What does Paul mean in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 on communion?

Answer 1

17Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. 18For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. 19For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. 20When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. 21For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. 22What? 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. Paul here was 'not impressed' with the irreverent and divisive attitudes which were being shown by the Corinthians in the observance of the Lord's Supper. Evidently there was a degree of self-indulgence as well relating to the common meal which they also used to share at the same time. His rebuke was intended of course to bring them back into line and behave as true Christians should. Although his concern was about the behavior of the Corinthians, the concern he has relates to the importance he places on this central celebration which is a solemn remembrance of what Jesus did in laying down His life. If this was just a church fete he would not have had such a concern. The high degree of concern he demonstrates here indicates the high esteem of importance he places on the Lord's Supper and the consequent seriousness of the behavior of the Corinthian believers. The behavior of the Corinthians is held up against the light of truth which they were supposedly celebrating. The dis-unity they demonstrated was contrary to the unity which was meant to be evidenced around this meal - commemorating around one of the events most central to the Christian faith. The evident lack of appropriate solemnity indicative of a lack of awareness of what they were remembering. Thus it is in the light of the great reverence and high regard Paul has for this celebration that he finds such a stark and unacceptable contrast with the behavior of the Corinthians.

Answer 2

In 1 Corinthians11:23-25 Paul spoke of a tradition he had 'received' and passed onto the Corinthians at some earlier time. It reads: 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: 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. 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.

Whether or not this was entirely original, Burton L Mack (Who Wrote the New Testament) says that this closely parallels the ritual libations usually given at some Greek associations. It should be noted that the image is one of a full meal, not a wafer or token sip of wine.

In verse 20, Paul says, "When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper." His point is that the gathering should be for worship, not merely to partake of a lavish feast. In this passage, Paul was criticising those who ate hungrily as if they had no home in which to eat, and who drank wine until drunk. Verse 11:29: "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."

Answer 3

A:This is a very sexist passage, presumably appropriate for Jewish thought of the time, but perhaps not for the present day. In pagan Greek society, women were treated much more equally than in Jewish society, which seems to have concerned Paul. The passage says that a man, when praying, should never cover his head as he is in the image of God. On the other hand, a woman should cover hers when praying, so as not to cause shame. Paul advocates forcibly shaving off all the hair of any woman who prays with her head uncovered. It is not entirely certain whether this was actually written by Paul or is an interpolation

Answer:

1 Corinthians 11:4-9New King James Version (NKJV)

4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. 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. 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. 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. 8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man.9 Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man.

Many have misinterpreted Paul's meaning in this passage. Consider that Paul was not referring 'to putting or not putting' a cover over a woman's head when praying, as the audience in those days would have already understood that custom. Seemingly, Paul was referring to something else mentioned in previous Scriptures.

Starting at verse 5 forward, by using the words "shaven" and "shorn" indicates that this 'covering' is a woman's own hair. As we continue reading through verse 16, we see that it is God's expectation that men have short hair and women have long hair. Verse 15 also explains that long hair is this covering and a glory for women. For men, not being covered means having short hair.

Whenever you try to understand a verse or passage of Scripture, it is always wise to read a passage or two before and after the one being scrutinized. This usually gives the reader the fuller context and allows for the correct interpretation of the message.