Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: 1 CORINTHIANS #14 - 11:17-34)
F. 11:17-34 A CHARGE CONCERNING THE LORD'S SUPPER
a. 11:17 PAUL'S CHARGE COMES IN THE LIGHT OF GRAVE PROBLEMS
TOUto de pa-ragGELlo [3853], ouk e-paiNON [1867]
But in giving this charge, I praise not
HOti ouk eis to KREISson alLA eis to HESson suNERches-the.
because you come together not for the better but for the worse.
b. 11:18 THE ASSEMBLY OF CHRISTIANS HAD DIVISIONS
PROton men gar, su-ner-choMEnon huMON en ek-kleSIa [1577],
For first, when you come together in church,
aKOUoSCHISma-ta [4678]en huMIN huPARchein [5225]; kai MEros [3317]ti pisTEUo.
I hear divisions exist among you; and I partly believe it.
c. 11:19 THIS MERELY CAUSES THE APPROVAL TO SHINE OUT MORE CLEARLY
dei gar kai haiREseis [139] en huMIN EInai,
For factions must be also among you,
HIna kai hoi DOki-moi [1384]pha-neROI [5318]GEnon-tai en huMIN.
that the approved be also manifest among you.
d. 11:20-21 THE LORD'S SUPPER CANNOT BE EATEN IF IT IS NOT SHARED
Su-ner-choMEnon [4905]oun huMON ePI to auTO, ouk EStin Ku-ri-aKON DEIPnon [1173]phaGEIN [5315]:
When therefore you come together in meeting, it is not possibleto eat theLord's supper:
HEkas-tos gar to Idi-on DEIPnon pro-lamBAnei [4301]en tophaGEIN;
21 for in :eating each takes his:own supper before;
kai hos men peiNA [3983], hos de meTHUei [3184].
and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
e. 11:22a IT IS BETTER TO EAT AT HOME THAN TO BE SELFISH IN CHURCH
megar, oiKIas ouk Eche-te eis to esTHIein kai PInein?
What, have you not houses to eat and to drink in?
etes ek-kleSIas tou TheOU ka-ta-phroNEIte [2706], kai ka-taiSCHUne-te [2617]tous meEchon-tas?
or do you despise the church of :God, and put them to shame that have nothing?
f. 11:22b What shall I say to you? shall I praise you?
ti EIpohuMIN? e-paiNEso[1867]huMAS?
g. 11:22c In this I praise you not. en TOUtoouk e-paiNO.
h. 11:23-24 PAUL REMINDS THEM THAT THE BREAD IS CHRIST'S BODY
eGOgar paREla-bon [3880]aPO tou KuRIou ho kai paREdo-ka [3860]huMIN,
For I received of the Lord what also I delivered to you,
HOti ho KUri-os IeSOUS en tenukTI hepa-reDIde-to [3860]Ela-ben ARton;
that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was delivered uptook bread;
kai eu-cha-risTEsas [2168]EKla-sen [2806], kai EIpen,
24and when he gave thanks he broke it, and said,
TOU-TO mou esTIN to SOma [4983], to huPER huMON: TOUto poiEIte eis ten eMEN aNAMne-sin [364].
This is my :body, which isfor you: this do in :remembrance of me.
i. 11:25 THE CUP IS THE NEW COVENANT IN HIS BLOOD
hoSAUtos kai to poTEri-on [4221], meTA to deipNEsai [1172], LEgon,
In like manner also the cup, after :supper, saying,
TOUto to poTEri-on hekaiNEdi-aTHEke[1242]esTIN en toeMOHAIma-ti [129]:
This :cup is the new covenant in my :blood:
TOUto poiEIte, hoSAkis eAN PIne-te [4095], eis ten eMEN aNAMne-sin [364].
this do, as oft as you drink it, in :remembrance of me.
j. 11:26 CHRIST'S DEATH TILL HE RETURNS IS PROCLAIMED THROUGH THE SUPPER
hoSAkis gar eAN esTHIe-te ton ARton TOUton, kai to poTEri-on PIne-te,
For as oft as you eat this :bread, and drink the cup,
ton THAna-ton [2288]tou KuRIou ka-tagGELle-te [2605]Achri hou ELthe.
