifying to try to mention one theme as the theme of 1 Corinthians.

Being overly simplistic, however, I’ll give it a shot anyway. In ancient times, letters often included a prayer or appeal near the beginning of the letter which expressed the main purpose for writing. I think we find just such an appeal in 1 Corinthians 1:10: “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.” An underlying theme throughout the book is the lack of unity. This lack of unity was caused by spiritual immaturity and expressed itself in numerous ways, including division at the time of eating the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:17-22). As we study Paul’s instructions on the Lord’s Supper, we need to keep in mind that the essential problem being treated is a lack of unity.

Tomorrow we’ll move directly into the pericope we will be studying this week (I just like getting to use that word): 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. Take some time to read it, and we’ll look over it together tomorrow.