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Timothy: I Corinthians 11:23-34
The Lord’s Supper – Part 2

Dear God, my Beloved Father, I respectfully offer my praise and gratitude to You. You are the Almighty God and my Father in Heaven. I am thankful to You for taking away my fatigue. I pray that You will remove the lingering discomfort in my jawbone.

I am still surprised by the sudden dislocation of my jaw, even though I did not open my mouth too wide or have any impact. It happened unexpectedly while I was sitting, working on the computer, without eating or talking. As the pain increased to the point in a couple of days when I couldn’t open my mouth or chew food, I prayed to You to heal me, and You healed me in my sleep. As a result, I didn’t have to see a doctor.

I sense that the devil is attacking me, and You, Father, have responded to my plea by healing me to demonstrate that if the devil suddenly causes me pain, You can also suddenly heal me. I understand that the lingering discomfort in my jawbone is a way for me to acknowledge the reality of my sudden jaw misalignment. It means that the demonic attack on me is real. I thank You, Father, for allowing all of these things to happen to me. Now, I ask You to remove the lingering discomfort in my jawbone. I pray to Christ to renew strength in my physical body. I pray to the Holy Spirit to grant enlightenment to my spirit so that I may understand the Eternal Living Word of God. I am grateful to the Triune God.

Father, I present my reflections on the Lord’s Supper, based on I Corinthians 11:23-34, as follows:

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:

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.

Verses 23 and 24: These two verses help me understand that Paul received directly from the Lord Jesus Himself the instruction on observing the Lord’s Supper. When Paul preached the Gospel and people believed, he passed on to them the practice of observing the Lord’s Supper, including the believers in Corinth. The Word of God affirms that the bread used in the Lord’s Supper symbolizes His pure and holy body, which was broken because of the sins of humanity, to bring redemption to them. The people of God are called to perform the ritual of breaking bread in remembrance of Him.

The purpose of believers taking part in the Lord’s Supper is to remember Christ and recall that He was beaten, crucified, and died on the cross for the redemption of humanity from the power and consequences of sin. The Word of God does not specify how often the people of God should partake of the Lord’s Supper, but the purpose is to remember the Lord. Therefore, the people of God can partake of the Lord’s Supper daily to remember Him and remind themselves to proclaim His death until He comes. It is understood that the early Church in Jerusalem gathered daily and partook of the Lord’s Supper together during communal meals.

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.

26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

Verses 25 and 26: The juice of the grape is also referred to as the “pure blood of the grape” (Deuteronomy 32:14), so the Lord Jesus likened it to His own blood. Humanity had to obey God’s commandments to receive blessings, and those who violated the commandments would face death. In the New Covenant, the shedding of the Lord Jesus Christ’s blood unto death was His substitutionary act of bearing the punishment for those who violated God’s commandments. Those who believe in the redemption of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice will be saved from the punishment of sin. Therefore, those who have received the redemption of His sacrifice must remember Him and proclaim the purpose of His death to save more people.

I understand that the phrase “this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me” means that every time the people of God drink grape juice, they should remember the Lord, not just when they are partaking of the Lord’s Supper. I also found that in all three books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, it is specifically stated as “drink from the fruit of the vine,” which refers to grape juice (Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18). Wine is grape juice that has undergone fermentation. During the Feast of Passover and the following seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Israelites were not to consume anything with leaven. Leaven had to be removed from their houses. Leaven symbolizes sin, so wine or fermented grape juice cannot symbolize the holy blood of Jesus Christ.

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.

Verse 27: The unleavened bread and the cup of grape juice used in the Lord’s Supper are referred to as “this bread” and “this cup of the Lord.” They symbolize the body and blood of Christ, which were offered as a sacrificial atonement for humanity. Those who partake of the bread and cup are those who believe in the redemption of Christ’s sacrifice and repent for their sins. Therefore, anyone who still prefers sin, lives in sin, or has committed sin without repentance and confession is unworthy to partake of the Lord’s Supper.

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

Verses 28 and 29: Each person of God has the responsibility to examine themselves to see if they are sinning. If they find any sin, they must immediately repent and confess it to the Lord in order to receive His forgiveness before participating in the Lord’s Supper. Those who have unrepented sin and still partake of the Lord’s Supper bring judgment on themselves.

30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

Verse 30: Those who partake of the Lord’s Supper unworthily will be punished with weakness in their health, various illnesses, and potentially even death. Weakness and illness are disciplinary measures to admonish sinners who lack repentance. If a person with sin does not repent, they will face death and lose their salvation because they did not repent.

31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

Verses 31 and 32: Those who examine themselves and partake of the Lord’s Supper worthily will not be judged. However, those who do not examine themselves and partake unworthily will be judged by the Lord, which may lead to weakness and illness. This is a way for them to repent and avoid judgment, like those who belong to the world. Those who have sinned and still refuse to repent will be condemned like those in the world. They will experience death and eternal destruction due to their unrepentant sin.

33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.

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.

Verses 33 and 34: Paul urges the people of God to show respect for one another when it comes to eating and drinking in the name of the Lord. Everyone should wait for each other and eat together at the same time. If someone is hungry, they should eat at home before coming together. When they gather as a congregation, they should wait for each other to eat simultaneously, so as not to lead to division and bring punishment from the Lord. Paul assures the people of God in Corinth that he will address other matters when he is present with them.

Dear Father, I pray that each of Your people understands and remembers the significance of the Lord’s Supper. I thank You, Father! May the hearts of Your people always remember the death of Christ, so that each one may live worthy of His sacrifice. May each member of Your people strive to proclaim the death of Christ to many through their own way of life. Amen!

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Timothy Christian Huynh
05/19/2023