1st Corinthians
Chapter 11

1st Corinthians Chapter Eleven
Commentary by Ron Beckham

Verse 1. "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ."

Why would we imitate Paul?  Why would he even say such a thing?  We’re to look to CHRIST!  Why would we look to a man?  The answer, of course, is found in the last half of the verse.  PAUL looks to Christ.  He is Christ’s ambassador.  We, the younger, can safely look to the elder for leadership, to the extent that they are honestly looking to Christ.  We do not follow others blindly, but we are able to cautiously and prayerfully follow the one who follows Him.

What do we imitate in Christ, in Paul?  Romans 15:1-3 (a direct continuation of Romans 14) is a great exposition on this verse.  We are taught to "bear with the scruples of the weak and to not please ourselves."  That’s what Paul did - He gave up his life for others.  If I truly love other people, then I, even I, (and you, even you) can be trusted for leadership.  It went on "Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification."  And in Romans 15:3, "even Christ did not please Himself".  We do not need to spend our lives anymore, pleasing ourselves.  We can care for each other, and Christ WILL care for us.

There are a lot of false people in the world.  It is dangerous to follow another person.  In the 70’s, there was a movement called by various names, such as the "covering doctrine."  They taught that all people had to be "covered" by an elder to be right with God.  It got so bad that some of them were saying we should "follow our elders even when they are WRONG!"   Nonsense.  Our relationship with Christ is DIRECT.  We follow our Lord.   Yet God uses people in our lives!

Always remember that this verse in 1st Corinthians has two parts --- Yes, we are to look to our elders for sound leadership, to imitate their faith in Christ, their responsiveness to the Holy Spirit, and their trust in God’s Holy Scriptures.   Such a man we will follow, with caution and with prayer, but only as HE follows God.

What a great reminder that we must always be in prayer.  How can we know what to do?  We look to Him.

Verse 2. "Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions as I delivered them to you."

This sounds like a direct quote from the letter Paul received from the Corinthians.   This whole letter to them (1st Corinthians) is a response to their written need.   In that letter they had assured him that they had continued to pray for (remembered) him and followed his guidance for their lives.  Actually they "remembered" him in some ways, but as we see, not in others.

Interesting, isn’t it?  We have just seen the warning in chapter 10, "Let him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall."  Most of us think we are "standing" in the sight of God.  It’s obvious from the whole context of 1st Corinthians, which is Paul’s response to a letter from them, that they were pretty well completely off the track.  Yet, here they were, assuring Paul that they "keep the traditions."

A favorite verse of mine, as indicated before, is 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith."  We will look at that verse again, later in this Chapter.  I am very happy that I am basically an insecure person.  My insecurity (in myself, not in Him), enables me to go to Him continually and take searching inventories as to who and what I really am.  The danger is to THINK we stand, when in fact, we have already fallen.

There is a tendency to throw out the traditions, every century or so.   Traditionalism can be mere outward form, but it can be more.  In South Tucson, as we were walking into San Xavier Mission, we noticed the "Stations of the Cross" in the garden.  Suddenly, it was clear that the statues were simply the Gospel in PICTURE form.  Here was Christ, praying at Gethsemane, staggering under the weight of the Cross, dying for our sins, portrayed in tiny statues of those events.

We are fortunate to be (for now) a literate people within a literate society.  But we could return at any moment to a time like 700-years ago, where the Gospel was necessarily told only in picture form, through Baptism, Communion, Marriage, and statues --- Traditions can portray deep spiritual realities in the form of parables.  Just like the pictures (statues) in that garden in Tucson.

Verse 3. "But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God."

This is an ordinance of earthly application.  It is clear that actually neither male nor female exists (as we would understand it) in the sight of God.  This is carefully spelled out in Galatians 3:28 ("…there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus").  This was very obvious at the time of creation (before the fall), when we are taught that both male and female bore the "image" of God (Genesis 1:27).  The "image" is Christ (II Cor. 4:4 & context) and this race was created to be in Him, which is what "in His image" means.

Earthly authority is very much a part of God’s intent for us.  Romans 13 is so clear that when we respond with true respect to EARTHLY authority, it is a way of honoring God.  There is always leadership within good relationships.   Governments, factories, businesses, families, marriages - everything works better with effective leadership.  God, through Paul, suggests here that it is best for the man (who was the FOLLOWER at the time of the fall of mankind) to be the final decision-maker in marriage.

Note that these verses apply to leadership in MARRIAGE - It is NOT intended that women in general should be led by men in general.  All kinds of sin can come out of that kind of thinking.

