早期教會定期舉行愛筵。理論上，這種愛筵應該接納每一個人，富有的信徒或貧窮的信徒都應一視同仁。但事實上卻不是如此。

        有錢的信徒比貧窮的信徒先抵達愛筵。早來的人不等候他們貧窮的弟兄，反而自顧自的先大快朵頤一番──他們不僅將上好的食物掠劫一空，還侵吞了留給後來者的食物，有些人甚至喝過了頭而醉酒（21節）。

        結果當然叫那貧窮的信徒感覺羞愧（22節），造成階級的分別，那是一種最惡劣的歧視。而這一切竟是發生在以榮耀和紀念耶穌為名的「愛筵」中！保羅理所當然生氣了。

        如同保羅在十二至十四章所要教導的，「基督的身體」是由許多肢體組成，每一個肢體都有不同但互補的恩賜。身體是互相依賴的；正如手和眼互相需要，基督身上各個不同的肢體也彼此相需。

        如果一個肢體拒絕承認另一個肢體，它就是自絕於另一肢體的恩賜。假設有錢的肢體需要醫治，而擁有醫治恩賜的肢體是較貧窮的信徒，結果會如何呢？有錢的肢體病重而死，因為他拒絕「分辨」或「承認」上帝為他得醫治所預備的恩賜──「因此，在你中間有好些軟弱的與患病的，死的也不少」（30節）。「主的晚餐」是一個承認我們彼此需要的時刻。你需要我的恩賜，我也需要你的。

        主啊，求您賜給我們恩典分辨主的身體。是的，幫助我們更瞭解您的身體為我們擘開，您的血為我們流出的意義。也幫助我們瞭解，每一個弟兄姐妹都屬主的身體。願我們對待弟兄姐妹如同待我們的主耶穌。奉主耶穌聖名，阿們！

English

        The early Church used to meet for regular opt-luck dinners. They were called “agape: meals – “love-feasts”. Ideally they were supposed to include everyone and highlight no distinction between the well to do and the poorer believers. But here is what was happening:

        The upper-income believers were getting to the dinners before the lower-income workers. Rather than wait for their poorer brethren, these early arrivers were going ahead with the food and drink – not only getting the best on the “menu”, but depleting the supply for the latecomers. Some were drinking too much and becoming drunk (v.21).

        The effect, of course, was the humiliation of the poorer believers (v.22), causing socioeconomic division- discrimination of the basest kind. And, all this was happening in the name of a “love-feast”, meant to glorify and remember Jesus! Paul was angry, and rightly so.

        As Paul was about to teach (chapters 12, 13, 14), the “body of Christ” was made up of many members, all with differing, yet complementary gifts. There was to be interdependence in the body – just as the hand and the eye need each other, so, too, the various members of Christ’s body need each other.

        When one member refuses to acknowledge another, he is cutting himself off from that person’s gift. And suppose that, upper-income member needs healing and the one possessing the gift of healing is a lower-income member? What happens? The rich member gets sicker and dies because he refused to “discern” or “recognize the gift Christ had given for his healing – “For this reason many are weak and sick among you,, and many sleep” (v.30). The “Lord’s Supper” is a time to recognize our interdependence. You need my gift, and I need yours.

        Lord, please give us grace to discern the Lord’s body. Yes, help us to understand more of what it means for His body to have been broken and His blood shed for us – and help us understand that each brother and sister in the Lord’s body, too. May we treat one another as we would treat our Lord Jesus.