If I were to ask you to think about the benefits of Christ’s atoning death, what comes to your mind? That is, if you had to finish the statement “Christ died so that …,” what would you say? I wonder how many of us would say, “So that I might have the privilege of loving brothers and sisters in Christ” or “So that I might have the mind of Christ and count others more significant than me (Phil. 12:3). My guess is that this thought isn’t what quickly rises to the surface of our thoughts when asked this question.
We sing a song on Sunday mornings sometimes where we sing this line: “Christ the Lamb was made to suffer and to die upon a tree so that we, sisters and brothers, could know his fellowship so deep.” Does that seem odd to you? Does it seem odd to think about the benefits of Christ’s death and then choose to sing about one of them that involves us having fellowship with one another? Does that come across to you like getting excited about the new car because you really like the spare tire that came with it? Sure, it’s fine, but it’s something that can be ignored.
It’s hard to read the texts that will make up our next four sermons in 1 Corinthians (11:17-14:25) and miss the importance of loving our brothers, seeking their good, and counting them more significant than ourselves. It’s hard to look at our text this morning (11:17-34) and miss how dishonoring to the Lord and his atoning death it is when we dishonor and fail to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. That’s exactly what the Corinthians were doing in the situation described in 11:17-34, and the Lord was so displeased with their failure to love one another that he was causing some to be sick and others to die. This is hardly a small issue.
So, if for some reason, we rank the privilege of being able to fellowship with, love, and edify our brothers and sisters as one of the lower or easily neglected benefits of Christ’s death for us, I hope that looking at this text this morning will serve as a correction in our thinking and a call to repentance. And I believe it can because that is the purpose for which Paul wrote these verses in his letter to the Corinthians.
In order to understand the nature of why Paul was so displeased with the Corinthians in these verses, to the point of saying that he had nothing about which to commend them and thought their gathering together was actually doing bad, we need to understand exactly what was going on. Therefore, let me give you some insights into the situation at Corinth that might help us get a picture of what was going on in these verses.
I think we could also add to this the notion that they did this because that’s what the Lord Jesus Christ himself did when he instituted the Lord’s Supper on the night he was betrayed. We can see this in verses 23-25. Paul writes, “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when 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 also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’”
Now, you might not have picked up on it as we read those verses, but notice one little phrase in the early part of verse 25. He took the cup after supper. That is, it seems that when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper on the night they were eating the Passover meal that he may well have taken the bread at the beginning of the meal, given thanks, broken it, and given meaning to the eating of this bread as that which we do to remember that his body was given for us. Then, they ate supper. Then, at the end of the meal, he took the cup and gave meaning to the drinking of this cup as that which would represent his blood, which would be shed for us.
So it seems that when the early church began celebrating this meal, they too shared an entire meal when they partook of the Lord’s Supper, most likely eating the bread on the front end and speaking of its significance and drinking of the cup on the bad end and speaking of its significance. Now, I don’t that it is required that we eat an entire meal between eating the bread and drinking the cup instead of doing them back to back and in isolation from a meal altogether, but I do think this is how the Lord’s Supper was celebrated in the church at Corinth. And this simply note will help us in understanding the text. Now let me give us a second note.
That is, this gathering most likely worked with something like a bring-your-own-dinner format. Now that’s fine. We probably have get-togethers now with friends where we do the same thing. However, there great differences in what each individual would be able to bring. Some would have a huge meal that could fill many if necessary while another had little or maybe nothing at all that he would bring. That is, like in our day and situation, there may have been great financial disparity.
We know that there were some who had little or nothing because Paul makes reference in verse 22 to the Corinthians humiliating “those who have nothing.” So the idea would have been that those who had much would share their meal with those who had little or nothing, and all would be good. But that isn’t what was happening in the church at Corinth.
This is what Paul is referencing when he says, “For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk” (v. 21). So imagine this scene where you have believers gathering together, celebrating their unity in Christ, fellowshipping over a meal, when what ends up happening is one poor and needy brother sits there hungry without food while his Christian brother drinks so much wine he gets drunk and eats so much food he’s miserably full. That is not honoring to the Lord.
Now, as hard as it may be for us to comprehend this action, it might be a little easier to comprehend when we understand the culture of the first century in Corinth. Socio-economic divisions were real and powerful. The culture consisted of “haves” and “have-nots.” And as a wealthy person who might have servants around, it would be common for Corinthians in society to eat a meal, even gorging themselves, in the presence of poorer individuals who had little to no food. That would have been a common reality. The problem is, of course, that these divisions can’t continue to exist in the church. The rich brother must now look out for and care for his poorer needy brother. He can’t gorge himself and get drunk while his poor, needy brother goes hungry at his side.