The woman LISTENS to him (the husband) as he attempts to lead.  Part of HIS requirement for leadership is to LISTEN to her.  She is not some kind of "janitor" in marriage --- She is like the Executive Vice President of a small corporation.  The President should LISTEN to his Executive Vice President.  I do not think men are particularly effective leaders as a general thing.  One of the greatest leaders of the past quarter century, was Maggie Thatcher, Prime Minister of Great Britain - a woman.  Most women can’t lead, either, though again, Eve was the leader of Adam at the time of the fall.

One of the reasons, in my opinion, that "women’s lib" has been so popular with women is that the great majority of men are extremely poor leaders.  A woman might want leadership in marriage (who DOESN’T need effective advice from another person?) but she quickly becomes impatient with this "idiot" she married.  He might even be willing to lead, but have no talent for the job.   He might even be ABLE to lead but be brutal in his application.  No sane person will tolerate brutal leadership.  There is a time to say "enough" to such treatment.

The only way anyone (in marriage) can effectively lead is when they both fully let Christ into the relationship.  We can only truly lead (or be led) as a result of actual contact with Him (the Living God).  I have watched for years, as someone close to me in my family has been learning to submit to a husband who does not wish to lead.   The attempt is beautiful, and that is the point of the next verses.

Verse 4. "Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head."

In the preceding verse, we saw the "chain of command" that can make a marriage work.  The woman looks to the man, and can follow him, to the extent that he TRULY (there are many counterfeits in the world, in marriage, as well as in religion) looks to Christ.  And our Lord gave us the example while He was here on earth, by utterly giving Himself to the leadership of God the Father, through the Holy Spirit of God.  He held nothing back, and neither should the husband hold back anything, in loving his God; in loving his wife.

It was (and is) a Jewish custom that when praying, the male Jewish worshiper cover his head with the TALLITH. The ancient Jew also UN-covered his feet, showing he identified the place where he stood as holy ground.  The head was covered because of humility, even as the Seraphim in Isaiah chapter 6, covered their faces with their wings, in the presence of the Lord.  The Greek custom was to pray with the head uncovered.  Paul had decided, through the Holy Spirit, that the man in Christ may stand with unveiled head before the Presence of his Father.  We are set free from our shame in Christ.

Tertullian understood this:  "We pray with bare heads because we blush not."  This reflects that we are new in Christ.  "The Christian is no longer a slave but a son! (Gal 4:7).  The head was covered in mourning (II Sam. 15:30) and because of our shame - We are ALIVE (in Him) and have JOY (in Christ).  We are in mourning no longer, for the Son of God is Risen in us!

Verse 5.  "But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved."

Apparently, there is not an absolute rule against the woman speaking openly in the assembly.  This was seen from before the beginning of the Church, where Joel (2:30) is quoted in Acts 2:17-18, "your sons and DAUGHTERS shall prophesy…", and "…on my Maidservants I will pour out My spirit…"  It was not only Aquila, but also PRISCILLA (Acts 18:26), who took Apollos aside and TAUGHT him the way of God more accurately.  We are not under "New Testament Law" any more than the "Old."

What is presented here is public DECORUM.  It was against the national custom of all of the surrounding peoples of the Mediterranean nations of the time for a woman to appear unveiled (on her OWN authority).  Such behavior would lead to the worst misconceptions about Christian assemblies.  Modest women covered their heads with a veil when in public.  To appear otherwise was to be thought to be a prostitute.   We are to be modest in our dress, modest in our appearance, modest in our words, especially modest in our hearts, where our outward behavior comes from.

Calvin said, "As a man honors his head by proclaiming his liberty, so the woman by acknowledging her subjection.  I wouldn’t go as far as he did with these verses.   As a younger man, I remember being taught in a public assembly by the woman teacher Corrie Ten Boom.  I have heard more eloquent teachers but she was extremely believable and used excellent visual imagery.  I can still see her in my mind, stuffing rags into a flashlight, and then pointing out the obvious - that the light did not work when it was filled with rags.  She took out the cloths and put in batteries.   Then she clicked the button again, and it worked this time!  While doing this, she was explaining that only by being connected to the power source of the Holy Spirit, can we be lights to the world.

Corrie Ten Boom was accepted universally as a teacher in just about all Christian contexts, because she was so obviously led of God to teach us.  One of the best teachers (of 20-years ago) was also a woman.  Her testimony was that she tried to tell God "no" when she experienced a call to teach, on the ground that she was a woman.  She then continued by stating that God so overrode her heart that she finally taught anyway.  I was simply blown-away by the excellence of her teaching ministry.   She was truly called.

Verse 6.  "For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered."

Paul was not commanding haircuts here --- He was using scornful humor to illustrate that a woman (or a man, for that matter), should be chaste in public appearance.   When a woman was tried by the "ordeal of the water of jealousy" (Numbers 5:18), her head was uncovered by the priest.  To be shorn or shaven, to the Jews (and others of the area), was a sign both of mourning and of shame.  This is seen in Deuteronomy 21:12-13 – it was a disgrace inflicted on the adulteress.

