“The Table of the Lord”
I Corinthians 11:17-34
Introduction: In God’s providence, this week we come to this
passage dealing with communion. A key phrase repeated in the context is “When you come together...” The text begins and ends with multiple
references to “coming together” as believers for worship. The text is asking us an important question: What
is our attitude as we gather for worship? Think about what this gathering represents:
sinful humans, because of the death of Jesus, joining together and approaching
the holy, majestic, creator of the universe! What grace! As we reflect on His
grace we are driven to examine our hearts, and to come in humility and with an
attitude of praise and thanksgiving. The Gospel has to always be in our hearts
and on our minds, filling us with thanksgiving and wonder at the grace of God,
and motivating us to bring Him glory as we carry out the mission He has
entrusted to us.
The
ordinances he left us remind us of the Gospel Story. Baptism points to
our cleansing from sin, and our unity with Christ in His death and
resurrection. The Lord’s Supper reminds us of God’s plan of redemption,
carried out through the sacrifice of the One who was sinless, the One who
willingly laid down His life for His sheep.
In the earliest days of the church, “Communion” was an outward sharing,
a fellowship, that demonstrated the unity of the body (see Acts 2:42-46). Some
in Corinth had lost track of the spiritual and were focusing on the temporal,
on their flesh. We need an attitude check when we come together for worship. We
need to guard our hearts.
The Big Idea: All worship,
including the Lord’s Table, is an opportunity to focus on Jesus, to lift up His
name, and to celebrate His amazing grace.
I.
The Sin of Selfishness (17-22): It’s not all about me!
“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, 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” (1 Corinthians 11:17-22).
Paul had just commended the Corinthians
in 11:2 for remembering him and for holding to his teaching (17-19). But now he
has some things to instruct them about, some areas where they needed to be
corrected. He begins, “...But in the
following instructions I do not commend you...” It is always easier to receive commendation
than correction. But every one of us needs to be humble enough to realize that
we have more to learn, room to grow, and areas that need correction! Remember Paul’s words to the Philippians, “Not
that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make
it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own...” (Philippians 3:12). If
Paul had not yet arrived, I think we can recognize the same is true for the
rest of us! God isn’t finished with me
yet! How about you?
“...when you come together as a
church...” Paul uses the phrase “come together” several times in this
passage, three times toward the beginning of the passage (vv.17,18,20) and a
couple of more times toward the end (vv.33,34), like bookends that tie together
this teaching on this ordinance. In fact
in all of Paul’s letters he only uses sunerchomai
seven times, all in I Corinthians, and five of the seven right here (the
other two are in the near context, in I Corinthians 14:23,26). This is the coming together of believers as a
local body, the assembly. Notice he
says, “...when you come together as a church...”
The
church is not a building, it is God’s people, the believers in
Jesus. The word “church” itself, ekklesia, is used in the Septuagint to
describe the “assembly” or coming together of the Old Testament people of God.
The root comes from words that express the idea of being “called out.” The Jews
were called out of Egypt and ultimately brought into the Promised Land. We too
are set free from slavery and called into a new life (see Eph 2:1-4). We’ll see
a lot about the church in this section of I Corinthians, but it never
refers to a building. Sometimes it refers to the universal church, all
believers in Jesus where ever they are (as in “Christ loved the church, and gave himself for her...”). Most often
it is used of the believers in a particular place, under the leadership of a plurality
of elders, as in “the church at Corinth”
(or “the church in Boothbay!”). Here
Paul uses the word to describe the meeting together of the people of God for
worship, instruction, and mutual encouragement.
The first thing to notice here is that Paul understands and assumes that
the Corinthians were regularly coming together. They were doing that because of
v.2, they had learned from Paul certain things about the life of the body and
they were at least doing that correctly. That is not something that we can
assume with believers everywhere and at all times. In fact the writer to the
Hebrews had to warn,
“...24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love
and good works, 25 not
neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one
another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near...” (Hebrews
10:24,25).
