March 6, 2014
BRING EVERYONE TOGETHER.
1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Kyle Johnson
Central Truth
It can be difficult for us to slow down in our culture of consumption to realize that, even inside the church, how we steward our resources can create division among believers and a mockery of Christianity.
Key Verse | 1 Corinthians 11:20–22
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. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? (1 Corinthians 11:20-22b)
1 Corinthians 11:17-34
The Lord's Supper
17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 1 11:18 Or I believe a certain report 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.
23 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, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for 2 11:24 Some manuscripts broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 3 11:24 Or as my memorial; also verse 25 25 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.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 4 11:30 Greek have fallen asleep (as in 15:6, 20) 31 But if we judged 5 11:31 Or discerned ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined 6 11:32 Or when we are judged we are being disciplined by the Lord so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
33 So then, my brothers, 7 11:33 Or brothers and sisters when you come together to eat, wait for 8 11:33 Or share with one another— 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.
Footnotes
[1] 11:18 Or I believe a certain report[2] 11:24 Some manuscripts broken for
[3] 11:24 Or as my memorial; also verse 25
[4] 11:30 Greek have fallen asleep (as in 15:6, 20)
[5] 11:31 Or discerned
[6] 11:32 Or when we are judged we are being disciplined by the Lord
[7] 11:33 Or brothers and sisters
[8] 11:33 Or share with
Dive Deeper | 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
In this passage, the Corinthians were combining the Lord's Supper with something called the Agape feast (Jude 1:12), which was a celebration of love and was used to build up the body of believers in Corinth. As you can tell from Paul's letter, it was having the opposite effect -- "your meetings do more harm than good," and "there are divisions among you" (verses 17-18, NIV). Those who had much were able to eat plenty, and the poor went hungry. This no doubt created conflict, animosity, and hurt among the body -- over the Lord's Supper!
Think about how you steward the things that the Lord has entrusted to you: Do you use them to serve and bless others (1 Peter 4:10), to bring together the body (Romans 12:4-8), or to bless yourself (1 John 3:17, 1 Timothy 6:17-19)? Today, as I write this, I thought about how something as simple as a $12-$15 Sunday brunch can create an emotional division amongst friends with varying degrees of resources. Paul calls us to be sensitive to those around us and to act in an inclusive manner, allowing our abundance to flow as a blessing of God's grace. It seems there was a nature of boastfulness in some of the Corinthians, and rather than boasting of Christ's love -- the intent of their gathering -- they used it as an opportunity to boast of their own wealth (Jeremiah 9:23-24). Living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, we all need to keep our eyes and hearts alert to how we are loving others through our use of God's resources that He has placed in our hands.
When I first started to dive into this passage, I was overwhelmed by the weight of the warning that Paul was laying out to the Corinthians. As I've prayed, my conviction has grown over the level of materialism in our country. I wonder if the cars we drive, where we live, and the clothes we wear convey Christ's love. Or do we "despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing" (verse 22)?
Discussion Questions
1. What are ways that you've seen division or separation in your church or community group? What can you do to help reconcile and repair those divisions?
2. How can you facilitate bringing God's people together?
3. Discuss with your community group the areas of your life in which you feel you are operating above "need" levels. Are these things that may create division among believers?