Analysis of I Corinthians 11:17-26

1. Our text is in the larger context of 11:1-14;40
2. Abuses of worship stand out in this larger context
3. This is the "umbrella" under which Paul writes

1. I CORINTHIANS 11:17-22 DESCRIBE A SITUATION WITHIN THE CHURCH AT CORINTH WHICH MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO EAT THE LORD'S SUPPER
   1. It is difficult to study this text with proper balance
   2. The divisions among the Corinthians when they "assemble as a church" (v. 18) made it impossible for them to partake of the Lord's Supper, v. 20
      1. These divisions were more than the "I am of Apollos, I am of Cephas ...," etc., type, I Cor. 1:10-15
         1. The divisions were also those of class and money
         2. The world was in the church
      2. The Corinthians had fully trivialized the Supper

2. PAUL SHARES WITH THEM WHAT HE HAD RECEIVED CONCERNING THE TRUE NATURE OF THE LORD'S SUPPER, vv. 23-26
   1. On the betrayal night Jesus took bread, gave thanks (thus, the eucharist), broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you ...," v. 24
   2. "Do this in remembrance of me," vv. 24-25
      1. "Do" suggests more than merely eating
      2. "Remembrance" is the state of being in which one "does."
         1. The state of being is neither fleeting nor momentary
         2. The entire Supper, including assembling, thanks, breaking bread, drinking the cup, is to be done in a state of "remembrance."
      3. The cup, "after supper," suggests the seder order, v. 25
         1. The cup is a metonymy for its contents
            • The content (fruit of the vine) "is the new covenant in my blood."
            • In other words, the sacrifice of Christ, with His blood, ratified the new covenant
         2. The parallel is seen in Ex. 24:8
   3. "As often as you drink it" requires repeated action, v. 26
      1. Acts 20:7 describes early observance of the Lord's day
      2. I Cor. 16:1-2 and Rev. 1:10 show other reasons why the Lord's day assemblies were significant
   4. "You proclaim the Lord's death until he comes," v. 26
      1. Proclamation if continuous; observance is periodic
      2. Each partaking is of eternal significance - it points to the end time
      3. Also, unity of the partakers is significant, I Cor. 10:17
      4. However, for the Corinthians, each gathering was a "proclamation" that they had lost the true meaning of the Supper

1. When properly observed, the Lord's Supper has some very significant 'side benefits.'
2. It is dangerously easy to desecrate the Lord's Supper
3. The life blood of the church is seen in the Lord's Supper, not in our human veins

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