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Religious Eating

March 18th, 2024

1 Corinthians 11:17-22    

The Corinthian church was struggling to understand its identity. Corinth was a port city. The church, like the city, was full of people of various ethnicities, languages, religious backgrounds, rituals, and appetites. They all had their preferences, but they were also in the process of becoming the body of Christ. One of the ways that they learned to become one was through the Lord’s Supper.

The Lord’s Supper wasn’t a full meal—Paul wouldn’t ask his question in 1 Corinthians 11:22 if it was. It had already become a religious ritual in which the church was proclaiming the gospel. It was reminding the church that they had been baptized, which means they were born again.

By indulging the practice where some got drunk while others went hungry, they were denying Christ’s sacrifice. They were refusing to participate with Christ by making room for others. The meal had become about fulfilling personal desires. Paul could not call such selfish eating the Lord’s Supper. He called them to correct their behavior and to recognize their true identities as God’s children.

Author: Ryan Quanstrom