The Weak at the Lord's Supper

September 25th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

1 Corinthians 11:26-30 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. 27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. 30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.

In 1 Corinthians 11:23-34, the Apostle Paul is addressing the abuse of the Lord’s Supper—the commemoration of Christ’s death and future return. He rebukes some of the Corinthians who came to the Supper and consumed most of the food before everyone arrived for the sacrament. They were thus partaking of the Supper “in an unworthy manner” (v. 27), “guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” For Christ, in bearing the penalty of mankind’s sin upon the cross, was being mocked by those who abused the Supper, though not intentionally. Though some gathered to honor Christ, their behavior did the opposite. The rich abused the poor by eating all the food and drink, revealing that they had not gathered to remember Christ but to gorge themselves.

If partaking of the Lord’s Supper was meant to remember Christ’s death and future return, then any conduct apart from that equates to doing so in an “unworthy” (Gr. anaxiōs), or careless, manner. In the context of Paul’s rebuke, the specific sin entailed, not only the failure to observe the true meaning of the sacrament, but of defaming it by treating it as if it were a normal meal to assuage one’s hunger as opposed to commemorating Christ’s death and future return. The guilty parties were thus “guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” Their “guilt” was that they were not only liable for Christ’s death, they were putting themselves under the same penalty as those who actually crucified Him. They profaned the meal itself by scorning the poor, being gluttonous, and getting drunk. In so doing, they profaned the message of the cross of Christ.

What happened to the guilty souls, those who partook of the Supper in an unworthy manner? Paul lists three results: some were “weak” (asthenēs), some were “sick” (arrōstos), and others “sleep” (koimaō)—a euphemism for being “dead.” The “weak” are clearly distinguished from the physically “sick.” And the most horrifying result of abusing the Lord’s Supper was death. It is therefore clear that God takes sin very seriously, especially as it relates to profaning the sacrament that recalls the Lord’s death and anticipates His future return. Let us beware.

The solution for all Christians coming to observe the Supper and steer clear of partaking unworthily is to “examine” (Gr. dokimazō) ourselves (v. 28)—to put ourselves to the test to see whether our motive in partaking of the Supper is to proclaim the Lord’s death before He returns (v. 26). Any other reason is risky, so risky that Paul explained in v. 29 that the early deaths of some in the church came as the result of partaking of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner.

Food For Thought
We Christians are have the privilege of observing the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper (aka, Eucharist, Communion). But because of what the Supper commemorates, we must observe it for the right reasons and under the right conditions. First, we must be professing, baptized Christians in fellowship with Christ. Second, we must come to honor Christ by proclaiming His death through the Supper—partaking of unleavened bread and wine (or juice). Although some Protestant churches celebrate the Supper with small juice cups and broken crackers, the message is the same: the death of Jesus Christ for the sins of those who receive Him by faith alone—a proclamation of man’s redemption for those who place their trust in Christ alone for salvation. So, each time we partake of the Supper, we worthily proclaim Christ’s death until He returns.