And if the rich brother with all the food and wine says, “Well, I was hungry,” then Paul’s exhortation is to say, “If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home” (v. 34). That is, if you want to make that time of gathering and eating about simply appeasing your hunger, then stay home and eat, because if you gather to supposedly celebrate the Lord’s Supper and then deny your needy brother so that you humiliate and despise him, then you’re inviting the Lord’s judgment on yourself. And that brings us to another note.
Paul writes in verses 28-32, “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.”
We know that the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and I think this is a hard category for some of us to understand. We are tempted to think on the one hand that if the Lord loves us, then we should never face his disciplining hand. But clearly a father who loves his children disciplines them. Or, on the other hand, we are tempted to think in times of discipline that the Lord must be showing us that he wants nothing to do with us, we aren’t accepted by him, and have been rejected by him. But that’s not how the Bible speaks of the Lord’s discipline. He disciplines us for our good because he loves us, even as we discipline our own children.
Should we be walking in sin and not repenting of that sin, the Lord may well bring discipline, even harsh discipline, into our lives because he loves us enough not to give us over to that sin. It’s actually the means he uses to preserve us in the faith. That is, part of the Lord holding us in his grip of grace is shown sometimes through discipline. In the Corinthians’ case, the Lord’s discipline was coming through sickness. Lord-willing, the Corinthians should have seen their sickness as the Lord’s disciplining hand, recognized they were behaving in an ungodly way, and repented of their lack of love for their brothers in the church.
Some, though, had been disciplined to the point of death. Now, this seems to be even more difficult to understand. However, I think that there is a category where the Lord preserves us from making shipwreck of our faith by simply taking us from this world in death. And if he does, it is an act of love. Now, we can’t know the Lord has done that with someone who dies any more than we can be confident that someone getting sick is an act of the Lord’s fatherly discipline to bring repentance in that person’s life. But I think our text demands that we have such a category. After all, Paul says in verse 32, “But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.” Notice the reason why they were disciplined and some had even died. It was so that they might not be condemned. This was an act of the Lord’s preserving grace toward his people.
Some, though, had been disciplined to the point of death. Now, this seems to be even more difficult to understand. However, I think that there is a category where the Lord preserves us from making shipwreck of our faith by simply taking us from this world in death. And if he does, it is an act of love. Now, we can’t know the Lord has done that with someone who dies any more than we can be confident that someone getting sick is an act of the Lord’s fatherly discipline to bring repentance in that person’s life. But I think our text demands that we have such a category. After all, Paul says in verse 32, “But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.” Notice the reason why they were disciplined and some had even died. It was so that they might not be condemned. This was an act of the Lord’s preserving grace toward his people.
So, that is the situation in Corinth. That’s what’s going on in the Corinthian church, and those are some of Paul’s instructions. What, then, do we need to see, and understand, and do in light of this text? Let me note a few things. Mainly, we need to understand that:
Paul is providing a blistering rebuke in this text because their coming together as a church is actually doing more harm than good. “It is not for the better but for the worse,” he says in verse 17. Then, I think that Paul is being sarcastic in verse 19. After all, he’s been sarcastic earlier in the letter when the Corinthians were acting like they were already experiencing all the blessings of eternity and Paul said in 4:8, “Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings!” Now, after mentioning that he has heard and believes a certain report [which I think is a better translation than “I believe it in part” in v. 18] that there are divisions among them, he (sarcastically) says, “For there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.” That is, for these Corinthian believers who thought themselves elite and in need of being recognized as such as they were elevated above their brothers, Paul sarcastically nails them on their motivation. They may think they deserve to be treated better, deserve more food, deserve to be recognized as the exalted people they are, even in God’s eyes, Paul has news for them: they’re sinning. In fact, Paul goes so far as to say that when they come together and eat the Lord’s supper, “It is not the Lord’s supper that [they] eat” (v. 20). Then, he goes on to describe their sinful actions, which we have already reviewed.
But let me ask this question: Why can Paul say they’re not eating the Lord’s supper? What makes the Lord’s supper the Lord’s supper? I mean, they have the elements there with their bread and wine. We know they had it because they were gorging themselves and getting drunk on it. Nor do we have any reason to believe they weren’t giving thanks for the food. I mean, Paul mentions nothing of their lack of prayer. We don’t even have reason to think they weren’t recognizing that the bread represented Christ’s body and the cup represented his blood.
Let me tell you why Paul is saying that. Starting in verse 23 and going through verse 26, Paul explains the institution of the Lord’s supper. He tells us that on the night that Jesus was betrayed, he took the bread, gave thanks, told his disciples that it represented his body which was given for them, and then told them to eat. Then, after supper, he took the cup, which represented his shed blood, and told them to drink of it as well. Then, Paul notes that as often as we then eat the bread and drink the cup in this meal, we’re proclaiming the Lord’s death, until he comes (which is a reminder that we’re proclaiming his resurrection as well, since we would not be awaiting the Lord’s second coming without him first being raised from the dead).
