When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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1 Corinthians 11:20
What does 1 Corinthians 11:20 mean?
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1 Corinthians 11:20
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What's so striking here is Paul doesn't say they are failing to eat the Lord's Supper, but that what they are doing isn't it at all. This implies their behavior had so corrupted the sacred meal that it had ceased to be what it was meant to be. It wasn't just a flawed observance; it was something fundamentally different, missing the very essence of communal worship and remembrance.
When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is addressing divisions and disorder within the Corinthian church, specifically concerning how they conduct their communal meals and the Lord's Supper. He's just discussed head coverings and is now moving to the improper way some are celebrating the Lord's Supper, where social status and gluttony are overshadowing the sacred act of remembering Christ's sacrifice. This verse highlights the stark contrast between their gatherings and the true meaning of communion, setting up his correction and instruction on how to properly partake.
Paul calls out a disconnect between the Corinthians' gatherings and what the Lord's Supper is meant to be. What's the difference between just eating and truly participating in this sacred meal?
A Meal vs. A Memorial
Paul is direct here: the Corinthians weren't actually celebrating the Lord's Supper when they gathered. They were treating it like any ordinary meal, perhaps even a potluck where social status and personal satisfaction took priority.
Why would Paul say they aren't eating the Lord's Supper? It points to a deeper issue: the divisions within the Corinthian church that were corrupting their worship.
Unity Undermined
The Corinthian believers were gathering, but instead of unity, they were showing up with cliques and social hierarchies. Some were eating and drinking to excess, while others were left with nothing. This behavior was the opposite of what the Lord's Supper symbolizes.
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Understand the original words
kyriakon deipnon · Greek Noun Phrase
The ordinance instituted by Christ during his final meal with his disciples, representing His body and blood given for the atonement of sins, serving as a sign of the new covenant.
The Corinthians were mixing their communal meals with the sacred Lord's Supper, blurring the lines between a sacred remembrance of Christ's sacrifice and a regular social gathering, likely influenced by surrounding pagan practices.
c. AD 50-52
Paul Founds Church in Corinth
The Apostle Paul spent about 18 months in Corinth, establishing a vibrant but often chaotic church community.
c. AD 53-55— this verse
Paul Writes 1 Corinthians
From Ephesus, Paul addresses issues within the Corinthian church, including divisions and misunderstandings about worship practices like the Lord's Supper.
Early 1st century AD
Roman Influence in Corinth
Corinth was a major Roman port city, a melting pot of cultures and philosophies, which influenced the church's unique challenges.
Early 1st century AD
Pagan Communal Meals
Pagan religious cults often held communal meals that involved feasting and sometimes revelry, practices that could have seeped into Christian gatherings.
Paul previously connected partaking in the Lord's Supper with communion with Christ's body and blood, highlighting its sacred nature which contrasts with the Corinthians' behavior.
1 Corinthians 11:22This verse directly follows the passage and further explains their disorder, questioning if they have 'no houses to eat and drink in' or if they are despising the church of God, emphasizing their disrespectful actions.
1 Corinthians 11:27-29Paul details the severe spiritual consequences of partaking in the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner, which is precisely what the Corinthians were doing through their divisions and gluttony.
Galatians 5:13-15This passage speaks to the danger of 'biting and devouring one another,' a spirit of conflict and self-interest that Paul sees at play in the Corinthians' gatherings, undermining the unity the Supper is meant to signify.
What's so striking here is Paul doesn't say they are failing to eat the Lord's Supper, but that what they are doing isn't it at all. This implies their behavior had so corrupted the sacred meal that it had ceased to be what it was meant to be. It wasn't just a flawed observance; it was something fundamentally different, missing the very essence of communal worship and remembrance.
Paul is addressing divisions and disorder within the Corinthian church, specifically concerning how they conduct their communal meals and the Lord's Supper. He's just discussed head coverings and is now moving to the improper way some are celebrating the Lord's Supper, where social status and gluttony are overshadowing the sacred act of remembering Christ's sacrifice. This verse highlights the stark contrast between their gatherings and the true meaning of communion, setting up his correction and instruction on how to properly partake.
Paul is addressing divisions and disorder within the Corinthian church, specifically concerning how they conduct their communal meals and the Lord's Supper. He's just discussed head coverings and is now moving to the improper way some are celebrating the Lord's Supper, where social status and gluttony are overshadowing the sacred act of remembering Christ's sacrifice. This verse highlights the stark contrast between their gatherings and the true meaning of communion, setting up his correction and instruction on how to properly partake.
"When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat." — What's so striking here is Paul doesn't say they are failing to eat the Lord's Supper, but that what they are doing isn't it at all. This implies their behavior had so corrupted the sacred meal…
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Last reviewed October 2026