At least the Corinthians got that
right! They were coming together on a
regular basis! Unfortunately their
hearts were so carnal they were doing more harm than good! [Side note: We need
to guard against thinking that we can be independent from the church, thinking
that we don’t need other believers. I’ve heard it said, “I can read my Bible and
pray at home.” Or “I worship as I listen to Christian music in my car.” Great. You should be doing those things. But
God has ordained the church. He calls elders to shepherd the flock. He gifts
Pastors and teachers to equip us for ministry and mission. And he gifts all of
us so that we can encourage and build each other up, and carry out the mission
He has entrusted to us]. As Paul goes on in chapters 12-14 to talk about
spiritual gifts he will make the point that we are interdependent, we need one another. That is God’s design
for the church. That means times of public worship. It means times of dedicated
prayer. It means committing ourselves to using our gifts for the edification of
others and for the effective carrying out of the mission He has entrusted to
us.
“...there
are divisions among you...” (v.18). The word “division” comes from the
Greek word, schisma (the source of
our English word “schism”). It comes from a word that literally meant “to tear,
rip apart,” and came to have the sense “division.” The church is one, positionally,
but sadly we don’t always live like it!
That was the problem in Corinth. Some of the “division” was along
economic lines, rich and poor, the “haves” and the “have nots.”
The root problem: selfishness! Verses 20-22 express what was going on.
In Corinth it seems the communion was being shared at a common meal, and
apparently it was not a typical “pot luck”! Each brought their own and fed
their own. Some were eating filet mignon and others were going hungry!
The result was separating the wealthy from the poor, and Paul is saying that
ought not to be! Think about this moment of the table and how inappropriate it
is for us to be thinking only about ourselves, to be ignoring the needs of
others. We are remembering Jesus, who, although he existed in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied
himself, taking the form of a servant... He demonstrated the supreme act of
selflessness, He laid down his life for his friends! All of us. Jew and
Greek, male and female, rich and poor, we are all one in Christ Jesus. The ground
is level at the Cross. So...
It’s not
about me, because I am not worthy. It’s about Jesus, about His sacrifice
which is of infinite worth. He is the
Good Shepherd, who laid down His life for His sheep. All worship, including the
Lord’s Table, is an opportunity to focus on Him, to lift up His name, and to
celebrate His amazing grace.
II.
The Sacrifice of the Servant (23-26): It is all about Jesus!
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 you. Do this in
remembrance of me." 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
come” (11:23-26).
Paul
begins by reminding them of the tradition he had taught them. He received it
and he taught it to them. Jesus himself had gathered around a table with the
twelve that Passover eve. He took the familiar elements from the table, and
explained to them that this would be a constant reminder to them, and to generations
of believers after them, of what was about to happen. Note that Paul was not there
with the twelve, but he received this teaching “...from the Lord.” As with the gospel he preached (see Galatians
1:1-12) Paul received revelation from Christ himself concerning the upper room
and the last supper. He had taught these things during his time in Corinth, and
now it was necessary to remind them.
There
is no instruction here about how often it should be done, simply the reminder of
our attitude when we come, and the significance of the ordinance. The danger of
repeating something like this in the context of worship is that it can become
tradition, recited from memory, something we do because we have always done it.
This explanation is a reminder to help us avoid falling into that sin. Think of
it: we are remembering facts of history. 2,000 years are not such a long time. The “Wailing
Wall” in Jerusalem was part of the foundation of the Temple, is older. So are
the Pyramids in Egypt—much older. Yes, for
2,000 years the church has continued this ordinance, inaugurated by Jesus that
last Passover, remembering the events to which it points. There is no
historical doubt about the facts: Jesus lived, and taught, and that he was
betrayed and crucified. And by the way there is no doubt that he rose again the
third day. These are facts of history. Jesus
was the only human born without sin, and who never sinned. Yet he suffered a
criminal’s death, and in some sense, God laid our iniquities on Him (see Isaiah
53:6), He bore our sins in His body on the tree.
The Bread and the Body (v.24). Paul recalls the actions
and teachings of Jesus that night in the upper room. There is a lot of
discussion among theologians about what Jesus meant by his words. The Roman
Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation (and the similar Lutheran doctrine of
consubstantiation) implies a literal transformation of the elements into the
body and blood of the Lord. For the Roman church it even goes on to talk about
the sacrament as a sacrifice, as though Christ is being offered again. But
think about it, as Jesus spoke to his disciples, the cross hadn’t yet happened!
He was physically present with them. They could not and would not have thought
of a literal presence of his body (or blood) in the elements. It was clearly a
symbol.
The Cup and the Blood.