As J. Vernon McGee said, "the unveiled woman in Corinth was a prostitute."   Many of the religious prostitutes had their heads shaved, as did the "vestal virgins" in the temple of Aphrodite, who were (as stated) really prostitutes, pretending a chaste status.  Paul does not want us to bring shame to the Body of Christ, in our clothing, in our manner, in our words.

Verse 7.  "For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man."

In the garden, before the fall of mankind, Adam was completely open (mentally, physically and spiritually) to God. Nothing was hidden, there was no double motive, no hidden agenda.  In Christ, we are once again open before him.  One of the things we are supposed to do, as Christians, is to act out, before a Godless world, the reality of the Risen Christ in our lives.  We do this by changed lives, such as by speaking the truth in love.  We also act out, almost as though we are performing in a play, these realities in PICTURE form.  That is we are baptized, symbolizing that we have died to this world and have come alive in another, better place.  We marry, and as we see in Ephesians, marriage is supposed to portray in image form, the deep love that the Lord has for the Body of Christ, that is, for each one of us who is called the "Church."

We shall see communion in such a manner (as a picture of what God has done for us) in the second half of this chapter.

Part of what we act out in picture form in marriage is the creation of mankind.   As we see in the next verse, the man was created first, and he was not complete without the woman.  The two become one, just we are one with the God who made us.   By the woman being covered and the man not, we reflect in picture form the order of creation, and testify that it was God who made us, along with all things.  There was no evolutionary process --- When we are one in love, in marriage, our relationship testifies to God the Creator of all mankind, who shares His Image with you and with me, when we just turn to Him.

Is all marriage perfect, because it is supposed to carry a message about God to us?   No it is not.  Because we are imperfect, we spoil even the Word that God gives to us.  He WILL communicate with us anyway, using every means that is possible, and some means that, in retrospect, don’t seem possible at all.

Verse 8.  "For man is not from woman, but woman from man."

This verse is a clear indicator that the Holy Spirit has in mind here a crystal clear and strong reference to the CREATION of mankind (Genesis 2).  The man was created first, not the woman.  The woman was taken out of man, which is obviously a reversal of the order seen after the fall.  For now, the man comes out of the woman, but that was not the way of the first man and the first woman.  It’s interesting that all this was PLANNED from before the beginning, even to the point that the Remedy of man existed before the fall of man.  Even before the fall, God knew we would fall into sin.  Jesus was (Revelation 13:8) "slain from the foundation of the world" indicating His death for our sins was built right in for the benefit of our race, from BEFORE the beginning of all that is.

So it was with the order of creation.  It was deliberate that the woman was to be created out of the man, partly in order that this analogy might be presented to us at just this moment.  For one thing, my friend, it shows that God knew you would be reading these words, right at this moment.  God knows your heart, utterly knows you, and this moment was set aside from the foundation of the world, awaiting the answer of your heart to His call.  He created us and wants you to be re-created in Him - right now.   If He knows the end from the beginning, He also knows your heart right this minute.

Verse 9.  "Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man."

This is the express teaching of Genesis chapter 2, a lovely rendition of the creation of mankind.  In chapter 1, we see the creation from a telescopic perspective; that is, the whole overview was presented at once, in the order it occurred.  Man was just an important PART of that creation, presented briefly in verse 26 and forward.  In the next section, the focus is specifically on the creation of mankind, and chapter 2 has been portrayed as a "microscopic" examination of the creation of our ancestors.

In that rendition (chapter 2), Adam was already functioning as the Governor of the earth, at a time when he was the only human-person who had been created.  The other life forms are presented as separate races of beings, with functions we no longer are able to understand or even perceive --- all creation has been distorted because of the fall of man.

In Genesis chapter 2, we find what I believe is the DELIGHT of God in creating the person Eve, who was to be the mother of all people, and who was to be co-Governor of all the earth.  Behind the words of that chapter, there is the excitement of God in presenting them one to the other.  The excitement of a Father, in giving JOY to His little ones.

The woman was created out of the man and was God’s gift to His beloved Adam.   They were actually given to each other, for they were to be "one flesh" - not divided like wives and husbands are now, but united in love.  And it indeed was her that came out of him, as is portrayed in this Scripture.

Verse 10.  "For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels."

Luther said of this verse, "exousia" (power or authority) is the veil or covering by which one may see that she is under her husband’s authority."   That seems to be the simplest exposition of 1 Corinthians 10, and, as we have seen earlier, the veil or covering was a mechanism of society which indicated she was a person of good morals.  There was a PROTECTION in the veil, in that others would not view the woman as some kind of "target" (as is so often the case today) but instead regard her as under the protection of her husband.

