On the Mystery of the Body and Blood of the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:23–32)

The Apostle speaks of this because the love feast was established in connection with this sacrament, and therefore improper behavior at this feast revealed a lack of reverence for the sacrament. By awakening in their consciousness how exalted this sacrament is and with what strict preparation one must approach it, he thereby hopes to put an end to the disorders that have arisen. For if reverence for the sacrament had not first grown cold in the guilty ones, they would not have been able to permit such improprieties at the feast. Saint Chrysostom speaks of this thus: “Why does he mention these mysteries here? — Because this was very necessary for the present matter. Your Lord, he says, has deemed all worthy of one and the same table, and moreover the most awesome and surpassing the dignity of all; and yet you consider others unworthy of your table, trivial and insignificant, and while they receive nothing from you of spiritual blessings, you deprive them even of physical ones, though these are not yours. However, he does not say this (openly), that his words not be too heavy, but employs gentler language (allowing them to understand for themselves where his meaning tends).”

The Apostle speaks here—aa) of the institution of the sacrament of the Body and Blood of the Lord (1 Cor. 11:23–26), and bb) of worthy approach to it (1 Cor. 11:27–32).

1 Cor. 11:23. For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed…

“I received from the Lord”, “that is, I was taught by the Lord” (Oecumenius). Saint Paul was taught everything directly by the Lord himself. Not only the mysteries of faith did the Lord present to him personally, but also the manner of performing all the sacraments of grace. “What I also passed on to you.” As he received from the Lord, so he handed on to you. Saint Chrysostom says concerning this: “The Apostle says this in order that you might understand that that supper contained nothing greater in comparison with the subsequent ones. For even now the same Lord performs and gives everything, just as he did then.”

“On the night he was betrayed.” “Why does he remind us of this time, of this supper and of the betrayal? — Not simply and not without reason, but in order to move us the more mightily by this very time. For everyone, even if he were as hard as stone, representing to himself how in this night the Lord was grieved with the disciples, how he was betrayed, bound, led forth and condemned, how he endured all the rest, will become softer than wax, will be freed from earthly things and all this world’s vanity. For this reason the Apostle reminds us of all this; he shames us both by the time, the supper, and the betrayal, and says: Your Lord gave up himself for you, and you are not willing even to share bread with a brother for your very own sake? — And he reminds us of this night not only for this purpose, but to move us in another way as well. As it is generally the case that we more remember the last words which we hear from the dying, and to their heirs, when they dare to violate their testaments, we say in rebuke: remember, these were the last words of your father, which he commanded before his death itself; so also Paul, wishing thus to strengthen his discourse, says: remember, this was the last mystery which he gave you, which he commanded in the night in which he was preparing to die for us, and having presented us with this supper, he did not present any other after it.”

1 Cor. 11:24. 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.

Having taken bread in his most pure hands, “he gave thanks and broke it.” The word of thanksgiving from the Lord was not an Old Testament one concerning the deliverance from Egypt and other benefits of God, but concerning the foundations of the new covenant, similar to his high priestly prayer at the end of that same supper, concerning the completion of the work which had been given to him; with the thanksgiving was joined a blessing, as the evangelists Matthew and Mark relate, directed upon the bread and wine set before him, a blessing that works the sacrament. By virtue of the thanksgiving and blessing, bread became Body and wine became Blood; therefore after breaking the bread, the Lord said: Take, eat, “this is my body.” He took bread, and after the thanksgiving and blessing, he gave to the disciples no longer bread, but the Body: for it had been transubstantiated by the blessing. This is my body “which is for you,” not “which will be” for you, but “which is,” indicating thereby the continuous breaking and perpetual nature of the sacrifice of the Body. — It is a sacrifice for all mankind; but its saving power and intercessory strength overshadows only those who by faith have been united to Christ the Lord and partake of it; therefore “for you and broken. Do this in remembrance of me.” Saint Chrysostom has already said: what was then accomplished at the supper is accomplished now at the suppers of the Lord. Then there was nothing superior to the present mystical suppers, and in the present mystical suppers nothing is lacking in comparison to that one. For the Performer of the Mysteries is the same Lord who then instituted this sacrament. From that moment this mystical commemoration of the Lord continues in the Church amid all believers everywhere, and it is not merely mental, but a reenactment of the deed in its very substance.