Jesus said, “This cup is the new covenant
in my blood...” As Jesus taught the disciples, He knew exactly what would
happen the next day. It was typical for a sacrifice to seal a covenant.
Remember Abraham’s vision in Genesis 15, as God confirmed His promise to
Abraham he ordered to sacrifice a heifer, a female goat, a ram, a turtle dove,
and a pigeon, and to divide their carcasses in two. And then as a deep sleep
fell on Abraham he saw God pass through the pieces in theophany. He made a
covenant. He committed himself to fulfill his promises to Abraham. Jesus said
the cup pointed to His blood, which would seal the New Covenant.
Look back, and look ahead! 11:26
makes it clear that we look back as we partake of this meal, we proclaim the
Lord’s death. We reflect, we commemorate, we celebrate, what He did for us. And
we’ll keep doing that “until He comes.” This is a normal part of our obedience
to Him. A kind of object lesson to remind us of the foundation of our faith. We
pause at the table, and remember the one act in history that made it possible
for sinful humans to be reconciled to God. The Lamb was slain for sinners! The
fact that we have this ordinance as an ongoing reminder, “until He comes,”
should light a fire under us, it should remind us of the urgency of the mission
He has entrusted to us. All worship,
including the Lord’s Table, is an opportunity to focus on Jesus, to lift up His
name, and to celebrate His amazing grace.
III.
A Season for Self-examination (27-34). “But let a man
examine himself...”
“27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the
cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning 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.
31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be
judged. 32 But when we are
judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along
with the world. 33 So then,
my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for 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” (11:27-34).
Notice that v.27 doesn’t say that we must be worthy to come to the
table. Paul is talking about the manner in which we come. We see the call here
is to examine our heart, our motivations, and to come. It is the manner of our coming and participating that is in question. Is
our attitude one of reflection, one of consideration, one of recognizing the
price that was paid so that we could have peace with God? The Table presents an opportunity to reflect
on the Gospel and to respond with thanksgiving and worship. Do we grasp the
grace of it all, the totally unmerited, undeserved, favor of God? Does that
overwhelm you? It should! If we are participating simply ritualistically, by
rote, without reflection, because it’s what we always do on a first Sunday of
the month, we had better take heed to the warning Paul is giving. That applies
not only to the ordinance, but to all of our corporate worship. In the context Paul has spoken about the
divisions in the church—the body which should be one, unified, under the
headship of the Lord Jesus Christ. We
should be overwhelmed by God’s grace, the forgiveness He has extended toward us
in Christ, and we should be consumed not with what God can do for us, but with the
privilege of being included in what He is doing in the world!
We dare not overlook the warning implicit in v.30. It seems certain Paul
is talking about the chastening God brings to believers who enter this solemn
act of worship lightly, hypocritically, without reflecting and responding to
the Gospel of Grace. Read vv. 29-30 again,
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.
That is sobering language! We know the language of chastening in the
New Testament. “For
the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives...” (Hebrews 12:6). We know that God convicts us when we sin, we
sense the guilt and immediately feel a godly sorrow. Usually. What happens if
we stubbornly persist in willful disobedience? It seems that some of the
Corinthians experienced sickness, and even, when they persisted in their sin,
some “slept.” That can only mean that the Lord took them home rather than allowing
them to continue in sin. Our God is an awesome God! Fear Him, and Love Him!
What is God saying to me in this passage? All worship,
including the Lord’s Table, is an opportunity to focus on our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, to lift up His name, and to celebrate His amazing grace.
What
would God have me to do in response to this passage? In God’s perfect timing, this week, we come to this
passage. It is a first Sunday and we will be celebrating the Lord’s Table. We
are worthy to come only because of Jesus, if we have trusted in Him as our only
hope for forgiveness and life. As the song says, “Not because of who I am, but
because of what You’ve done. Not because of what I’ve done [that would only
earn judgment and death!] but because of who You are!” We need to understand the doctrine of grace, and
come in humility and with a heart full of gratitude. To come in an unworthy
manner is something that we don’t want to do. It is a time for reflection, for remembering
the price that was paid. Jesus himself
prayed in the upper room, “That they might be one, as we are one.” Is there
something that is keeping you from experiencing the “oneness” Christ intended
for the church? It is a time for confession, a time for turning away from the
sin that so easily besets us. It is a time for worship. Prepare your heart to celebrate Him! AMEN.
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