But if anyone who is unclean eats any meat of the fellowship offering belonging to the LORD, they must be cut off from their people. – Leviticus 7:19

Today's Scripture Reading (November 4, 2021): Leviticus 7

The Apostle Paul was the first one to write about a strange ritual that is distinctively Christian. Long before the authors of the Gospels wrote down their remembrances of what happened, "on the night he [Jesus] was betrayed" (1 Corinthians 11:23), Paul had already written down his beliefs about the ritual, in an effort to correct a practice that had gone so terribly wrong. The problem was that the "Lord's Supper" had become a selfish act; it was all about what the individual could get out of it. But that was never the intent of the ritual. The ritual was always about the community of believers and was to be celebrated within the community of believers. It is one reason why I oppose the use of "Communion" at weddings. Unless the couple is willing to share "The Lord's Supper" with the gathered community, and unless all of those gathered are one in the faith, then a celebration of the Christian community seems inappropriate.

In Corinth, the attitude seemed to be every person for themselves. The Christian Church, almost from the very beginning, met on Sundays. In the early days of the church, it was a Sunday evening celebration. But Sunday is the first day of the week. And that meant that many people had to work, and the poorer the person, the longer the hours. Practically, this meant that people arrived at the Christian celebration in a staggered way, with the wealthier people arriving earlier than the poorer worshippers. And so, the "Lord's Supper" celebration was also staggered. When the more affluent people arrived, there was lots of food and drink. But by the time the poorer people came, there was often nothing left.

Paul was not amused. The Lord's Supper was not about an individual; it was about the community of believers, or as he phrased it, the Body of Christ.

For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ [the Christian Community] eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment (1 Corinthians 11:29-31).

Paul's advice was simple. "So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. And when I come I will give further directions" (1 Corinthians 11:33-34).

In the Mosaic law, the closest ritual to the "Lord's Supper" is the Fellowship or Peace Offering. Because it is voluntary and given out of the gratitude of the heart, to violate the sacrifice by eating in an unclean manner was a violation of the community trust. And the penalty for violating the community trust was to be removed from the community. Paul's words for the Corinthian Church could well be applied here: "if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment" (1 Corinthians 11:31).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Leviticus 8