Making Sense of 1st Corinthians CH10
In chapter 9, Paul used a sports analogy to drive home the idea of self-discipline in how we live our Christian faith. The point is that although we all received our faith by grace, it’s a free gift, but if we are not faithful in how we live, we will be disqualified for the prize. Complacency could cause us to forfeit the heavenly prize—the benefit of the gift. That should get our attention.
Starting in chapter 10, he uses powerful imagery from the Old Testament to help us understand the difference between what we all receive from God by grace, and what can happen to us if we reject God’s gifts and persist in being unfaithful.
So, Paul is going to pick some stories from the days of Moses to set up his teaching on Holy Communion. He’s going to point out that even though ALL the people of God were offered grace and salvation objectively, many of them refused to receive it subjectively.
Chapter ten:
“For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.” 1 Corinthians 10:1-5
All the people of God were brought out of Egypt, “baptized into Moses” by passing through the Red Sea. They all saw the shekinah glory cloud by day and fire by night. The word “all” occurs five times in this passage. They all received the benefits objectively. They all ate the manna, the bread from heaven—they all drank the water from the rock. Just in case they didn’t understand that he was talking about Communion with the eating and drinking, he makes it clear: the rock was Christ.
They all were baptized, they all followed the glory cloud, they all ate the bread and drank the water. Objectively. It happened to all of them.
“Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.” 1 Corinthians 10:5
They did not receive the gifts subjectively. By faith. They were not faithful and as a result, they died. Paul is using this to point to the salvation Christians receive at baptism and being sealed and filled with the Holy Spirit—the grace we receive through Word and Sacrament. All Christians are in the church—the body of Christ—but not all who have faith are faithful. This is a problem.
Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. 1 Corinthians 10:6-10
Even though a few million people were saved from Egypt, only two of those adults were allowed to enter the promised land. Everyone else died in the wilderness. Paul says these Old Testament people tested Christ. He says this was written as a warning to the church.
Red Sea baptism into Moses and eating and drinking in the wilderness are types—shadows of the great sacraments of the New Testament era. They show us that God uses things in His creation as means of His salvation. Stuff. Objects. He uses the water of baptism, and the bread and wine of Communion to objectively apply the grace, forgiveness, and salvation of Christ to us. It’s tangible in time and space. But for the true spiritual benefit, it has to be received subjectively by faith and followed with faithfulness.
“And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the angel of death.” 1 Corinthians 10:10
God has no use for complainers and unthankful whiners. The only solution to discontentment is to be thankful—that might be the most important lesson we can ever learn.
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:11-13
The kingdom that Jesus brought, the Gospel, is the culmination of the ages. We hear echoes of
Proverbs 16:18: “Pride comes before destruction and a haughty spirit before the fall.”
He encourages us with the promise that any temptation we face is the same temptation anyone else faces—the same temptation Jesus faced, even. It is possible to resist and flee from temptation but even when we don’t, here’s the good news: He will also provide a way out so you can endure it. Jesus is that way out. Whether you give in to the temptation or not. He is your salvation and hope. God will always be faithful.
Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. (He’s about to wrap up his argument about eating meat that was sacrificed to idols, that we talked about a few weeks ago. The reason God lost His patience with the children of Israel in all those Moses stories was because they turned to false gods. The golden calf. Wanting to go back to Egypt. Having orgies. Grumbling. Unfaithful. He’s going to turn to the bread and wine of Communion to make his point.) I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 1 Corinthians 10:14-16
The “cup of blessing” is the cup of wine that came after eating the Passover lamb—the one Jesus held up and said, “this is my blood.” So, when we drink the wine and eat the bread, we are participating in the body and blood of Jesus—everything His sacrifice on the cross accomplished. Participating in forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf. 1 Corinthians 10:17 (The wheat that made the bread at one time was scattered all over before it was brought together to make that one loaf. A pretty cool picture of the church.)
Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 1 Corinthians 10:18
Worship in the Old Testament wasn’t just priests making sacrifices, it was also a big family meal at the Temple. To partake in it was to participate in the altar. It was eating and drinking with each other and with God—a foretaste of Holy Communion. Now he gets back to the meat sacrificed to idols thing...
Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he? 1 Corinthians 10:19-22
There were apparently some people in the church of Corinth who didn’t think it was a big deal to go hang out at the pagan temples and grab some lunch. They were enlightened. They knew that all the Greek and Roman gods weren’t really gods, so what did it matter? Paul says, true, they’re not really gods but they are demons. Have you not been paying attention? God is definitely not cool with that kind of thing.
Verse 23, he repeats what he said before:
“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. 1 Corinthians 10:23-24
We’re Christians. We have freedoms and rights but we don’t use those things for ourselves first. We’re not supposed to anyway. Now he’s going to get very practical...
Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”
If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? 1 Corinthians 10:25-30
In other words, stay out of the temples. Don’t eat at the altar of demons. But when you go to the grocery store, you don’t have to worry about whether it’s from a kosher butcher or not. This was a massive departure from the way the Jews thought about meat—they were very uptight and concerned about where it came from. Christians don’t have to worry about that. Dietary laws are not part of the church.
But if you’re a guest at someone’s house and they say, “Hey, just so you know, because I know you’re a Christian, I got this rump roast from the Temple of Athena. It was on sale.” Now, in order to honor the Lord and not confuse the weaker brother—now you have to go vegan for the night—so they don’t get confused about the Gospel.
I love Paul’s use of Psalm 24,
“the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it”
a song about worshiping God at the Temple and not worshiping false gods. It was part of a typical mealtime prayer, followed by
Proverbs 16:4, “the Lord has made everything for its purpose.”
