Introduction
In 1 Corinthians 11.17-34, Paul corrects a church that had begun celebrating the Lord's Supper the wrong way. At Corinth, the wealthy arrived early and ate without waiting, leaving the poor brothers and sisters hungry. Paul tells them plainly: what you are doing contradicts the Gospel you claim to proclaim. The Lord's Supper is a meal for the eyes, a visual representation of Christ's broken body and the unity he purchased for us. To take it while ignoring other members of the body is to fail to discern what God sees.
Sermon Outline
1. A Church That Gathered to Get Worse (v. 17-22)
- Paul opens with a strong judgment: "you come together not for the better but for the worse" (v. 17). Worship so distorted it would have been better to stay home.
- The context: early churches often gathered around an actual meal (see the end of Acts 2). This was meant to be a place of sharing, where those who had would provide for those who had nothing.
- At Corinth, wealthy Christians arrived early and ate quickly so they wouldn't have to share with the poor. "One goes hungry, another gets drunk" (v. 21).
- The problem isn't the difference in wealth, that's part of life. The problem is contempt. The church at Corinth had imported the city's social hierarchies into the people of God.
2. The Gospel Summarized in a Sacrament (v. 23-26)
- Paul recalls Jesus's words on the night he was betrayed: "This is my body, which is broken for you," "This cup is the new covenant in my blood."
- The Lord's Supper is a visual representation of the Gospel: the Son of God took on flesh, lived a sinless life, took our sin upon himself, and had his body broken and his blood poured out so that we could be reconciled to God.
- But Paul insists in verse 26: "as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death." To whom? To one another. The Lord's Supper is not primarily a personal moment between me and God, we take it together.
- "This is my body broken for you", Jesus says this in the plural. The Lord's Supper reminds us that our old divisions have been destroyed in Christ.
3. Discerning the Body (v. 27-29)
- "Whoever eats this bread or drinks the Lord's cup in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord" (v. 27). That word "unworthy" is frightening, but Paul doesn't say "whoever is unworthy" (we all are), he says "whoever eats and drinks in an unworthy manner."
- Verse 29 clarifies: it is the one who eats and drinks "without discerning the body."
- Which body? Christ's, yes. But also the Church's, Paul wrote in chapter 10: "because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread" (10.17).
- In this passage, failing to discern the body means taking the Lord's Supper while despising other members for whom Christ also died. This is exactly what the Corinthians were doing.
4. Accepting the Lord's Correction (v. 30-32)
- "That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number have died" (v. 30). Paul ties these hardships to their sin of division.
- Verse 32 clarifies the intent: "when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world." The goal is not condemnation, it's correction.
- Those who "died" (in Greek, literally "fallen asleep"), are believers. God does not reject them, he corrects them. Hebrews 12 says the same thing: God disciplines his children because he loves them.
- Be careful here: if you are a Christian, never ask yourself "is this situation a punishment?" The answer is always no, Christ was punished in your place. The right question is: "What is God trying to teach me? What need am I ignoring that only he can meet?"
5. Examine Yourself, Repent, Come and Eat (v. 28, 33-34)
- "Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup" (v. 28). The biblical order is not examination followed by abstention, but examination, then repentance, then participation.
- The Lord's Supper is not for perfect people, nor even for people who have it all together. The Lord's Supper is for repentant people. The only reason a Christian should not partake is if they are living in ongoing sin with no desire to repent.
- A repentant sinner, saved by grace, declared righteous because of Christ's broken body and shed blood: that is exactly what a Christian is. No one in the entire history of the Church has ever been more than that.
- Paul's conclusion is simple: "wait for one another" (v. 33). The Greek verb means something closer to "welcome one another." Discerning the body means caring for our brothers and sisters the way we would care for the members of our own body.
Key Takeaways
- The Lord's Supper is a meal for the eyes: a visual representation of the Gospel and of the unity Christ purchased for his Church.
- A church can preach grace to everyone while showing grace to only a few, that is the total opposite of the Gospel.
- "Discerning the body" means recognizing that the other people sharing the Lord's Supper with you are united to Christ, and therefore united to you.
- The Lord's Supper is not for perfect Christians, it is for repentant Christians. The movement is: examination, repentance, participation.
- Jesus did not give himself to create a club, a dating site, or a good time. He gave himself to create a family. And a family notices when someone is missing, hungry, alone, or carrying too heavy a burden.
Personal Application
- When I come to church, who do I actually see? Only the people I already know, only the ones who are easy for me, only the ones who can offer me something in return?
- Is my view of the Lord's Supper primarily a personal moment between me and God, or do I also see it as a proclamation I make to my brothers and sisters?
- Is there someone in my church life I naturally gravitate toward avoiding because they are "difficult" or in need? What does that say about my discernment of the body?
- When I come to worship carrying the weight of a bad week, do I shrink back from the Lord's table, or do I examine myself, repent, and come anyway as a repentant sinner?
- This week, to whom can I concretely show the Gospel through a simple act of hospitality: staying ten extra minutes, inviting someone to sit next to me, asking a real question and listening to the answer, asking forgiveness from someone I've avoided or hurt?
Verses Cited
- 1 Corinthians 11.17-34 (preached text)
- 1 Corinthians 10.16-17 (one bread, one body)
- Acts 2.42-47 (the early Church around the meal)
- Hebrews 12.5-11 (the Lord's correction for his children)
- 1 Corinthians 1.10-17 (pride and divisions at Corinth)
Further reading
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to take the Lord's Supper "in an unworthy manner" (1 Corinthians 11.27)?
Paul doesn't say "whoever is unworthy", we all are. He says "whoever eats and drinks in an unworthy manner." Verse 29 clarifies: it is the one who eats and drinks without discerning the body. In context, this means taking the Lord's Supper while despising other members of Christ's body, as the wealthy Corinthians did when they refused to share with the poor.
Should you abstain from the Lord's Supper if you sinned during the week?
No. Paul says: "Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup." The biblical movement is examination, then repentance, then participation. The Lord's Supper is not for perfect Christians or Christians who "have it together," but for repentant Christians. The only reason to abstain is living in ongoing sin with no will to repent.
Why is the Lord's Supper not primarily a personal moment between me and God?
Because we take it together. Paul says in verse 26: "as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death." We proclaim to one another that Christ died for us. The Lord's Supper is a visual representation of the fact that our old divisions have been destroyed in Christ.
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