1 Corinthians 11:20-22
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It’s easy to think this verse is just about a specific meal, but Paul is hitting at something much deeper: the way they're gathering is so messed up, it’s actually undoing the very purpose of Jesus' supper. They’re not treating each other with the unity and respect that the Lord’s Supper is meant to symbolize, effectively turning a sacred act into a common, even divisive, event.
When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is addressing serious issues of disorder and division within the Corinthian church during their gatherings. Specifically, he's rebuking them because their communal meals, meant to symbolize unity in Christ and a remembrance of His sacrifice, have devolved into selfish feasting and drunkenness, completely missing the point of the Lord's Supper. This verse directly follows his instructions on proper head coverings and precedes his detailed correction of their abuses of the communion meal.
Imagine gathering for a special meal, only for it to fall apart because people are fighting. That's what was happening in Corinth. Paul reminds them that the Lord's Supper isn't just a meal; it's a sacred act of unity.
The Meaning of the Lord's Supper
The Lord's Supper (also called Communion or the Eucharist) is a central act of Christian worship, instituted by Jesus Himself at His last meal with His disciples (Luke 22:19-20). It's a time to remember Jesus' sacrifice for our sins and to celebrate our new life in Him.
The Corinthian Problem
In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul is addressing serious issues within the Corinthian church. When they gathered to share the Lord's Supper, instead of fellowship and remembrance, there were divisions, favoritism, and even drunkenness. They were turning a holy meal into a common feast where some were hungry and others were indulging excessively.
A Call to Unity
Paul's point is that you cannot truly partake in the Lord's Supper if the community is broken. The meal is meant to signify their oneness in Christ. When they acted in ways that divided them, they were not participating in the Lord's Supper in its intended, spiritual sense.
Paul uses a powerful phrase: 'discerning the Lord's body.' What does it mean to 'discern' in this context, and why is it so crucial for participating in the Lord's Supper?
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More Than Bread and Wine
When Paul says they were not discerning the Lord's body, he's speaking on two levels:
The Literal Body: They weren't properly recognizing that the bread and the cup represent Jesus' physical body and blood, given for them. It was a sacred memorial, not just food and drink.
The Spiritual Body: This is the deeper meaning. The 'Lord's body' also refers to the Church itself – the body of Christ on earth. When they were treating each other with disrespect, favoritism, and causing division, they were failing to recognize and honor the presence of Christ in His people.
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.
ekklēsia · Greek Noun
The assembly of believers, the body of Christ, or a specific local gathering of Christians; it refers to the people of God called out for His purpose.
kataischynete · Greek Verb
A state of being dishonored, shamed, or treated with contempt; often used in Scripture to describe the degradation of the poor or the violation of social/spiritual obligations.
The early church's communal meals, including the Lord's Supper, were often intertwined with a shared meal (agape feast). In Corinth, social and economic disparities led to divisions even during these sacred gatherings, prompting Paul to correct their practice.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus institutes the Lord's Supper
During His last Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus commands them to repeatedly partake in bread and wine in remembrance of Him and His sacrifice.
c. AD 40s-50s
Paul's ministry in Corinth
The Apostle Paul spends significant time in Corinth, establishing a church and teaching its members. He later writes letters to address their ongoing issues.
c. AD 55— this verse
Paul writes 1 Corinthians
Paul pens this letter from Ephesus to the church in Corinth, responding to reports of divisions, immorality, and doctrinal confusion within the community.
c. AD 55
Disorder in Corinthian worship gatherings
Reports reach Paul about serious issues in the Corinthian church's communal gatherings, including the Lord's Supper, where social divisions and disrespect are rampant.
Paul immediately connects the Lord's Supper to sharing in Christ's body and blood, highlighting its sacred communal nature that was being profaned.
1 Corinthians 11:22This verse directly addresses the Corinthians' shame and lack of regard for God's church, explaining the consequence of their selfish behavior during the Lord's Supper.
1 Corinthians 11:27-29Paul warns that coming to the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner, without discerning the body of Christ (both His literal body and the church), brings judgment.
Exodus 12:14This Old Testament passage establishes the Passover as a memorial feast, setting a precedent for sacred, remembrance-focused meals that are meant to be taken seriously.
It’s easy to think this verse is just about a specific meal, but Paul is hitting at something much deeper: the way they're gathering is so messed up, it’s actually undoing the very purpose of Jesus' supper. They’re not treating each other with the unity and respect that the Lord’s Supper is meant to symbolize, effectively turning a sacred act into a common, even divisive, event.
Paul is addressing serious issues of disorder and division within the Corinthian church during their gatherings. Specifically, he's rebuking them because their communal meals, meant to symbolize unity in Christ and a remembrance of His sacrifice, have devolved into selfish feasting and drunkenness, completely missing the point of the Lord's Supper. This verse directly follows his instructions on proper head coverings and precedes his detailed correction of their abuses of the communion meal.
Paul is addressing serious issues of disorder and division within the Corinthian church during their gatherings. Specifically, he's rebuking them because their communal meals, meant to symbolize unity in Christ and a remembrance of His sacrifice, have devolved into selfish feasting and drunkenness, completely missing the point of the Lord's Supper. This verse directly follows his instructions on proper head coverings and precedes his detailed correction of their abuses of the communion meal.
"When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of…" — It’s easy to think this verse is just about a specific meal, but Paul is hitting at something much deeper: the way they're gathering is so messed up, it’s actually undoing the very purpose of Jes…
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Last reviewed October 2026
