17In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval. 20When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, 21for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. 22Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!
Dig Deeper
One of the great ironies of the early years of America is that in our new country’s quest for freedom and equality, those very things were denied to millions of black slaves. In blurring many lines of social custom and culture, there were other lines that had not even been questioned. The shocking thing for us today, is that we realize that in many ways, these racial lines are among the very first that should have been dealt with if true freedom was to be achieved. It is simply a sham, in many ways, to stand up above the crowd and claim to be the land of the free when you are standing on the necks of millions of black slaves in order to do so. America could not even begin to truly be the land that she claimed to be until that fundamental issue that caused anger and disgust for so many was dealt with.
Paul feels the same shock and disgust as he hears reports of what is going on in Corinth. In the previous passage, Paul dealt with the fact that in bringing equality and freedom in Christ, the Corinthians had blurred natural lines of the created order that did not need to be meddled with. Now he turns his attention to the rift between rich and poor. Like the treatment of slaves in America, this should be an obvious distinction that is realized as contrary to the very nature of the body of Christ, yet it is one that the Corinthians have continued without much thought as to the fundamental contradiction between their actions and their status in Christ.
Whereas before, Paul praised the Corinthian effort but redirected their actual practice, here he has not even a morsel of praise to offer them. He can’t even offer a bit of consolation by saying that their heart was in the right place. In fact, he says that by meeting the way they have, they are doing more harm than good. This is a remarkable chastisement that can only make sense if we recall Paul’s understanding that the body of Christ is the true and only representative of Christ to the world. Their heart and actions in the case of the Lord’s Supper have been such a contrast to true heart of Christ, that it would be better if they had not even met together. In creating divisions during the Lord’s Supper they were denying the very nature of the meal itself. The Lord’s Supper was a declaration to the world of their unity as one body in Christ, so to come together and divide themselves over petty values of the world was to nullify the very thing they were claiming to take part in. It would be like a groom committing adultery during his wedding reception, violating the whole point of the event of which he is taking part.
Paul confirms that what he is addressing here comes from the oral reports that he received. This means that this is presumably not a question written from the Corinthians; in other words, they didn’t even see this as an issue worthy asking Paul about. They were just going about having the Lord’s Supper in the manner which Paul talks about here as a normal course of events. So what were they doing that was so distasteful?
As with many things in a letter like this, it is difficult to piece together the precise situation, but based on what Paul says we can get a pretty good idea. When the Church in Corinth came together they were practicing and continuing divisions among them. These are not the same divisions that Paul addressed earlier in the letter. These are division based on social status and wealth. It was common among trade union dinners in Corinth for people of all classes to eat, but very clear distinctions would be made between the rich and the poor. The Corinthians had continued this practice without question. The wealthier Christians in Corinth were hosting these love feasts or communion meals, but were evidently continuing the practice of having the rich eat in the main, private dining room and being served the very best food and wine. Meanwhile, the poorer among them , who probably would have arrived late because they were working, would be placed in outer rooms that reminded them of their lower standing. The only food they would receive was some leftovers or they would be served inferior food. It is even possible that they weren’t served any food but were expected bring their own, which they would have been very limited in being able to do. Thus, a small, wealthy minority were gorging themselves, while others were getting very little or none.
Although many take verse 19 at face value, It is probably best understood as biting sarcasm. Paul is saying something to the effect of, “Are you sure you really want to perpetuate divisions? Because if you do, the only divisions that have been created are ones that show that some of you don’t get it at all. All you’ve done is show that you do not have God’s approval.”
It is important to note that Paul’s issue is not that some are wealthy. He does not deny them the right to eat well and enjoy their homes. The problem is that when they come together to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, it is not the Lord’s Supper at all because of the worldly attitudes they are displaying. Paul has been trying to show them throughout this letter the life in Christ that they are supposed to be living and how that looks in the real world of their everyday lives. They are supposed to be modeling the true humanity, the life of Christ to the world. Instead, however, they are acting just like them. They are despising the very church of God of which they claim to be a part when they act like this. By their practices, they have shamed and humiliated the poor. This, Paul wants them to know in no uncertain terms, is contrary to everything it means to be a Christian.
Based on Paul’s statement in verse 22, it appears that the Corinthians thought they might be praised for this. They apparently believed that in welcoming the poor into their home, they had created a pluralism to be praised rather than a divisiveness to be derided. Paul notes that there is nothing in their actions to be praised. Christian unity is essential but unity without diversity is meaningless. But that diversity should not be the cause of separation or division. In the body of Christ, all must be treated equally and with respect or God’s church, and in fact, Christ Himself are being shown disdain.
As Christians today, we must realize that we face the same fundamental issues even if they manifest in different ways. We still have divides in the body of Christ over wealth, race, and many other issues. We still have cliques in the body of Christ. We need to seriously examine and challenge those inequities when we see them. It is important to not be over-sensitive and imagine cliques or exclusion when they are not there, but when divides and exclusion are taking place, we must take the same harsh action that Paul did. We simply cannot stand for this kind of behavior in the body of Christ. If we do allow it to continue, then, says Paul, we’re not being the body of Christ at all.
Devotional Thought
We don’t tend to have entire meals when we meet together for the Lord’s Supper but when we do all eat together we usually make sure that everyone eats the same. Yet, are there other ways in our churches that we allow the wealthy and the poor to create the same divisions and send the same subtle or not-so-subtle signals that are sent in society? Or, do we allow other areas of division to continue in the Church unchecked and undealt with?
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