What is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 11:22? Don’t you have your own homes in which to eat and drink? Paul is writing to believers who had turned the Lord’s Supper into a private banquet. His question exposes the confusion between an ordinary meal and the sacred remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice. • 1 Corinthians 11:20-21 shows that some were arriving early, eating everything, and even getting drunk before others came. • Verse 34 repeats the solution: “If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home.” • Acts 2:46 records early Christians sharing ordinary meals “from house to house,” keeping fellowship meals and worship distinct. The point is simple: satisfy normal hunger at home so that when the church gathers the focus stays on Christ, not on food. Or do you despise the church of God To “despise” is to treat something holy as common. By turning the Lord’s Table into a feast for a few, the Corinthians were dishonoring the very assembly Christ “purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). • 1 Corinthians 10:32 urges believers to “give no offense to… the church of God.” • Ephesians 5:25 reminds us that Christ “loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” Despising the church means ignoring its holiness and unity. Paul places this sin on the same level as idolatry or immorality because it strikes at the heart of Christ’s work. and humiliate those who have nothing? The wealthy believers were eating first and best, leaving the poorer members with little or nothing. That social shaming contradicted the gospel’s call to honor one another. • James 2:1-4 warns against seating the rich in honored places while marginalizing the poor. • Galatians 2:10 records Paul’s eagerness to “remember the poor,” a priority he still holds here. By humiliating needy brothers and sisters, the Corinthians were denying the very love the Lord’s Supper proclaims (John 13:34). What can I say to you? Paul pauses, searching for words strong enough to match the seriousness of the offense. His pastoral heart grieves over believers who should know better (Hebrews 5:12). • Galatians 3:1 shows a similar moment: “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?” • 2 Corinthians 12:21 records Paul’s fear of mourning over unrepentant sin when he visits again. The rhetorical question magnifies the shock: there is nothing positive to add until repentance occurs. Shall I praise you for this? No, I will not! Earlier he had “commended” them for holding to traditions (1 Corinthians 11:2). Now the opposite: no praise, no commendation. • Revelation 2:4-5 illustrates the pattern—first acknowledging what is right, then firmly confronting what is wrong. • 1 Corinthians 11:17 already set the tone: “I have no praise for you.” Refusal to praise safeguards the integrity of worship. The church must correct, not celebrate, conduct that contradicts the gospel. summary 1 Corinthians 11:22 rebukes believers who treated the Lord’s Supper like a private feast, despised the assembly Christ redeemed, and shamed poorer members. Paul insists that ordinary hunger be met at home, that the gathered church be revered, and that every believer—rich or poor—be honored. Anything less dishonors Christ and cannot receive apostolic praise or divine approval. |
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