Therefore, when we eat, we are reminding ourselves that Christ body was given for us and his blood was shed for us. We’re proclaiming Christ’s death as our only hope for forgiveness of sins. But there’s something else we’re doing. We’re proclaiming that to one another. That is, the Lord’s supper, by definition isn’t something I can do alone in my room, even if I have bread and juice or wine. And the reason I can’t do it on my own is that there is a necessary corporate element wherein I get to proclaim to my brothers and sisters that they are recipients of the grace of Christ. It is a rich joy we have to remind each other of this. To say to another believer through this visible means, “Christ body was given for you and his blood was shed for you” is one of the most joyful things to do in life for someone you love. Sharing that good news is a treasure when we love one another.
It’s one reason we try to make sure everyone is served. Let’s delight in being able to share this good news of Christ’s death for us with one another. That is, to proclaim the Lord’s death in the table is by definition an act of loving your brothers and sisters. It is an opportunity to love them and delight in their good by sharing in remembering Christ’s sacrifice for all of us.
Therefore, when the Corinthians were supposedly celebrating the Lord’s supper and despising and humiliating their needy and poorer brothers, Paul can say that they can call it what they will, but don’t call their eating and drinking the Lord’s supper. The Lord’s supper is about loving one another through reminding one another of Christ’s loving sacrifice for them. We proclaim the Lord’s death to one another.
Imagine, for example, that we know of some family who is in great need. Maybe they’ve lost everything, are homeless, and helpless. And there they sit, in their tears and helplessness. Then, you get news that there’s been a collection of $100,000 taken up for them, and you’re overwhelmed. You love them, and you’re so excited for them to get this news and get this money. And your excitement and your love overflow to the point that you say, “Can I be the one who tells them the good news and hands them the money?” You’re given permission, and the moment comes when you get to walk in and share with them news that you know is going to move them to greater tears, but this time tears of joy.
What we get to do in sharing the Lord’s supper with our brothers and sisters and proclaiming the Lord’s death to them is something infinitely greater than giving someone $100,000. We get to proclaim to our brothers and sisters who would be hopeless, helpless, condemned in their sin without Christ, that indeed Christ has given his body for them and shed his blood for them. We get to be the representatives to share the greatest news in the world with that. And that get to do that with us. That is the glorious fellowship that is supposed to be pictured and proclaimed in the Lord’s supper. That’s what I want us to understand each and every Sunday.
This means that we need to examine our hearts continually and make sure we really love others as Christ loved them when he gave his body and blood for them. When the Corinthians ate and drank in a way to distance themselves from their unfortunate brothers, denied their brothers, humiliated their brothers, and despised their brothers, they were doing the opposite of siding with Christ and announcing the good news to their brothers in this meal. They were siding with those who crucified the Lord and wanted to work against the Lord’s purposes. This is what Paul is saying, I think, when he warns that by eating the meal in this unworthy manner as they were doing was making them guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. They were not delivering the good news of Christ to others through the sharing of the meal but working against Christ, even as those had done who sinfully crucified him.
Therefore, let us examine our hearts continually and make sure we love. If we examine ourselves and ensure our hearts love, we need not invite the discipline of the Lord to move us to love, as the Corinthians needed it. Now, when Paul says examine ourselves, he doesn’t mean to see if we’re worthy of this meal. We’re not and never will be. This meal is for sinners. He means examine ourselves to make sure we’re like that person in the illustration who loves our brothers and delights in sharing with them good news. Nor does Paul leave an option for the believer to abstain from the meal. Notice he says in verse 28, “Let a person examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”
We have a long history of thinking that the Lord’s supper is something we should abstain from. Perhaps it’s because Jesus told us that if we’re making a sacrifice at the altar and realize our brother has something against us, we should first go to our brother before making the sacrifice. But, if so, that’s a bad application of that text. First, if you’re making a sacrifice at the altar, stop it and realize that Christ has already made the final sacrifice. Take the lamb back to your field and let him graze. The new covenant parallel to making a sacrifice under the old covenant isn’t the Lord’s supper, it’s living our lives all of our lives as a living sacrifice unto the Lord, Paul tells us in Romans 12:1. So, the application of Jesus’ instruction isn’t to abstain from the table. The application is if you ever realize you’re not reconciled to a brother, go get it right immediately. Do it before you have your morning coffee because all of your life is to be lived in worship before the Lord.
But to abstain from this meal is to ignore an opportunity to love your brother and sister and proclaim to them that Christ has lived, died, and been raised for them. Therefore, we’re going to close our service this morning as we always do, by coming to the table. But I want us to use our time of silence beforehand to pray that God would give us great love for our brothers and sisters, and then let us delight in being able to share with them the good news that Christ’s body was given for them, his blood was shed for them, and that through faith in Christ they are forgiven of their sins and accepted by God. What a blessing that is. Amen.