1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Lesson 329

1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Lesson 329

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Bad table manners in Corinth.

How to keep the Lord's supper.

The Lord's Supper.

By the Italian artist Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (1452-1519).

The Lord's Supper.

Also called "the Last Supper" or "the Lord's Table" (1 Corinthians 10:21). The Lord's Supper took place the night before Jesus was arrested on the annual Jewish Passover. "The Lord's Supper (11:20) is a visible representation symbolizing the death of Christ for our sins. It reminds us of Christ's death and the glorious hope of his return. Our participation in it strengthens our faith through fellowship with Christ and with other believers."

(The "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188, page 2286.)

Study Tip:

As you read each verse, ask yourself, "What is the point of this passage?"

The First Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Corinthians

The King James Bible

1 Corinthians 11:17-34
The Lord's Supper

17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.

18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.

19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.

21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.

22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? what shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.

23 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:

24 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.

25 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.

26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.

34 And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.

Margin notes:

"I praise you not." (11:17) - This contrasts with verse 11:2 (lesson 328), when Paul praised the Corinthians for remembering Christ's teachings.

"Ye come together." (11:17) - Each Sunday, early Christians held a "potluck" dinner (called the agape or love-feast) to celebrate the Lord's Supper (Acts 20:7).  This was an important part of Christian life designed to build fellowship. Unfortunately, the opposite was happening in Corinth. Some believers had forgotten the significance of the Lord's Supper. See "Today's Question" below.

"I hear that there be divisions among you." (11:18) - "I hear there is dissension among you."

"There must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest." (11:19) - "There must be schisms, factions, and sects among you so that those who are approved are recognized."

"When ye come together." (11:20) - As indicated in verse 11:17, early Christians shared a meal in honor of The Lord's Supper. However, there were problems. Read on.

"Every one taketh before other his own supper." (11:21) - "Every one eats his own supper before the others."

"One is hungry, and another is drunken." (11:21) - "Some go hungry while others are getting drunk."

"Shame them that have not." (11:22) - "Embarrass those who have not."

"I have received of the Lord." (11:23) - Received through divine revelation.

"The same night in which he was betrayed." (11:23) - The Messiah was betrayed by Judas Iscariot (Luke 22:3-6; 22:47-48).

"Which is broken for you." (11:24) - Since no bone in Jesus' body was broken when He was crucified (John 19:36), this must refer to the broken bread.

"The new testament in my blood." (11:25) - "The new covenant (agreement) sealed with my blood." The old agreement with God had to be repeatedly sealed with the blood of sacrificial animals (Exodus 24:3-8). Also, people could only approach God via a Rabbi. Under the new Covenant, thanks to Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, our sins are forgiven without an animal sacrifice, and we can talk directly to God. The blood of Jesus was the last sacrifice needed.

"Ye do shew." (11:26) - "You proclaim."

"Whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty." (11:27) - Who is unworthy? Those who participate in the Lord's Supper with disrespect, for they are blaspheming Christ. See verse 11:29.

"Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread." (11:28) - "Everyone should examine themselves before they eat the bread."

"Damnation." (11:29) - "Judgment."

"Not discerning the Lord's body." (11:29) - Means not knowing the difference between the Lord's Supper and an ordinary meal.

"For this cause." (11:30) - "For this reason."

"Many sleep." (11:30) - "Many died."

"We are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world." (11:32) - "We are disciplined by the Lord, so we won't be condemned with the world." See Psalm 94:12 and Hebrews 12:5-6.

"Tarry one for another." (11:33) - "Wait for each other."

"If any man hunger, let him eat at home." (11:34) - This means if anyone is hungry, let them eat at home so when they arrive for the agape meal, they enjoy it for its religious meaning and not just as another meal.

To learn about the Lord's Supper, see Matthew 26:17-35 (lessons 54 and 55); Mark 14:17-25 (lesson 94); and Luke 22:13-20 (lesson 155).

New Living Translation

1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Order at the Lord's Supper

17 But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together.

18 First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it.

19 But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God's approval will be recognized!

20 When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord's Supper.

21 For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk.

22 What? Don't you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God's church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!

23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread

24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me."

25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant between God and his people-an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it."

26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until he comes again.

27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.

29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God's judgment upon yourself.

30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.

31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way.

32 Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

33 So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord's Supper, wait for each other.

34 If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won't bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I'll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. Why celebrate the Lord's Supper (11:20)?

Christ was broken for us (11:24) to comfort the broken among us.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. Early Christians celebrated the Lord's Supper each week in remembrance of Jesus' suffering on the cross and to strengthen their faith. Just as Passover commemorates the Jewish liberation from Egyptian bondage, the Last Supper commemorates our liberation from sin. Paul advised Christians to make themselves worthy as they celebrate the Lord's Supper by doing a self-examination (11:28), acknowledging their sins, and thanking God for His loving grace and the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross.

Application thought for the day:

Lessons 328 and 329 are full of practical applications.
In both lessons, Paul tells us to examine ourselves and to foster an attitude of love towards other Christians.
Can you find ways to apply Paul's point to your life?

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2025 evolke

Subscribe for Free Bible Lessons