1 Corinthians 11:23-34
Examine Yourselves
23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread,
24and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
25In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
27Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
28Each one must examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
29For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
31Now if we judged ourselves properly, we would not come under judgment.
32But when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
33So, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
34If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you come together it will not result in judgment. And when I come, I will give instructions about the remaining matters.
Berean Standard Bible
Paul passes on what he received from the Lord about the night Jesus was betrayed. Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said it was His body given for them. He told them to do this in remembrance of Him. After the meal, He took the cup and identified it with the new covenant in His blood, again telling them to remember Him.
Whenever they eat the bread and drink the cup, they proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Communion looks backward to Jesus' sacrifice, inward to the gathered body, and forward to His return. It is therefore too important to be used as a private badge of status or a ritual that ignores the people sharing it.
Paul warns that anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup in an unworthy manner is guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. In the immediate context, the unworthy manner is not failing to feel solemn enough. It is eating while despising or humiliating other members of the church.
Believers should examine themselves and discern the body before eating and drinking. That includes honest repentance and attention to the people Christ has gathered. Paul says the Corinthians' failure has brought weakness, sickness, and death among them, but the Lord's discipline is meant to keep them from being condemned with the world.
Paul's final instructions are practical: wait for one another, and if someone is hungry, eat at home so the gathering will not bring judgment. He will address the remaining matters when he comes. The Supper is holy because it announces Christ's self-giving love, and the church must not announce that love while practicing contempt.
How We Know
Luke 22:14-20 records Jesus taking bread and the cup during the final meal with His disciples, identifying them with His body and the new covenant in His blood. Paul passes on the same tradition and applies it to a divided Corinthian gathering.
Questions
1 What did Jesus say the bread represented?
AnswerJesus said the bread was His body given for them and told His followers to eat it in remembrance of Him.
2 What did Jesus say about the cup?
AnswerHe identified the cup with the new covenant in His blood and told them to drink it in remembrance of Him.
3 What does the church proclaim through the Supper?
AnswerWhenever the church eats and drinks, it proclaims the Lord's death until He comes, joining memory with future hope.
4 What did the Corinthians need to do before the meal?
AnswerThey needed to examine themselves, discern the body, and wait for one another instead of eating in contemptuous isolation.
What This Means for Us
Before communion, ask not only whether you feel reverent but whether you are treating Christ's people with honor. Confess contempt, repair what you can, and seek help for serious harm rather than hiding behind a ritual.
Make room for one another. A shared meal should show the self-giving love it announces, especially toward people who could easily be overlooked.
Prayer
Jesus, thank You for giving Your body and blood for Your people. Make our communion truthful, humble, and attentive to one another, and teach us to remember Your death with lives that reflect Your love. Amen.