1 Cor. 11:25. 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.

“In the same way and with the cup,” that is, he does not repeat the act of thanksgiving and the blessing that effects the sacrament, but rather gives what is already Blood, saying: “This cup is the new covenant” in my blood. The Apostle does not record the words: “Drink of it,” for this was understood of itself, but only reminds us of the words that express the mystical power of the blood: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” Moses, having read the law aloud to all the Israelites, sprinkled them with the blood of the sacrifice, and said: “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you” (Ex. 24:8). The meaning of the Old Testament sprinkling was: if you do not keep the law, you shall pay with your own blood for its violation. The meaning of the cup of the new covenant is: though it should come to pass that I shed all my blood, I will not depart from you and your commandments, O Lord. As the Lord for our sake shed his blood, so we must be ready to shed ours for him. In this consists the essence of the new covenant. Upon our resolve to sacrifice our lives for the Lord and faith in him and his commandments, the life-giving Blood of the Lord descends within as a cleansing and sanctifying power. Those who drink it do not take upon themselves fear of death, but are filled with the encouragement of grace, ready for all holy deeds and all privations and sorrows. “Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” — “Do this,” that is, perform the sacrament of the Blood and drink my blood,—in remembrance of me, in remembrance of the blood shed by the Lord for us, and together with it the covenant which we receive in the partaking of his Blood. — “Whenever you drink,” every time that you drink. The power of the sacrament is always the same: and your obligation in this must be the same, and the feeling with which you must approach the cup, as at the first time, so always must be the same. The Apostle recounted these words in order to prevent our ruinous habit of growing accustomed to all things and the indifference that follows from it, and in order to dispose us each time before the cup to renew the disposition which one has at the first approach.

Thus, he says, the sacrament of the Body and Blood has been instituted, after the reception of which you pass to the love feast, and there you conduct yourselves in a way unbecoming of one who remembers and understands what power and what significance this sacrament has. What corrective admonitions the Corinthians could draw from this, Saint Chrysostom explains thus: “If you approach (the Mysteries of the Body and Blood) for thanksgiving (the sacrament is otherwise called the Eucharist—thanksgiving), then do nothing unworthy of thanksgiving, do not shame your brother, do not despise the hungry, do not get drunk, do not offend the Church. You approach in order to give thanks for the blessings you have received; then render thanks on your part as well, and do not separate yourself from your neighbor. Christ gave the supper equally to all, saying: ‘Take and eat.’ He gave his Body equally to all, but you are unwilling to distribute the common bread equally to all? The bread was broken by him equally for all, and became the Body equally for all. ‘Do this in remembrance of me.’ And what do you do? You celebrate a memorial of Christ, and despise the poor, and do not fear? When you celebrate a memorial for a deceased son or brother, conscience would torture you if you did not observe the custom and invite the poor, yet when celebrating a memorial of your Lord, you are unwilling even to share the table?”

1 Cor. 11:26. For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

This is a conclusion drawn from the manner of the institution of the sacrament, by which its significance is defined for all time until the Lord’s second coming. — “You proclaim the Lord’s death.” “As Christ, having spoken concerning the bread and cup: ‘Do this in remembrance of me,’ revealed to us the reason for the institution of the sacrament, and at the same time impressed upon us that this reason is sufficient to awaken in us reverence; for when you represent to yourself what the Lord suffered for you, you become wiser, so Paul says here: ‘You proclaim the Lord’s death.’ Such is this supper! The Apostle also teaches by this that the faithful even now should approach the Mysteries in the same disposition of spirit, as if they were present at that very supper, reclined together with the Apostles, and received this sacrifice from Christ himself” (Saint Chrysostom).

