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

Dear God, my Beloved Father, I respectfully offer my praise and gratitude to You. You are the Almighty God and my Father in Heaven. These past few days, I have been feeling weary. I ask You to relieve me of this tiredness. Each day, I eagerly await the coming of Christ, praying that He may fill me with renewed strength. May the Holy Spirit guide me in all truth. I am thankful to the Triune God.

Father, now I would like to present my reflections on 1 Corinthians 11:17-22 as follows:

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.

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.

Verses 17 and 18: The first aspect of the gatherings of the Church is fellowship among God’s people. This means that they engage together in activities in the name of Christ and in the love of God. The second aspect is the joint act of honoring and worshiping God in unity. Therefore, the gatherings of the Church are the collective effort of God’s people working towards a good purpose, improving the lives of each individual. However, Paul is reproaching the people of God in Corinth based on what he has heard. Their fellowship does not lead to improvement but rather to deterioration. This deterioration results in dissatisfaction and division among God’s people due to the behavior of some individuals in the Church. Paul partially believes what he has heard, as he knows that there is division caused by false teachers and those who live according to worldly desires within the Church in Corinth.

The preposition “into” in Greek, which is translated as “for” in this passage, implies that each action of God’s people will either lead them to a good or bad situation. A good situation helps build up and encourage others, serving as a positive example for others. A bad situation causes harm to oneself and others, creates division within the Church, presents a negative example, and brings mockery to the name of God among unbelievers.

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

Verse 19: Paul asserts that the occurrence of factions within the Church provides an opportunity for the Church to discern who the true children of God are. Those who have been tested in their faith, understand God’s Word, live according to it, and are guided by the Holy Spirit, not aligning with factions or accepting false teachings, have been received by God into the Church as His sons and daughters, and by Christ into Himself as members of His body.

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: I understand that during that time, in the gatherings of the Church, the people of God would come together to have a meal. They might have shared a meal before studying God’s Word and worshiping Him. During such a meal, they would also break bread, symbolizing the body of Christ, and drink the grape juice together to remember the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, this kind of meal was called the Lord’s Supper. However, some individuals in the Church in Corinth would eat their meal before others arrived, leaving no food for those who came later. These later arrivals were usually laborers and the poor who had worked all day. The ones who ate first were likely the wealthy, who either brought their own food or purchased it, believing they had the right to eat and drink as they pleased. They even brought or bought wine to consume during the meal and ended up getting drunk.

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: Paul poses a question to those who had acted poorly in their eating and drinking behavior: did they not have homes where they could eat and drink as they pleased? How could they show such disregard for the Church of God and their brothers and sisters in need within the Church? They should eat to satisfy their hunger at their own homes, and during the communal meal of the Church, they should share their food with the poor brothers and sisters within the Church.

Father, I understand that the distinction between the rich and the poor within the Church is something that naturally occurs when newly converted individuals do not yet have a full understanding of God’s Word. The shepherds and elders have a responsibility to teach the newly converted about equality and unity within the Church. They also have a responsibility to maintain equality and unity within the Church, not allowing discrimination or prejudice to occur. Sadly, there are instances where the shepherds and elders show favoritism towards wealthy individuals within the Church, thus not daring to rebuke the wrongdoing of those individuals. They fail to fulfill their divine duty and are reproached by You, as recorded in Isaiah 56:10-11 and Jeremiah 10:21.

Father, please bestow Your grace upon Your people everywhere, granting them enlightenment and understanding of the Eternal Living Word of God, along with abundant strength to follow it. May the shepherds and elders in each local Church be filled with grace, power, and wisdom to guide the flocks entrusted to them. I am grateful, Father. Amen!

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Timothy Christian Huynh
05/18/2023