Judge yourselves

Good Day~ 

Just before Jesus was arrested, tried, and . . . he shared what has come to be known as The Last Supper with the disciples.  When Jesus broke the bread, he told them it was his body, and the cup, his blood, and he said, ‘do this in remembrance of me’.   As his followers began meeting regularly together to serve a risen Savior, they did indeed ‘remember’ Jesus as he had told them to do.

Paul cautioned the believers to search themselves before they came to the Table:

“Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and the blood of the Lord.  A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.  For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.  That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.  But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.  When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

  So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other.  If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.

  And when I come I will give further instruction.” 1 Corinthians 11.27-34

Communion is not to be entered into lightly.  It bids followers of Jesus to stop, ask God to search hearts and consciences, and then ask God to forgive sins and cleanse.

The warning does not mean we have to get our lives in total order, and only then can we come to the Table; if Paul had said that, well, not many could enter into the worshipful experience of communion.  On the other hand, we are to examine ourselves, judge our sin through the lens of Scripture, and turn away from it, lest we be judged by God.  Apparently, the ravages of sin were being felt in the Corinthian body because Paul cites that ‘many were weak and sick and some had died’ as a result of God’s judgment of sin.

Looking at this passage in the context of the earlier part of the chapter, we note that included in searching our hearts in order to be clean before God is also being in right relationship with fellow believers.  The Corinthian church struggled with divisions and schisms among her people, including not sharing their food with their poorer members . . . in total, Paul tells them,

‘They will know we are Christians by our love—

  so at your love feasts, share with all.

    At the communion table, ‘be still, and know that He is God’

      Invite God to cleanse you.

        Be restored to any brothers you have ought with

          and then, enter into the remembrance of our Lord

            by eating the bread and drinking the cup~

              Remember the cross,

               and look forward to Jesus’ glorious return.’

This summary of the theology of the Lord’s supper is insightful:  Look back, to Christ’s death, look in, in self examination, look up, have fellowship with God, look around, relationship with each other, look forward, to Christ’s return, and look outward, to share God’s Word with others.*

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of Communion that we might still ourselves and remember you...

Christine

*Michael Green, Corinth