Every time, he says, that you eat this bread, that is, the one concerning which the Lord said: this is my body,—“and drink this cup,”—that is, the one concerning which the Lord said that it is the new covenant in his blood,—“you proclaim the Lord’s death.” By this solemn action you proclaim to all the death of the Lord, namely, that there was on earth the Lord, God incarnate, who died on the cross for our sins. Not faith, not a word proclaims this, but the partaking of the Body and Blood, without words, speaks loudly of this to all. How sinful is abstinence from communion! How inexcusable is infrequent communion! In early times no gathering of Christians passed without the communion of those gathered. Now, where are the communicants?! Yet many liturgies are performed, especially in the cities. This is very much like someone running into church, lighting a candle and running out about his affairs: let the candle pray! The bloodless sacrifice is offered, and the Christians do not care. Let it proclaim the Lord’s death! But the Apostle writes that not it for each one proclaims the Lord’s death, but communion in it. That there are no communicants rather means that Christians wish to suppress the proclamation of the Lord’s death.

1 Cor. 11:27. 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.

“Therefore” — ωςε — so that. What is the conclusion? — From the nature of the sacrament. This bread is the Body of the Lord, and this cup contains the Blood of the Lord, true, not merely representative of the true. Therefore whoever unworthily partakes of them “will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.” What does this guilt mean? — That he kills the Lord and sheds his blood. Saint Chrysostom says: “Why is he guilty of this? — Because he sheds blood and brings about slaughter, rather than offering a sacrifice. As those who pierced the Lord then pierced him not in order to drink, but to shed his blood, so also does he who unworthily partakes. Do you see how terrible his words are and how mightily he has moved them, showing that if they thus intend to drink (the Blood of the Lord), they will unworthily partake of the Mysteries set before them? And truly, does not he approach unworthily who despises the hungry, and beyond despising them, even humiliates them? For if the withholding of alms from the poor deprives a person of the kingdom of heaven, even if he were a virgin, as also stingy giving does, for virgins too had oil, but only not in abundance, then consider how great is the evil if so many transgressions are accomplished? What transgressions, you ask? About what transgressions do you speak? Having partaken of such a supper, you should have become more humble than all and become like the Angels, yet you became hardhearted above all; you have tasted the Blood of the Lord and do not acknowledge your brother; do you deserve forgiveness? If you had not known him before, you should have recognized him after this supper; yet you dishonor the very supper itself, considering unworthy of your food one who has been deemed worthy to be a partaker of it. Did you not hear what befell him who demanded one hundred denarii of his brother, how he lost the gift granted to him by his master? Do you not know what you were, and what you have become? Do you not know that far more than this poor man in money you were poor in good works, being full of countless sins? Yet God forgave you all your sins and deemed you worthy of such a supper; but you did not become more merciful even after that, so nothing remains but to deliver you also to the torturers (Matt. 18:34). Let us all who approach the sacred table here together with the poor heed the words of the Apostle, yet when we depart from here, we are unwilling even to look at them, but abandoning ourselves to abundant self-indulgence, we leave the hungry without attention, in which the Corinthians too were guilty. When you have eaten something pleasant at dinner, you are careful lest something bad ruin what you tasted before, but having received the Spirit, you abandon yourself to pleasures. Remember what the Apostles did after partaking of the sacred supper; did they not turn to prayers and hymns, to sacred vigil, to prolonged teaching filled with great wisdom? And you, if before communion you fast a little so as to appear somewhat worthy of communion, yet after communion, when you ought to intensify abstinence, you destroy everything. But fasting before is not the same as fasting after; one ought to be temperate both before and after, but especially after receiving the Bridegroom; before—in order to become worthy of his reception, and after, in order not to show yourself unworthy of the gifts received.”