The "angels" are interesting. The word is "angeloi" which is the Greek word for "messengers" and is often used in Scripture in relation to angelic, supernatural beings.  The general reference of Paul here, as interpreted by both Spence and Joseph Exell, is as follows:  Her choice of chaste clothing is "out of respect and reverence for the holy angels, who are always invisibly present in the Christian assemblies" and I must add, in the lives of Christian believers.

We are surrounded by angels.  A fascinating discussion of this subject is, of course, found in Hebrews chapter one.  That chapter concludes that "they are ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation."   In other words, if you are in Christ, if you give yourself to Him, you will not only receive the Holy Spirit of God, but an extra bonus is that you are constantly surrounded and under the care of --- angels!  There are apparently angels everywhere anyway – but they seem to cluster around (and help) those who will inherit salvation in Christ Jesus.

This verse is both a recommendation and a reminder.  How does the typical person ACT if they think no one is watching them?  The answer is likely to be that we are less refined when we think we are alone.  We tend to be on our best behavior when some is watching us.  It is clear from this verse that we are never alone.  We are always being watched and not only our actions but also the hidden motives of the heart are being seen.  These angels are pure and, to the extent we are not pure, we should always be giving our thoughts and our actions to the Lord for forgiveness, cleansing, and healing.

Verse 11.  "Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord."

Certainly this verse should correct any tendency of a husband or father to be cruel or domineering.  In marriage, the old saying was "the two-celled heart, beating with one full stroke, beating as one."  If the man is the leader, then we must examine that role.  What is a leader in the sight of God?

The mother of the "sons of thunder" (James and John) wanted a special place for her sons in the Kingdom of God.  Jesus replied that "whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant."  And, "whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave." That’s in Matthew 20:26-27.  His statement was preceded by another one:   The leader is not someone who "Lords it over them and those who exercise great authority over them."

In short, Mister Husband, if you wish to lead your wife, learn to be her servant, in love of her, even to the death of your desires so that hers may come to life.  The servant-leader is not by any means a weak person.  Just like the good butler, however, listens to the needs of his master, the husband must learn to LISTEN to his wife.   Jesus was a very strong Person, and HE is the model for your role as the husband of your wife.   Even to the extent of dying for her, in her place, even to the extent of placing her shopping ahead of your football.

Verse 12.  "For as the woman was from the man, even so the man also is through the woman; but all things are from God."

Now, we can discuss these things, as to who came first, the woman or the man (like who came first, the chicken or the egg), until we turn blue.  But it is obvious in Scripture that the first woman came from the first man, and also that since that time it is the man who comes from the woman.  But the details are largely irrelevant, because all things are actually, as Paul says, from God.

The most important fact of life is that we are from God.

David reveals (Psalm 139:14-16) that it was God who overlooked us (watched out for us) when we were in the womb and that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made."   We are not some "accident" with the "wrong" color of eyes or the "wrong" shape. We are "fearfully and wonderfully made."  We are from God.  & when we receive Him, we are twice from God - once in the flesh, and now, the second time, wrought in His Holy Spirit --- Twice from God, born in Him.

Verse 13.  "Judge among yourselves.  Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?"

So, figure it out --- Is it proper for us to wear anything we want?  Is it correct to take this body which God has given us and decorate it any way we choose?  Pierce it here and there, and draw pictures on it somewhere else?  Is it right that we wear clothing that suggests we are a person of low morals?  When we pray before our High and Holy God, does it matter what we wear?  What we do?  Yes it does.

Most important about us is our hidden ATTITUDES.  The mere outward thing is less important.  Jesus said that out of our "heart(s) come…murders, adulteries…" and so on (Matthew 15:19) and that interestingly the outward thing (15:20) is not the real issue.  Yet, Paul is here providing the balance, that yes, to follow the APPEARANCE of decency (as well as actually being decent) is indeed a very good thing.

I do not suggest that we should revert to wearing clothes that were fashionable at some other time.  I do not feel that we should dress like George Washington or Moses and therefore look ridiculous to those around us in our culture.  I DO feel that, within the context of the society in which we live, we should be chaste and dignified in appearance; willing to be thought of as Godly and moral people.  (Hopefully, we really are).

Verse 14.  "Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?"

This has long been a fascinating Scripture to me.  Had it not been for the "Jesus" movement of the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s, I might feel differently about this verse.  During that era, time-and-time again, the Lord seemed to be very little concerned with the length of a man’s hair, and much more about the condition of his heart.  There were those who wanted to cut the hair of a new convert - immediately!  But the Lord was not in such a hurry.  A guy would come out of the "hippie" movement and sometimes he would experience "conviction" to get his hair cut and sometimes he would not.  The heart is much more important than the hair.

