The Lord’s Supper
Open Your Bible
1 Corinthians 11:2-34, Matthew 26:26-28, Romans 3:25-26
BY Rebecca Faires
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:2-34, Matthew 26:26-28, Romans 3:25-26
In an early episode of I Love Lucy, Lucy is pregnant, distracted, and she hasn’t fixed Ricky dinner. The poor man is irritated, miserable, and hungry. He declares his need for steak and potatoes, but with time running short, Lucy counters with a fried egg sandwich—and he scoffs at this paltry offering. At this point, my husband and I had to stop the episode and look at each other: “He literally can’t make food for himself? She’s had a busy day and he won’t accept a simpler meal?” The difference between the dinner expectations of 1952 television husbands and 2018 television husbands are surprisingly different.
The cultural expectations for the roles of men and women have changed even more dramatically since Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians. Paul’s instructions about head coverings and spheres of authority make us a little uncomfortable. But head coverings for women were pretty normal, even as recently as 100 years ago. Just because our husbands can make their own dinner and we wear our hair in loose, glorious ringlets, doesn’t mean we’re getting it exactly right. It just means we happen to be the generation walking around right now. It doesn’t make us smarter or better equipped to appreciate authority than generations past.
Who should be making dinner? And who’s hair should be blowing in the breeze? It’s tempting for us to get caught up here in these little brambly questions but miss the important issue here of authority. Who is our authority? First, you know what my answer will be: Christ is the Lord of creation, the Lord of men, women, communities, families. All authority has been given to Him on heaven and on earth. So, if you had any adorable delusions whether the ultimate authority is your own self, or the president, or your two-year-old, put them to rest. There is one final authority.
This same Lord of all, the ultimate authority, yielded up all on our behalf, giving His very body and blood to rescue us from just condemnation.
“On the night when He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, broke it, and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’
In the same way also He took the cup, after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
The question of authority comes down to yielding our own will to the will of someone else. When we eat and drink “in remembrance of” Him, do we truly yield our all to Him? Do we remember the glory He laid aside for us, or do we seek our own glory? When we hold back in order to honor ourselves—seeking our own will, based on our own understanding—the result is the same as it was in Corinth: divisions arise, each man seeks his own gain, and some fall to excess, while others are neglected.
He served us dinner and washed our feet, without hesitation and without reservation. And for the meal before Him, which signaled His own agonizing death, He gave thanks. Our hearts ought to be full of thanksgiving in turn, full of a desire to serve and honor others. When we see the world as Christ’s, we can make the dinner, we can love our neighbor, we can honor our husbands, we can yield to God’s will for us.
75 thoughts on "The Lord’s Supper"
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I still struggle with some “authoritative” man talk. Not in a feminist way but in a way that I don’t want to be oppressed. It’s hard when you see and speak to some people(well men in particular) who view the ‘head’ position as license to be manipulative, overbearing, and abusive. I’m not married or currently in a relationship but it is one thing that stops me from wanting to dive into one.
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While I think I’m still an amateur at forgiveness, something that has helped me a lot was learning to love people right where they are at, instead of where I want them to be, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. Forgiveness is hard, but for some reason when I frame it as love it seems to lighten the load a bit.
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I’m not sure if I believe that forgiveness means carrying the cost of someone else’s choices. I think only Christ can do that. I think forgiveness is canceling the debt you have against someone else. Not allowing that person to control your emotions anymore.
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Wonderful truths thank you!
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This devo is so good! Thank you for the clarity of honor and submission of will. As I first started reading the scripture I thought, “this is a tough one!” But the examples and explanations truly touched my heart. Thank you :)
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Adorable delusions.
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My favorite part too.
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What a comfort that Christ is our one, final authority! I love reading these devotionals every day, thanks for sharing.
With head coverings, this is what I have always understood…verse(s) 14-15 Paul immediately follows with how our “long hair has been given to us as a covering.” In my personal walk with Christ, I would feel too legalistic if I tried to wear a head covering. I would also be drawing attention to myself. I know people who have worn head coverings because it makes them feel closer to God and makes them feel modest. That’s perfectly fine. But they have also said it’s so that they will not draw attention to themselves, when truly they will be drawing more attention to themselves since they stand out more than everyone else. (If I see someone at Walmart with a head covering and dress/skirt, I’m going to stare.) These are just some of my thoughts on head coverings. I think having healthy, shiny hair and doing a simple yet lovely hairdo with it is thanking God for the hair He has given you.
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I am one who wears a head covering and a modest dress. We are called Mennonites. We believe it signifies the order of headship. God, man, woman. By wearing a head covering I am showing submission to both God and my husband. Yes, it does draw attention. But I don’t wear it so that people stare at me. But I can be a light, because people will see I am different, and it’s an opportunity to witness, when someone asks about it. I wear it because it’s an outward symbol of what’s in my heart. Also, Gods word says we are protected by the angles when our heads are covered to pray. I have nothing against those who choose not to wear a head covering. It doesn’t mean you’re any less saved than me, and it doesn’t mean I’m any better or more spiritual. It’s all in the convictions God gives us. Those are my thoughts. God bless!
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Bless you and yours.
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Thank you for the explanation. It gives me a better understanding and appreciation for those who wear head coverings.
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Thank you for this perspective!
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I was starting to think maybe yes to head coverings but then you read things from Paul like this and it gets so confusing! :
“Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: ‘Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!’? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”
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the devo’s last two paragraphs, I copied into my book margins…. it’s the same issue of submission to each other & to Christ as discussed in Ephesians 5 passage on men & women, also authored by Paul…..
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