Christians are to receive any food that’s set before us with thanksgiving, the food is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer—as it says in 1st Timothy 4:3-5. Saying grace before meals is an acknowledgment that our food isn’t something we offer to God but gifts from His hand. Don’t skip the mealtime prayers. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. He has made everything for its purpose. Thank You God. Let’s eat!”
But this idea of giving thanks and showing concern for other people doesn’t only apply to food, verse 31...
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 (Try to not cause people to stumble. What people? Jews and Greeks—unbelievers. Don’t cause unbelievers to reject Jesus. Also, the church of God—don’t cause fellow Christians to sin. How can we do that?...)
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:1–11:1
That’s the central theme of the whole book. Living out the Gospel means living for other people, not ourselves. Laying down our life and preferences for others. Everyone who follows Jesus follows Him to a cross.
Now we’re going to skip the first 16 verses of chapter 11. I covered them last week. I was really excited about preaching that sermon on July 4th because it dealt with things our country is very confused about. If you missed it, you can find it at NewChurch.Love under the media tab.
The rest of chapter eleven continues talking about Communion. They were missing the whole point.
Verse 17:
In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. (A little sarcastic snark from the apostle—as if they were supposed to show which of them God loved more.) So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter! 1 Corinthians 11:17-22
They got together on Sunday at one of the wealthier member’s houses. They had a potluck meal with lots of wine—they called these the Agape Feasts. Love Feasts. The rich members would eat in the dining room, the poor members would serve them—if there was any food leftover, the day workers and servants would eat the scraps outside in the courtyard. It seems most of the good food and wine was gobbled up by the wealthy members. The poor left hungry and the rich stumbled home drunk. Thank you for joining us for worship at the church of Corinth—we’ll see you next Sunday. Steak in the dining room, hotdogs on the patio.
This was a common way the Roman elite had dinner parties. Paul was not amused. This was the beginning of separating the Lord’s Supper from the church potluck. The Corinthians were destroying the holy character of the Lord’s Supper by their selfishness and individualism. It wasn’t “the Lords’ Supper” it was “their own supper.”
Now we come to Paul’s version of the Words of Institution.
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 1 Corinthians 11:23-25
Paul says he received these instructions from the Lord—not indirectly from the other apostles’ but that Jesus personally gave them to him. Then when Paul compared notes with Peter and James in Jerusalem, they were astounded that everything lined up with what they knew. Not just about the Lord’s Supper but about all the aspects of Christian faith.
When it says “on the night he was betrayed,” a better translation might be “on the night he was handed over.” Because like it says in Romans and Isaiah, God is the One who ultimately handed Jesus over to be crucified.
Jesus said “this is my body,” “this is my blood.” Is means is. It’s not just a symbol, it doesn’t just represent His body and blood. The God who created the world by speaking it into existence also speaks this into existence. The bread is no longer simply bread, the wine is no longer simply wine. It’s not a philosophical transubstantiation or consubstantiation. It is what it is. When we eat the bread, we receive the body of Christ which was broken for us. When we receive the wine, we receive the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins—the new covenant of His blood.
Also, this word “remembrance” is important. In the Bible, to “remember” something is not just to think about it—it’s also to do it, to make it happen. So in Communion two things are happening: God is remembering His promise to us and applying the benefits of the body and blood of Jesus, and we are remembering the Gospel and receiving it by faith.
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:26
This is a highly visible and tangible form of the Gospel. Believers actually get the benefits of Christ’s vicarious suffering death by eating and drinking. We participate in His body and blood for our salvation. There is more going on than just an imaginative memorial.
Now we get to the part that’s like the warnings from the Moses stories. Not everyone who eats and drinks the Lord’s Supper will have the same results. This is scary stuff, verse 33...
So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 1 Corinthians 11:27-31
What does it mean to eat and drink in an unworthy manner? What does it mean to examine ourselves? What does it mean to eat and drink judgment on ourselves?
Many of the Corinthians were sinning against faith and against love. They were failing to discern that in the Sacrament they were receiving the body and blood of Christ. They were sinning against love by being greedy and selfish in the meal.
But to be unworthy means to come to the meal without faith in Christ. He’s the one who makes us worthy—none of us are worthy on our own.
This has a powerful implication. The unworthy eater, who eats the bread and drinks the wine without believing they are actually the body and blood of Jesus—that doesn’t change the fact that they are still eating and drinking the body and blood of Jesus. But instead of receiving God’s blessing and forgiveness, they receive God’s judgment. Body and blood are still there, just not the benefit.
Paul says that’s why many among them were weak and sick, and a number of them have died. Serious business. That’s why some pastors guard the rail and try to protect unbelievers from judgment. It doesn’t say for the pastor to examine the people, though. It says for the people to examine themselves. That’s why at NewChurch, we have that warning paragraph before Communion. That’s why we proclaim the Gospel and confess our sins. We are only worthy because of Jesus.
Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world. Christians have nothing to fear from the Lord’s Table, even if we are disciplined—we will not be condemned with the world.
So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.
And when I come I will give further directions. 1 Corinthians 11:32-34
I kind of wish we had a copy of those further directions.
Let’s pray: Forgive us Lord for the dullness and apathy that sometimes overcomes us as You draw us to Your Table. Remind us of the blessings of forgiveness and salvation You provide for us there. Remind us of Your love in Christ, and encourage us to receive the forgiveness brought to us in Your Sacrament. Unite us in love and fellowship with those You have redeemed who join us at Your Table. Amen.