1 Corinthians 11:23-32
“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.”
Jesus first mentioned eating his body and drinking his blood after feeding 5000 with fish and loaves. The statement was considered very distasteful and he lost many of his followers. Even though his main disciples didn’t leave him, they struggled to understand what he meant as well. And I would wager many folk still find it hard to understand. So let’s talk about it.
Too understand what Jesus was referring to, we need to clearly comprehend two things. First, we need to know who HE is. And secondly, we must understand who we are.
John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God. What that means is Jesus is the personification of the Passover Lamb. He represents the Passover meal eaten while the Death Angel was attempting to enter into the homes of the all the inhabitants of Egypt and he also represents the Lamb’s blood on the doorposts prohibiting death from coming in. So if Jesus is both the meal and the blood of the Lamb, who are we? We are the dwelling place, the homes, the temples where the Spirit of Christ is contained. The blood is our protection and the bread our nourishment. Though we are many members, collectively we are the personification of the Body of Christ. So when Paul mentions discerning the Body of Christ, he’s not talking about the physical body of Jesus, but instead the spiritual collective that he died for. He’s talking about you and me.
This particular letter was written by Paul as a reprimand to a group of believers living in a province of ancient Greece called Corinth. The main problem with the people of Corinth was their division and moral issues. The Corinthians struggled with internal conflicts, factions, and a lack of unity, as members aligned themselves with different leaders (e.g., Paul, Apollos, Cephas). They also faced issues related to immorality, such as sexual misconduct and lawsuits among believers. Paul addressed these problems to guide them toward spiritual maturity, love, and proper conduct. But the main problem was their abuses during the Lord's Supper.
Generally, we would think God would be more concerned with immorality and internal fighting. Our instincts and religious values peek each time we hear of sins of passion, carnality and debauchery. Those are the dramatic, juicy and interesting offenses we most expect the Lord to deal harshly with us on. But that’s not the case.
Now, don’t get me wrong. The Lord didn’t overlook, dismiss or excuse any of the sinful acts that were being committed; but he rehearsed in our hearing the essence of his heart as it pertains to the purpose, power and passion with which he gave his life at Calvary. While individual offenses are sins against ourselves that must be personally and privately addressed, sins against the members of body of Christ are personal affronts to the Lord. And he takes them very seriously.
Paul was very clear that those that marginalize and abuse the children of God will suffer punishment. They must be viewed as you would his personal body. Failure to discern (recognize, perceive) them as equal participants of the grace of Christ will be dealt with sternly.
In hearing the warning of Paul, I would admonish us all to consider the impact of our wrangling, divisive and dismissive statements and suggestions to the people of God. Do you, but leave His Body alone. Irrespective of our best intentions, God has a very specific and clear plan for his Church to proceed. His Word is the only authority and His way conclusive.
God Bless
