The Lord's Supper
(2025)
The 11th chapter of 1 Corinthian is well noted because of the instructions for a holy convocation. In the first chapter and the 10th verse of the letter to the Corinth church, Paul reprimanded the people concerning the divisions that he heard about that were within the church.
1Co 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
1Co 1:11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
Then in verse 17&18 of chapter 11 we see that they brought their problems with them when they came together on the night of that holy convocation.
1Co 11:17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.
1Co 11:18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
1 Co 10:1 indicates there were Jews within the congregation and they would have been familiar with the importance of that night.
1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
Those in Corinth should have been coming together on that night having a single purpose and desire. In 1 Co 5:8 the "feast" is referred to as something they were familiar with and they should have been aware of the solemnity of that holy time. But they came together with their problems that are referred to as divisions among themselves in verse 18.
There were specific divisions listed in 1 Co 1:11&12. We don't know for sure what the divisions were about that are spoken of in verse 18. Evidently, because of their human nature, it was not out of the ordinary to have them and those with divisions are compared to the "approved". It is interesting that there were some who did come to their meeting place with the right purpose and spirit.
1Co 11:19 For there mustG1163 be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
Then verse 20 shows us that they were not "coming together" for the right reason. The reason being was to keep the Lord's Supper.
1Co 11:20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.
This single sentence provides the evidence that Paul was no longer keeping the passover as he had done his whole life prior to being called to the truths of the New Covenant. It seems that one of the reasons the various Churches of God rejects the term, "The Lord's Supper", is because it has been and is used by Protestantism. That sentence with the words of Jesus in John Chapter 6 should be sufficient reason to believe that rather than eating a new type of passover meal we and they are instructed to eat the "Lord's Supper" on every night of the 14th of the first month. Instead of using the term "passover" Paul used the very descriptive term, "Lord's Supper".
Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Joh 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Joh 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
Joh 6:56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
Joh 6:57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
Jesus had yet to give the instructions for the Lord's Supper. Can we know what the elapsed amount of time between John 6:57 and the passover of John 13:2 was?
Joh 6:41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
Joh 6:60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
There was some confusion on the night they were to meet together. Some had already eaten and some hadn't. The word "other" was not in the original. It would be interesting to know if that confusion was a part of their divisions. The drunkenness was inexcusable and shows a distinct lack of understanding of the true significance of their coming together.
1Co 11:21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
1Co 11:22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.
Verse 23 clearly shows us that Paul had previously given them complete instructions for observing the Lord's Supper.
1Co 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
In verses 24 & 25 we are told to "this do in remembrance of me". How do we do that? Verse 26 gives the answer.
Verse 26, in very succinct terms, gives us and them the purpose of the Lord's Supper. After the Creator of heaven and earth became flesh to live without sin and teach --- He was then to die.
1Co 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shewG260 5 (proclaim) the Lord's death till he come.
It may be impossible to describe the significance of the death of the creator of all that existed. This act, if we can call it an act, is the most complete endeavor of service that could have ever possibly been done. In verse 28 they were told to examine themselves. They were to examine themselves in regard to their understanding of the consequential death of the son of God and the nature of that death. Were they coming together to remember the brutal flogging and the death by a barbaric crucifixion of their Lord and our Lord? If not, the consequences would be dire.
1Co 11:27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
1Co 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
1Co 11:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
And verse 33 shows us there should be an orderly service for each of the congregations of the church. Then finally, verse 34 makes plain verse 33. The eating in verse 33 is the eating of the Lord's Supper. The eating in verse 34 is speaking of eating a dinner at home for those that are hungry.
1Co 11:33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.
1Co 11:34 And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.
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Joh 13:4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
Joh 13:5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
Joh 13:15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
Mar 15:15 And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
Isa 52:14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Joh 19:2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,
Mat 27:28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
Mat 27:29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
Mat 27:30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
Mat 27:31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.
1Co 11:24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
Mat 27:33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,
Mat 27:34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
Mat 27:35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
Mat 27:36 And sitting down they watched him there;
Mat 27:37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Mat 27:38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.
Mat 27:39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
Mat 27:40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
Mat 27:41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
Mat 27:42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.
Mat 27:43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
Mat 27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
Mat 27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
Mat 27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
1Co 11:25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
Mar 14:26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
It can be noted, it is most likely, the words recorded in John chapters 14-17 were spoken during the fairly long walk from the upper room to the garden of Gethsemane.
Joh 18:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.
When we eat the bread and drink the cup, which Paul called The Lord's Supper, we do it in remembrance of the death of Jesus. And we may ask, how do we "proclaim" the Lords death? It would not only be through speaking and publishing the facts of the brutal way that the Son of God gave himself for us in his death it is also that death was deemed necessary in the plan to create a family of God.
This is a time that God has given us to be thankful and appreciative of how the bread and wine represents taking in Jesus, as Jesus spoke of in the 6th chapter of John. Taking in all that Jesus is to ourselves. And then Heb 13:13 tells us that we should feel his public scorn. We can understand --- we are not of the world. As John Gills commentary says it: and besides, there is a likeness between the reproach which Christ personally bore, and that which is cast upon his followers;
Heb 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.
Heb 13:13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.