The bottom line here, in my opinion, coupled with the following verse, is that a man should be a MAN, in dress and in manner, and a woman should be a woman.  We should not act and live in such a manner that no one knows what in the world we really are!   Paul is reminding us that if you were born a man, live like one.  If you are a woman, joyfully be exactly what you are.  You are not some kind of "accident" --- You are "fearfully and wonderfully made."

Verse 15.  "But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering."

As a man grows older, he typically finds less joy in what’s left of his hair.   But for most women, the experience of long, beautiful hair lasts throughout her life.  Bengel says "we should follow with our will the guidance of nature."   That is, the facts of our bodies are not there by accident.  Every tendency, each fact is placed there by God deliberately, carrying the potential to illustrate a deeper, spiritual truth about us, about our race.

It is a given that factors like chemotherapy for some women, will change her (apparently) in relation to this verse.  Yet, for MOST female-persons, long hair is much more a life-long capacity than it is for most men.  These tendencies do not happen by accident --- there is a purpose in them.  Here, this tendency of women was given millennia ago (in advance by the Holy Spirit), not so that women might be more hairy, but that we might understand that both the appearance and roles of women were created SPECIALLY and not by accident.

A woman’s hair is given in part to reflect God’s desire for her life, as to her role in marriage.

Verse 16.  "But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the Churches of God."

Notice this conclusion to the preceding section on marriage.  "We have no such custom" means there is no LAW on these things of the marriage relationship.   These verses (and all Scriptures) are not designed to place you under law --- this is instead designed to HELP you in life.  The wife who has a husband who loves her and who is also an excellent leader; the wife who can accept his leadership --- is simply happier than another woman, who fights her husband every inch of the way.  The same is of course true for the husband.  The roles in marriage (and society) are confused today, as are the people.  But it isn’t "roles" we need to assume, it’s CHRIST we need to seek --- There really is no law that can change our lives - We need Him in us; us in Him.  THAT’s what we need.

Verse 17.  "Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse."

Paul is not thrilled with these people.  They are playing Church, pretending to themselves and to other persons that they have a vital relationship which is really lacking in their lives.  Watching football is fun --- lots of things are, but we are so HUNGRY for more than trivia in life.  The satisfaction of TV or hobbies or whatever, wears off after a while.  Paul tried a lot of things, until he got knocked off his animal on the Damascus road.  Paul had become good at outward religion.   Sometimes we need to get knocked down to discover much more is needed in life than we could even know was possible.

Verse 18.  "For first of all, when you come together as a Church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it."

I’m just coming off an experience in which I yelled (on the Internet) at other persons (and they yelled at me).  Whoever was at fault is really not very clear (and irrelevant anyway, because we are ALL at fault -"All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" really applies).  Factions and discord is a symptom of much worse.  All of our Church, all of the human race is infected with a disease that only Christ can truly heal.  We need Him.

I find our tolerance for others is limited, due to pride, lack of love, selfishness, and the Lord only knows what else.  It’s time for our whole country, our whole Church, to come before Him in repentance --- and it starts with me; starts with you.   I answered back to them on the Internet (whatever the issues).  To be right or to be wrong in an argument --- is not as important as we think.  Finally, after prayer, I did the only thing I thought made sense in love --- to withdraw from their midst.  If I only cause strife in someone’s life, it’s time change; perhaps to move on, if that is necessary.

Verse 19.  "For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you."

To be "recognized" is a basic human need.  It also is the basis of much human sin before other people and before our Holy God.  Factionalism implies choosing personalities, one over another, and ultimately it doesn’t matter one whit if we like this teacher and don’t like someone else.

What matters is:  Who did Christ send to You?  Are you the one being sent?   We often don’t really know the answers to basic questions for we are so busy being "right" that we cannot really "hear" our Lord at all.  A basic part of any corporate project is "Avoiding Responsibility" and "Assigning the Blame."  These tendencies come into the Church, and just like a corporate response, tend to ruin things for everybody.  The people of the Ephesian Church in the Book of Revelation were right in just about everything but they had lost their love.

Verse 20.  "Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper."

I’m blessed to be in charge of the "Communion Ministry" at our Church.   I have two teams of men and several alternates.  I was also part of the Communion Ministry in Calvary Chapel San Jose.  What a blessing.  I get to clean the utensils, break the bread, pour the "wine" and pray for those who will receive Communion.  I learned from Jim Vela in San Jose, who handled all of this with a wonderful reverence and a love for those who would receive.

Jim selected me for his San Jose team to assist in preparation but I was only able to work for a couple of Communions before it was necessary (for job reasons) to move to the Los Angeles Basin.  I was disappointed and it seemed at the time that the training I received from Jim was of no use to anyone.  I did not seek the ministry in the Long Beach Church or every mention that I had experience in that area.  They chose me, (Be still and let HIM choose YOU).  What a blessing to see the hand of the Lord at work behind the scenes, bringing purpose out of all that is.

