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Priscilla: I Corinthians 11:17-22
The Lord’s Supper – Part 1

Dear God, my Beloved Father, I offer You my praise and gratitude for the spiritual blessings You have abundantly bestowed upon my life through Your immeasurable richness. I beseech the Holy Spirit to guide me as I contemplate the Eternal Living Word of God.

Father, today I would like to present my meditation on the Lord’s Supper, as written in 1 Corinthians 11:17-22.

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.

Verse 17: The Apostle Paul rebuked the people of God in the Church of Corinth for their misconduct during the Lord’s Supper. He did not praise them because their gatherings had led to negative consequences and did not contribute to edification, but rather caused divisions within the Church.

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.

Verse 18: The Apostle Paul stated that when he heard about the divisions during the gatherings of the Church in Corinth, he partially believed the reports. He knew that there were factions within the Church of Corinth. The negative rumors about the people of God in Corinth had caused harm to the Church, and had become a stumbling block, leading to the mockery of God’s name among unbelievers.

19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

Verse 19: The Apostle Paul affirmed that the factions within the Church of Corinth caused by arrogant individuals and false teachers revealed the true children of God in the Church. They remained steadfast in their faith, unaffected by factionalism or the deceitful influence of false doctrines, and lived in obedience to the Word of God. They had been welcomed into the Church by Christ.

20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper.

21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.

Verses 20 and 21: During the gatherings of the people of God in the Church of Corinth, they would come together to have a meal and partake in the Lord’s Supper. During the meal, some individuals would eat and drink excessively, leaving little for others. These individuals were likely wealthier individuals who had made contributions to the food. The ones who ate later were probably poorer individuals who lacked the means to contribute. Those who ate excessively indulged to the point of drunkenness, while those who ate later did not have enough food and went hungry.

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 22: The Apostle Paul questions why the brothers and sisters are treating each other unjustly. If their main purpose is to satisfy their own appetites, then they should eat at home so that they can freely indulge themselves. Why do they make eating and drinking a stumbling block for others during the gatherings of the Church? By doing so, they show contempt for the Lord’s Church and disrespect the members of Christ’s body. They have caused the poor among God’s people to feel humiliated and injured. Such actions deserve reprimand rather than praise.

Father, I ask You to grant me and all the brothers and sisters in the Church the ability to demonstrate our love for God and for one another through righteous deeds, so that our lives may always be pleasing to You. Amen.

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Priscilla Christian Huynh
05/18/2023