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What does Paul mean in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 on communion?
In 1 Corinthians11:23-25 Paul spoke of a tradition he had 'received' and passed onto the Corinthians at some earlier time. It reads: For I have received of the Lord that which… also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. Whether or not this was entirely original, Burton L Mack (Who Wrote the New Testament) says that this closely parallels the ritual libations usually given at some Greek associations. It should be noted that the image is one of a full meal, not a wafer or token sip of wine. In verse 20, Paul says, "When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper." His point is that the gathering should be for worship, not merely to partake of a lavish feast. In this passage, Paul was criticising those who ate hungrily as if they had no home in which to eat, and who drank wine until drunk. Verse 11:29: "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." (MORE)
