Di Lord Supper for Corinth

One dining room wey full with laughter and good food. Plates full reach top. And for outside, for di compound, some workers wey don tire arrive late, straight from dem work. By di time dem reach di table, nothing remain.

Di believers for Corinth dey meet for houses, many times for di house of one member wey get more money and get space for crowd. Dem dey gather for one shared meal, and as part of am dem dey remember Jesus with bread and wine, as e tell dem make dem do. But Corinth na city where rank matter. Masters and slaves, rich and poor, all of dem dey sit for di same church now. And di old habits don creep enter. Paul don hear reports about wetin dey happen for dis meals. And e no happy. When una gather, e write, e dey cause more harm than good.

First, Paul talk, I hear say division dey among una. When una meet, no be really di Lord Supper una dey eat. Because each one of una dey rush eat im own food. And hunger dey catch one person, while another person don drink reach to dey drunk. Some people don eat full stomach and dem don drink too much wine, while others dey go house with empty stomach. Wetin? Una no get house where una fit eat and drink? Or una dey despise di church of God, and dey shame di people wey no get? If na only feast una want, Paul talk, make una eat for house. But no disgrace di people wey no get anything. Wetin I go tell una? I go praise una for dis one? No, I no go praise una.

Then Paul remind dem wetin dis meal really mean. E carry dem back to one night wey all of dem know about. Wetin I receive from di Lord, na im I pass give una: say di Lord Jesus, for di same night wey dem betray am, take bread. And when e don give thanks, e break am, and talk, Take, eat: dis na my body, wey I give for una: make una dey do dis to remember me. After supper, Jesus take di cup di same way. Dis cup na di new covenant for my blood: anytime una drink am, make una do am to remember me. Every time wey una eat dis bread and drink dis cup, Paul talk, una dey announce di death of di Lord until e come.

One meal wey dey remember how Jesus give im body for everybody no fit be meal where dem dey push some people aside. So, Paul talk, anybody wey eat di bread or drink di cup for way wey no worthy dey treat di body and blood of di Lord like small thing. Make each person examine imself first, then eat and drink. Paul even talk say some of dem don become weak and sick because dem no recognise wetin dem dey do. If we judge ourself with honest heart, e talk, nobody go need to judge us. And then di simple, practical answer come. So, my brothers, when una gather to eat, make una wait for one another. Wait for each other. And if hunger dey catch you well well, eat something for house first, so dat una gathering go bring blessing, no be judgment.

Archaeologists don dig find Roman houses inside Corinth and round am. Di scholar Jerome Murphy-O'Connor study one big house and calculate say im dining room, di triclinium, fit hold only about nine people wey dey lie down to eat, while maybe thirty or forty more fit enter di open compound, di atrium. E suggest say one rich host fit don put im friends for di dining room with di best food, while everybody else dey eat for di compound. If na so, di house imself help divide di church.

Di Lord Supper for Corinth. You go find am for First Corinthians chapter eleven, verse seventeen to thirty-four. One church wey forget di hungry people for im own table, and one reminder of di night wey Jesus break bread for all of us. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When you dey share food, how you fit make sure say nobody dey left out?