Thus Saint Chrysostom clarifies that those who partake unworthily are not only those who do not prepare themselves properly, but also those who after communion conduct themselves unworthily of this participation. The example of the Corinthians leads precisely to such a lesson.

1 Cor. 11:28. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.

To examine oneself means to test and carefully investigate whether one is worthy of holy communion. But since it is said here: “and let them eat of the bread and drink of the cup,” it is thereby also indicated that as soon as you find something hindering communion, you must remove and correct it. Examination here means proper preparation. In what does it consist? — In cleansing the conscience. Bring repentance for your sins, and make a firm resolve from now on not to sin, but instead of sins to perform all virtue, and you are properly prepared for communion. Saint Chrysostom says: “The main benefit is to approach the Mysteries with a pure conscience. Not being content with what has been said before, he adds the following: ‘Everyone ought to examine themselves,’ as he also says in the second epistle: ‘Examine yourselves’ (2 Cor. 13:5), and not as we now do, conforming ourselves more to the time than to spiritual disposition. We are not concerned with approaching prepared, having cleansed ourselves from all evil and with full reverence, but only to approach when everyone else does. Not so does Paul command; he knows only one time for approaching the Mysteries and communion: when the conscience is pure. If we do not approach a physical table when suffering from fever and the influx of corrupted humors, lest we expose ourselves to death, then all the more we ought not to touch this table with vicious desires, which are worse than fever. By the name of vicious desires I understand both bodily and spiritual ones—covetousness, wrath, malice, and in general all vicious inclinations. The one approaching must cleanse himself from all such things, and then touch this pure sacrifice. Therefore the Apostle says: ‘Let each one examine himself,’ and thus let him approach; he commands not one to examine another, but each to examine himself, establishing a court without publicity and correction without witnesses.”

1 Cor. 11:29. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.

“What do you say? The source of so many blessings, the table flowing with life, becomes condemnation? — Not by its nature, he says, but by the fault of the one approaching. As the coming of the Lord, which brought us great and unsearchable blessings, served to condemn more greatly those who did not receive him, so also do these Mysteries bring greater punishment upon those who partake unworthily. Why then does he eat ‘judgment’? ‘Without discerning the body of the Lord,’ that is, without reflecting, without representing to yourself as you should the greatness of the Mysteries set before you and without thinking of the importance of the gift. If you fully understood, Who stands before you and to whom he offers himself, you would have no need of any exhortation, and this alone would be sufficient to awaken in you complete reverence, unless you have fallen too deep” (Saint Chrysostom).

“Eats judgment”—presumes a judgment passed by God’s court in the very moment of eating,—and not only this, but condemnation to punishment. The sentence of judgment has been stated before: “guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord”; but here is meant the condemnation to punishment. “Having received the gift unlawfully, you will not only not obtain salvation from it, but will also bear punishment for the mockery” (Theodoret). What punishment? — As there is one guilt, but its degrees vary, so also punishments; some are executed in this life, and sometimes at once, while others are reserved for the life to come. All is as divine justice judges and mercy toward us, even in punishment itself. That punishments were indeed sent upon those who partook unworthily even in this life, examples of this were found among the very Corinthians, as the Apostle recounts immediately after.

1 Cor. 11:30. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

“So indeed it was actually, for the Apostle would not have dared to write of something that did not happen, knowing that this would be a manifest lie” (Theodoret). “Weak”—indicates general weakness, “sick”—specific illnesses, “fallen asleep”—died. “Here he adduces as examples not others, as he did in the discourse about food offered to idols, where he spoke of ancient events and calamities of the Hebrews in the wilderness, but the Corinthians themselves, which gives his words greater poignancy. Having said: ‘eat judgment,’ and intending this not to be taken as mere words, he points to facts, calls themselves as witnesses, which acts more powerfully than a threat, expressing that the threat has already passed into reality. Not content with this, he afterwards reminds them also of Gehenna, and firmly proves his words, terrifying them from all sides and resolving a question often raised. Many in bewilderment ask each other, from whence come premature deaths, from whence prolonged illnesses? — The cause of many such unexpected calamities, he says, is contained in sins. Those who sin, yet remain healthy and fortunate in a worldly sense, are being kept for future torments. There they will undergo the harshest punishment” (Saint Chrysostom). Thus there is nothing with which to comfort ourselves, or to indulge ourselves in boldness, that if it happens we unworthily partake and do not undergo manifest punishment. From God’s justice no sin is hidden, and no sin can remain without retribution. Whenever it comes, he will receive it.