you proclaim the death of the Lord till he come.
k. 11:27 GUILT: THE RESULT OF EATING THE SUPPER UNWORTHILY
HOste hos an esTHIeton ARton ePIneto poTEri-on tou KuRIou a-naXIos [371],
So that whoever shall eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord unworthily,
HEno-chos [1777]EStai tou SOma-tos kai tou HAIma-tos tou KuRIou.
shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
l. 11:28 PROVE YOUR MOTIVES BEFORE PARTAKING
do-ki-maZEto[1381]de ANthro-pos he-auTON,
But let a man prove himself,
kai HOUtos ek tou ARtou es-thiEto, kai ek tou po-teRIou piNEto.
and thus let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup.
m. 11:29 For who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he discern not the body.
ho gar esTHIon kai PInon, KRIma [2917]he-auTOesTHIei kai PInei, medi-aKRInon [1252]to SOma.
n. 11:30 For this cause many among you areweak and sickly, and not a few sleep.
diA TOUto en huMIN polLOI as-theNEIS [772]kai ARros-toi [732], kai koiMONtai [1837]hi-kaNOI.
o. 11:31 But if we discerned ourselves, we should not be judged.
ei de he-auTOUS di-eKRIno-men [1252], ouk an e-kriNOme-tha [2919].
p. 11:32 CHASTENING SPARES US FROM THE WORLD'S CONDEMNATION
kriNOme-noi de huPO tou KuRIou, pai-deuOme-tha [3811],
But whenjudged of the Lord, we are chastened,
HIna mesun toKOSmoka-ta-kriTHOmen [2632].
that we be not condemned with the world.
q. 11:33 So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait one for another.
HOSte, a-delPHOI mou, su-nerCHOme-noi eis to phaGEIN, alLElous ekDEches-the [1551].
r. 11:34a If any is hungry let him eat at home; that you come not together unto judgment.
EI tis peiNA, en OIkoes-thiEto; HIna meeis KRIma [2917]suNERches-the.
s. 11:34b And the rest will I set in order whenever I come.
Ta de loiPA hos an ELthodi-aTAxo-mai [1299].
NOTE: This is one of the clearest accounts of the Lord's Supper in the Word of God. As in all the sections ofPaul's letters to the Corinthian Church, he is primarily using the opportunity as a time of correction. The book of Romans is his plumbline, and he would have Corinth rise up to full understanding in “Justification by Faith.”
In the early church, the Lord's Supper was commonly associated with the “Agape” (Love) Feast portion Because of excesses on the part of the Corinthian believers at this time, Paul eliminated it to just the elements of the Lord's Supper itself, and dismissed the Love Feast portion.
It is a great blessing when the two can be combined together. In the Passover Seder, the Lord's Supper is made an integral part, which Jews commemorated from the time of the Exodus out of Egypt under Moses, approximately 3400 years ago, on an annual basis. Jesus took this, and made the Lord's Supper an integral part of the Passover Supper, and opened the way for it to be observed at least weekly.
Note how Paul makes use of the problem at Corinth concerning this event, by pointing out that the very divisive problem by some, raised a contrast; so that those who retained a right understanding and procedure, stood out in their correctness (11:19).
Paul also quotes Jesus when He said, “This :cup is the new covenantin my :blood.” Apart from the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin, we read in the book of Hebrews. And so many of the Old Testament types and shadows all point to the coming of Jesus, and how He fulfilledall the past, so that it was proper for the Temple to be destroyed in 70 AD. It had served its purpose. Jesus Himself is now the Temple, and we His body are members of it - living stones.
Should we still be careful and diligent in our observance of the Lord's Supper? Of course! George Muller felt it was proper to observe it each week. It was the centralpart of their service! And each time it is is observed, we do proclaim the Lord's death, till He come.
So - although this is a corrective portion of Scripture, what valuable lessons emerge! “Covenant” is the very basis of the Bible. The Old Testament = the Old Covenant, and the New Testament is the New Covenant. Apart from understanding of Covenant in the Lord's Supper, we see but faintly the lessons God would have us understand. Read “Marriage Covenant” by Derek Prince to gain an extremely valuable insight on this great background to the Lord's Supper. J.A.W.