Search the Scriptures

Search the Scriptures: Wait for Me!

1 Cor 11:17-34 The Lord's supper

I think it's about inclusion. No believer should be excluded from the Lord's supper because of social status, age, race or anything. When we don't 'recognize the body of Christ' - i.e. reckon everyone that is in Christ to be part of the body, we eat the Lord's supper unworthily. V27 Then we will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of Christ.

V 28 says: A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
What are we to examine ourselves for? I think V 29 gives us the answer: "For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgement on himself." The key phrase seems to be "without recognizing the body of the Lord". Some take it to mean: to recognize the element as the body of Christ. My gut feeling is, from the context: to reckon everyone that has faith in Christ to be a part of the body of Christ and therefore must be included and honored as such. When we dishonor any member of the body (people) of Christ, we dishonor Christ and therefore eat and drink 'judgement on himself'.

Perhaps the warning here had given rise to precaution practiced in many churches today to restrict the partaking of the Lord's supper to the baptized and those above 12. Just in case!

If no one should be excluded, how about believers who are not baptized or under 12? There was probably no unbaptized believers in the NT time, probably due to the fact that they didn't have to wait for baptism class or ordained minister to do it. Often we saw that they were immediately baptized after they showed faith. Not that baptism class or baptism by ordained minister alone are undesirable, but it goes to show many things we do in church are not even based on the biblical pattern or teaching.

The supper they ate together was a full meal, everybody brought some food for all to share. Poor people probably came late from labor, or even had nothing or not much to offer. Some of them came hungry and unfed because the rich who came earlier did not wait for them. Thus the Lord's supper brought about a division rather than bringing the body of Christ together. Thus to take the Lord's supper in a worthy manner would be to love and honor all whom Christ had died for without prejudice.

V 30 "that is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep(died). 31 But if we judge ourselves, we would not come under judgement."

One prominent pastor had used this verse to mean that if we take the Lord's supper in a worthy manner we would not be weak or sick when we recognize that Christ's body was broken for our healing. "By His stripes we are healed." (Isaiah) But could it be implied from verse 30 that they became weak and sick, and some died, as a result of God's judgement for their unworthy treatment (not their unworthiness) of their brothers and sisters revealed in the way they took the Lord's supper? The "But" at the beginning of verse 31 is surely connected to the previous verse. V33 also shows that this is the case.

The Christian lifestyle is a healthy lifestyle. Health lifestyle leads to a healthy body. We cast our anxiety to God, we rejoice in the Lord always. In suffering trials we are exhorted to "count it pure joy" - (For what reasons, please read James or 1 Peter). We enjoy fellowship and love, in words of encouragement and in practical help. Christians are supposed to take care of their bodies. We pray for one another when we are sick, God heals in proportion to our faith and His sovereign will. (Always the tension there) All these are God's blessing and provision for a better health. But I fear that we are at risk of damaging another's faith when we proclaim that health is guaranteed to us as long as we exercise faith (in this case faith in the Holy Communion to bring us health). Before Christ comes again, one day we will all die physically, many will die of sicknesses. And some will die younger than others, perhaps by car accidents. Do we know for sure God meant for all to live a long life on the earth?

V33 "So then my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. 34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgement."

God takes seriously how we treat one another as members of Christ's body. Judge ourselves, so we would not come under judgement. That's the exhortation of V31.

I may be wrong, and probably am on many counts. I believe no one is infallible. Only God's word is. That's why we need to check, correct and rebuke one another, from the Scriptures. God's word is truth. His Spirit will lead us into all truth. Along the way, we may make mistakes, even serious ones. But God always gives second chance. Yeah! Amen?

P.S. At this point of my journey, I am still trying to figure out what is the meaning of "By His stripes we are healed." Is it for now? Or is the promise of a new body? What does 'heal' mean here? Until next time, all believers have a duty to search the Scriptures and ask God to reveal to us His truth personally. Look at the traffic light and not at the driver in front, unless he also observes the traffic light.