The Lord has selected us to sup at the table of our Lord.  We are not here by accident, we are everywhere we are because He loves us and has a purpose for our lives.   Holy Communion is a special blessing, as I can personally testify, as one who is a partaker, and also as one in charge of the ministry.  As Jim Vela taught me, when we partake in Communion, it is a time to reflect on the Body of Christ:  1) that our Lord died for us, and 2) that you and I are one in Him.

Verse 21.  "For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk."

I doubt if you have physically stuffed yourself on Communion bread (these people actually had an "agape" meal before each Communion) and then got drunk on the wine.  But we are often just as bad --- we have unresolved ANGER; ENVY riddles our lives; we are often COVETOUS --- the list goes on, and such motives are at least as bad as gluttony and getting drunk.  GOSSIP is a killer within the Body of Christ.  At Communion, it is time to take off the mask and own up that we are pretty needy (and greedy) in the eyes of our Holy God.  We’re sinners!  If we have anything against our brother, it is time to put off our selfishness (another disease in our body) and confess our sins, one to another, before Him.

It’s important to come to the Lord’s Table with clean hands and a clean heart.  Remember the words of our Lord,  "If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother Has something against you, leave your gift before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23-24).  Good advice from the One who died for you and for me.

Verse 22.  "What?  Do you not have houses to eat and drink in?  Or do you despise the Church of God and shame those who have nothing?   What shall I say to you?  Shall I praise you in this?  I do not praise you."

Now, I don’t overeat during Communion.  And I don’t get drunk on the wine.  Years ago, though, I did feel somewhat concerned for the Priest in the Catholic Church I attended, for anything that was left over, he had to eat and drink.   Sometimes there was quite a bit left --- hopefully he was able to handle it all.

But for me, how does God look at my heart when my mind wanders during the service?   What does He think, when I have unresolved sin in my heart?  How does He look at it when I have anger toward my brother in Christ?  On the outside, I don’t have the troubles of the Corinthians, but inside, I need Him; I need to be changed.   So do you.  It all starts with me - I must repent - You, too.

Verse 23.  "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;

On a recent Sunday afternoon, I taught Matthew 26 to the ladies in the Convalescent Home.  It was a long chapter for them --- 75 verses; but we managed to get through it all.  And it’s true, just as Paul said, that on the same night He gave Himself to us in (the parable of) Communion, He also gave Himself for us by dying for our sins.   This was the night He was betrayed.  I was impressed, in Matthew 26, how totally the Lord knew what was going on --- before it happened.  He KNEW Judas would betray Him.  He KNEW He, the Lord, would die for our sins and then rise again.   He even made a date with them to meet with Him in Galilee after He would die and rise again.  His faith in the Father was complete and so was His love for you and for me.

I was fascinated that the disciples were real good at following the Lord in outward things, as in Matthew 26:19, where it is reported they "did just what Jesus had directed them" in preparing the Passover Seder (meal).  But not that many verses later, when He asked them to pray with Him, they were dropping like flies, going to sleep when they were needed the most.  I think prayer is much harder than outward obedience.  Our real "rubber meets the road" prayer is in the "closet" where we get no credit from other people.  Prayer is just me and God, God and me, and my faith in Him is tested as to MY reality (or lack of reality), in that very closet.  Are you at a place in your life (Matthew 26:38), where Jesus is quietly calling to you, "Come and watch with Me?"   To receive such a call is a great privilege, though nobody knows about it except Him (and you).  Let us pray we can be awake when He calls.

Verse 24.  "and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’"

It is interesting to observe, as J. Vernon Mc Gee did, that NOWHERE is it commanded in Scripture that we observe the birth of our Lord.  Yet we do it every year, with great vigor and with an enthusiastic emptying of our bank accounts!  Yet we are commanded to observe the day of His death, and to do it often.  It’s wonderful that He was born into the human race for us.  Yet, if that was all that was done, it would have no benefit for us.  It is terrific that He was such a great Teacher and has taught us so much --- The Bible has literally changed my life.  But all of it only has meaning for me (for each of us) in that He DIED for our sins.  We’re going to see this with great clarity in 1st Corinthians 15.  But for now, see it in Communion.  See with your heart and with responsive love, that Jesus died for you; look at His love, especially for you --- He died that YOU might LIVE in Him.

Verse 25.  "In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’"

Jesus shed His blood for us.  He didn’t need to do that --- Not for any other reason than His love.  I have always been mixed up about love.  I love you but I hope the attention you need won’t interfere with my football game (or whatever it is that I might be interested in at the time).  Jesus’ love is so pure that I have to look away in shame.  We take Communion on the first of each month.  Before the service, I not only break the Matzo crackers for the service, but I also place the fruit of the vine into the little cups, one cup at a time.  It gives me extra time, to not only pray for the recipients, but also to ponder the meaning of all this.  (I think He gave me this assignment because I need it more than most other people.

