In 1 Corinthians 11:27–29, Paul says, in his discussion of the Lord’s Supper, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves.” If you grew up, as I did, in the Church of Christ or any fellowship that takes the Lord’s Supper regularly or has a high view of the Supper, you have likely heard this passage before. Traditionally, it has been used to shame or scare people by saying that you must be absolutely sure you’re taking the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner. It gets thrown out when we debate who can take of the Lord’s Supper. Christians? Non-Christians? Children?
The typical interpretation of this passage is that people need to examine themselves, that is, think about their life and their relationship with Jesus. They need to discern the body, usually identified as a synonym of examining oneself, but occasionally interpreted to mean to focus on Jesus’s body on the cross (the NIV translates the phrase, “discerning the body of Christ”). Regardless, the idea of taking the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner is to remove all “worldly thoughts” (a phrase I’ve heard often at the Lord’s Supper) from our minds, focus on Jesus’s death, and make sure we are in good standing with Jesus. Otherwise, we risk eating and drinking God’s judgment upon ourselves.
However, while there may be some similarities, I do not believe this traditional interpretation is what Paul is talking about. Paul’s mention of taking the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner is contextual; it refers to the problem in Corinth that Paul has just addressed. In 11:17–22, Paul states that the Corinthians have made a mockery of the Lord’s Supper because when they come together, the rich get full and drunk while the poor go hungry.
A possible reconstruction of the events in Corinth might go something like this: The Corinthian believers gather in the home of a wealthy believer, who always provides a nice spread of food and wine. As a part of the fellowship meal, they take the Lord’s Supper. However, the wealthy believer invites their wealthy friends first, so that when the poor arrive, their rich brothers and sisters are already full and drunk. Or, perhaps, the poor are given a separate place in the house from the rich and are unable to provide themselves with such a meal.
This division around the Lord’s Table is why Paul says that the Corinthians are taking the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. So, they must examine themselves and discern the body before partaking, but what exactly does Paul mean by “discerning the body?” What body are the Corinthians meant to discern? How does discerning the body connect to the division present around the table?
Throughout 1 Corinthians, Paul uses the word body (gk. σῶμα, soma) to refer to three different bodies: Jesus’s physical body, the church as the body of Christ, and individual’s physical bodies. The immediate context would suggest Paul is speaking about discerning Jesus’s physical body. In chapter 11, Paul uses the word body three times. First, in verse 24, Jesus is instituting the Lord’s Supper and says, “This is my body that is given for you.” Second, in verse 27, Paul says that the one who takes the Supper in an unworthy manner “will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord.” Finally, in verse 29, Paul says that the Corinthians are to discern the body.
For this reason, some early manuscripts of 1 Corinthians add the phrase “of Christ” in verse 29 after “discerning the body.” This is why the NIV reads, “discerning the body of Christ.” However, our earliest and best manuscripts do not testify to the inclusion of the phrase “of Christ.” Therefore, this was likely an early addition to try and clarify which body Paul is speaking about.
However, to fully understand Paul’s words, we need to move back to some things he has said earlier in the letter. If we go back to chapter 10, Paul says in 10:16–17, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” Paul says that when we take of the bread in the Lord’s Supper, we are taking of the body of Christ. However, in a weird way, we are also partaking of the church, because the church is also the body of Christ. While Christ’s body in the Lord’s Supper is unique from the church, it is also the same as the church, both being the body of Christ.
What makes up the body of Christ in the church are the individual bodies of believers, which Paul speaks about when addressing sexual immorality in 6:20. “For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” The death of Jesus’s physical body, which is remembered in the bread and cup of the Lord’s Supper, purchased the individual bodies of believers from sin and death. Therefore, we are to glorify God in the way we use our bodies.
So, with the entire context of 1 Corinthians in view, the following interpretation of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 11:27–29 seems to fit. The Corinthians are divided between rich and poor around the Lord’s Table. However, when they take the Lord’s Supper, remembering Jesus’s story, they make Jesus’s story their own story. They live as part of the story of Jesus, who gave up his body and shed his blood for them. To live as part of this story, that is, to live like Jesus, means that they, too, must give of themselves for others. If the Corinthians are willing to give of themselves for others, then there is no way they could be divided around the Lord’s Table.
Therefore, what the Corinthians need to do as they take the Lord’s Supper is discern Jesus’s body. They first must remember Jesus’s story, when Jesus gave of himself for them, which is now their story. Second, they must remember that they are not only part of this story, but they are Jesus’s body, the church. Therefore, as Jesus’s body, they must look like Jesus’s body, which is a body that is unified, not divided. Finally, they need to look at their individual bodies, which comprise Jesus’s body, the church. They must ask, “How is my body contributing to the division in Christ’s body as I partake of Christ’s body in the Lord’s Supper?” So, for the Corinthians to eat the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner is for them to take of Christ’s body in the bread while allowing their personal bodies to divide the body of Christ, the church.
What does this mean for our contemporary practice of the Lord’s Supper? First, when we take the Lord’s Supper, we remember the story of Jesus. Not merely Jesus’s death but also his birth, life, resurrection, ascension, and even his return and ushering in the new creation. To remember Jesus’s story is to make Jesus’s story our own story. We live in our bodies the way Jesus lived in his.
Second, as we take of Jesus’s body in the bread of the Lord’s Supper, we remember that we are a part of this body. You and I fill unique and essential roles in Christ’s body. The body of Christ cannot function without you and the gifts the Holy Spirit has given you. Additionally, we must constantly ask whether our church body actually looks like Christ’s body. Is our church operating in a way that proclaims the story of Jesus to the world? Is our church divided? How does our church treat the poor and outcast?
Finally, each of us must also examine our individual bodies. Does my body look like Christ’s body? Is my body contributing to division within Christ’s body? Is my body preventing my church body from looking like Jesus? Am I using my body to benefit Christ’s body?
I now want to make a brief side comment. This passage has been used to speak against the practice of open communion. From the outset, I want to state that I am in favor of open communion, but I recognize there is an argument to be made for a closed table. However, I don’t believe this passage speaks to the issue of whether non-believers can take the Lord’s Supper. Paul’s question is how the Corinthians can take of the body of Christ in the bread when they, as the body of Christ, are divided. This is a contextual issue. This means that only those who are part of the body of Christ can take the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner, at least according to how Paul uses the phrase.
This is not to say that we should not have the conversation about whether an unbeliever taking the Supper is doing so in a worthy manner. My point is that we must recognize that this is not how Paul uses the phrase. Paul is focused on what the Christian community in Corinth should think when they take the Lord’s Supper, not what the Lord’s Supper might mean or not mean for a non-Christian.
By: Spencer Shaw
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