1 Cor. 11:31. If we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

“To judge oneself” here means the same as above: “let each one examine himself.” This means: if we had properly examined ourselves before communion and prepared ourselves duly for it, then “we would not be judged,” that is, we would not eat and drink judgment to ourselves, there would not be pronounced over us the sentence: “guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” Condemnation, that is, judgment and assignment of punishment, comes from unworthy communion, and unworthy communion is allowed because we do not judge ourselves, we do not examine ourselves and do not cleanse ourselves from sins through repentance, some concealing, others confessing halfway.

“The Apostle did not say: if you would punish yourselves, or torment yourselves, but: if you would only wish to acknowledge your own sins and judge yourselves and your transgressions, then you would be delivered from punishment both here and there. For one who judges himself doubly appeases God, both through acknowledgment of his sins and through readiness not to commit them in the future. But we do not wish to do as we ought, even this easy thing” (Saint Chrysostom).

In the context of the discourse this applies to communion, but outside the context this principle applies to every sin. Every sin results from not judging oneself, and every sin has judgment and punishment pronounced on it in the very act of the sin. The execution of the sentence is sometimes postponed to another time, but the sentence itself follows immediately. To judge oneself means to acknowledge who you are, presuming to commit sin that angers God in the very presence of God Himself, invisibly, yet nonetheless actually present to you. If one had accepted this irrefutable truth through acknowledgment, hardly anyone would decide to sin. But in the act of sin the enemy obscures it and completely drives it from consciousness. No matter how absurd the sinner’s word: God does not see – it always passes through the mind of the sinning sinner.

1 Cor. 11:32. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned with the world.

The Apostle’s thought rests entirely on unworthy communion with the holy mysteries. “Judged” – means that at the moment of unworthy communion a sentence is pronounced over us, for having communed unworthily, we have eaten and drunk judgment to ourselves. After the sentence follows punishment: sometimes weakness, sometimes sickness, sometimes death. Thus “we are disciplined by the Lord.” But the Apostle has already said all this above. What he now adds is: “so that we may not be condemned with the world,” that is, these temporal punishments the Lord sends in order to deliver us from condemnation to eternal torment together with the world, or with all the ungodly sinners.

“The Apostle does not threaten us with punishment together ‘with the world,’ but spares us, threatening us with earthly punishment, which is temporal and contains great comfort, for it frees us from sins and gives sweet hope for the future, which eases present sufferings. By this he wishes both to comfort the weak and to make others more zealous. Now, he says, ‘we are judged and disciplined by the Lord.’ He did not say: we are subjected to punishment or torment, but “disciplined” παιδευόμεθα, instructed, made wise. For present punishment is more instruction than condemnation, more healing than punishment, more cure than torment, more correction than retribution. And not only by this, but by threatening greater (future) punishment he eases the present: ‘so that we may not’, he says, ‘be condemned with the world.’ Do you see how he points to Hades and to the Dread Judgment and demonstrates that this judgment and punishment are inevitable and will surely come? For if believers and those under God’s protection do not escape punishment for their transgressions, as is clear from the present passages, how much more will the unbelieving and those who sin gravely and incurably not escape” (Saint Chrysostom). “By ‘the world’ he called those sunk in unbelief and sins, and he says that as God especially favors and cares for the faithful, He repays them for their sins here, so that they may not be condemned together with those” (Oecumenius).