I think of all the reminding we need ("Do this OFTEN in remembrance of Me") --- it’s sad that so much of our focus is on ourselves, our needs, our problems, our hopes, etc., that so little of our attention is on the needs of others.  So little of our attention is on Him.  Right now, just THANK Him for giving His all for you --- There’s a whole lot in life to regret, but you’ll never regret Him --- for He loves you so much.

Verse 26.  "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes."

To publicly act out our relationship in Christ is to manifest faith in Him, that He WILL return and claim us for His own.  Aristides was an outsider (non-Christian), an Athenian philosopher who lived in the early part of the second century and wrote his observations about Christians:  "Every morning and all hours and on the account of the goodness of God towards them, they praise and laud Him, and if any righteous person of their number passes away from the world, they rejoice and give thanks to God.  If a child chance to die in its infancy they praise God mightily, as for one who has passed through this world without sin."  Oh that we might have even a portion of the faith of those people.  That even outsiders would praise our faith in God.  Let us PROCLAIM the death of our Lord, in words but also in our actions.  He Died for US; He died for you and for me.  Let us proclaim Him.

Verse 27.  "Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord."

I think the key to experiencing Communion in an "unworthy manner" is found in the word "hypocrite" (to pretend we are something we are not).  To wear an emotional mask that makes us SEEM to be something we really are not at all.  When we take our Communion, we state with actions that we are a part of Him and even more, that He is a part of us.  When we bring the bread to our lips, we act out, in parable form, the receiving of Him into our hearts and lives.  When we drink the fruit of the vine, we also demonstrate the act of receiving Him, and even more, we accept the criminal’s death He experienced.  We demonstrate our price is PAID in the sight of our High and Holy God.  That’s pretty heavy stuff, because we might fool someone outside, even fool ourselves --- But just like Jesus was not fooled by Judas Iscariot (Matthew 26:25 and context); you and I don’t fool Him either.

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

I like II Corinthians 13:5, and I have been reading it for years.  I have come to the certain conclusion that there is NOTHING inside of me or out, that qualifies me for salvation in Christ Jesus.  I am deserving of the criminal’s death He died for me.  My unworthiness is even more clear as I perceive the wonder that He DOES receive me, even me, because of His Cross.  Above my head is the sign "Guilty as charged."  Across those truthful words is another saying, written in His Blood: "PAID IN FULL."  THAT is the only ground of our salvation in Him.   When I look at my life (I cannot speak personally for you), look at my actions and my heart, I recognize, realize with great understanding that I am completely unworthy of Him.  Yet He died for you and for me, and as we receive Him, we are made WORTHY, because He was broken for us, because He shed His Blood, for you and even for me.

THAT is what we must see when we "examine" ourselves, that we are bought and paid for; no longer our own.  Our conversation, our thoughts, our time, money, our very lives --- none of this is "mine" (ours) anymore, for we belong to Him.   We belong to the Lord.

Verse 29.  "For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body."

This "judgment" is of both a merciful and a disciplinary character.  The bread and the wine are just common foodstuffs, and that’s just the point --- Jesus came into our world, into our very lives, and identified Himself totally with us.  He became our representative, our substitute.  In our day, the Cross may best be compared with the electric chair.  To sit in such a device is to have the whole world see that we have failed, been branded a criminal, and are dying a shameful death.   Jesus’ body was WRECKED for us.  Even more than the physical was our Spiritual death He experienced as He bore our sins.  Can you imagine what it was like for "Him who knew no sin" to personally bear what we have done.  We live in a culture in which innocence is frowned upon.  Yet to be pure like an innocent baby should be our highest goal.  Jesus was not a baby; He was a MAN, in every sense of the word.  He also had a greater innocence than any child could ever have.  Yet He took our guilt upon Him, and for our sins He died.  To see Him in this manner is to discern something of what He has done for us.

Verse 30.  "For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep."

For a long time in the 20th century, we have begun to understand the relationship between emotions and physical health.  If we constantly live with stress, we are going to get sick.  There are other obvious causes of illness, but stress, anxiety, and worry are killers.  To be hypocritical in the Presence of our Lord is not only useless (He knows everything about us), it is also dangerous.  Underneath our masks, which often are designed to fool ourselves, we really KNOW what we are.  That’s the stress --- to know the truth and yet keep on denying it.  To KNOW our need of Him, and yet to actually continue trying to solve our problems --- we often pretend to be religious and yet WE are too often the "gods" of our own lives.  We need Him and yet we try to do it ourselves.  "For that reason, may are weak and sick among you, and many sleep."

