Sacred Meals Corrupted: Division and Selfishness in the Church Assembly
The Lord’s Supper must reflect unity and love, not selfish division.
1 Corinthians 11:17-22 (BSB)
17 In the following instructions I have no praise to offer, because your gatherings do more harm than good.
18 First of all, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.
19 And indeed, there must be differences among you to show which of you are approved.
20 Now then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat.
21 For as you eat, each of you goes ahead without sharing his meal. While one remains hungry, another gets drunk.
22 Don’t you have your own homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? No, I will not!
What is the big idea of 1 Corinthians 11:17-22?
The Lord’s Supper must reflect unity and love, not selfish division.
How does 1 Corinthians 11:17-22 point to Christ?
The gospel unites believers through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, forming one redeemed people under His lordship. When the church gathers, its practices should reflect the self-giving love of Christ rather than the selfish divisions of the world.
How does 1 Corinthians 11:17-22 relate to the life and ministry of Jesus?
Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper within a shared meal with His disciples, demonstrating fellowship and covenant unity centered on His coming sacrifice.
Authorial Intent
Paul rebukes the Corinthians because their gatherings, particularly their practice of the Lord’s Supper, are marked by divisions and selfish behavior that contradict the purpose of the church assembly.
Literary Context
After addressing matters related to order and honor in worship, Paul now corrects a serious abuse occurring during the church’s communal meal associated with the Lord’s Supper. Instead of demonstrating unity in Christ, the Corinthian assembly reflected the social divisions of the surrounding culture. The wealthy arrived early and ate privately while others went without. Paul's rebuke exposes how their behavior undermined the gospel meaning of the Supper and fractured the unity Christ created.
Historical Context
Early Christian gatherings often included a communal meal before or alongside the Lord’s Supper. In Corinth, these meals reflected existing social divisions, with wealthier members eating privately while poorer members were marginalized.
Chapter: 1 Corinthians 11
Honor, Worship Order, and the Lord’s Supper Under the Lordship of Christ
Because the gathered church belongs to Christ and the Lord’s Supper proclaims his death, believers must conduct themselves in worship with ordered honor, mutual regard, self-examination, and discerning recognition of the body of Christ.