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

Judgment starts with ourselves.  Most of the time we are busy judging others and simply don’t have the time (or the interest) to judge ourselves.  We FOOL ourselves to the extent that we often aren’t consciously aware of our sins.  For that reason, it is important to often take the time to just come before Him and listen.   To be open to Him.  NOT to just be open to supernatural forces, for that is dangerous, but to come to HIM.

We come to You, Father; We come to You, Lord Jesus.  Now, if we are IN Him, and He in us, that means His Holy Spirit lives within us.  It is certainly evident that everything God does is for a purpose.  The Holy Spirit of God is within us for a specific and Holy reason.  He is there to convict us of sin, to generate holiness and the desire for holiness within.  He is there to bring us to Jesus.  He is there imparting information and understanding, that each of us might learn to "judge ourselves" so we will not be judged.  How do you learn to "judge" yourself?  Go to Him, for His job is partly to convict you of your sin.   Don’t be afraid, remember the J’s: through the Judgment there is Joy and it all comes through Jesus - He WILL forgive you of your sins and bring you into all righteousness (1 John 1:9 & context).

Verse 32.  But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world."

Yesterday evening, someone came to me and confessed a sin (as it says in James, to confess our sins, one to another).  This person had confessed it to the Lord and now realized this was a lifelong sin in their attitude (which expressed itself in outward behavior) that God would deal with in their lives.  This person had begun to associate difficulties in their life with this unconfessed sin.

This is precisely the point of 1 John 1:9.  We come to Him and there is no end to the confession that is possible, for we are merely human beings, sinners right from the start, all of our lives.  The very point of the Cross is that we can be FORGIVEN in Him.

I think "chastened by the Lord" is provocative here.  A lot of people think that we should not have any trouble in our lives if we are truly in Christ.  If "chastened" does not mean job loss, loss of loved ones, sickness, loss of our money, and so on, what does it mean?  The chastening in my life has brought me to Him, again and again.  It has always fascinated me that trouble brings us closer to God.  Who wants trouble?  We don’t even LIKE it, but because He is a part of our lives, we tend to come through trouble closer to Him than before.  We are strong, rebellious sinners, and like the mule, it often takes a 2 by 4 over the head to get our attention.  Honestly turn to Him in your trouble and He WILL be there for you.

Verse 33.  "Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another."

"Discerning the Lord’s Body" in verse 29, includes discovering an awareness of the need of the person next to me.  In other words, the Lord’s Body includes YOU (and them).  Paul is here telling us to let ourselves become AWARE of other people.  This takes lots of forms.  There may be a person near you who is more broke than you are.  The children in the house next door (where they argue so much) might be hungry.  Someone you encounter regularly might be afraid and unable to conquer that fear. There are lots of people around us who are hurting.  We ARE the body of Christ, manifested in this world.  How do we "wait" for one another?  As we see a need, let us prayerfully FILL that need.  As we consider our brother and our sister, let us specifically PRAY for them (and DO for them).  Let yourself begin to really CARE - Wait for one another, in the power and the love of the Lord.

Verse 34.  "But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come."

If we just keep what we have and don’t share with others, we’re eventually going to have trouble.  I am still amazed at the years that we did not tithe.   We never had enough.  I discovered Haggai 1:6 at that time, where the Lord says (my paraphrase), "Hey, guys, have you noticed that you work REALLY HARD, and yet nothing really comes of it?  (I was working 60-hours and more a week - my kids never saw me).  Have you seen that you have plenty of consumer goods, & yet you’re not really satisfied?  You buy clothes, and houses, and cars, and it’s never enough?  It’s just like you put your money into a wallet with a hole in the bottom, or into a bank account with an account number that really belongs to someone else!   The money just flows through and is gone!"  That’s the way it was for us for over 20-years.

Now I believe that tithing, like every other spiritual/religious activity, should be led of the Lord.  I am convinced that the Holy Spirit within us will indeed DIRECT us in how much to give, and who to give it to.  No formula; just be open to Him.   During those years, it was on my heart to give, and specifically it was on my heart to give Him the "first fruits" of all we got.  To give to Him BEFORE we paid our bills, BEFORE we bought our food, BEFORE we put gas in the car.  Because we had so little, we were afraid.  We did not give, and we had less-and-less, until we had nothing at all.  In the divorce, which was partly caused by financial problems, we somehow spent literally thousands of dollars on attorney fees, which naturally made things far worse than ever.

After the divorce, it did not matter anymore.  We were so far gone financially that it seemed to me, why not?  And I began to tithe.  I began to give, and the Lord blessed in response.  I have never had a lot, but I have recently had enough, and I feel --- Satisfied.  And of course, the Lord will come to us and set all things in order.  Let the other person have their rights.  Let the Lord have His portion.  When He comes again, He WILL give you far more than you can ever give Him, and I can personally testify that it starts right now --- He WILL give you all you need, and you will be satisfied.

Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
http://www.fridaystudy.org
Ron@fridaystudy.org