Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
— 1 Corinthians 11:27-31 (NKJ)
For years, I thought that eating the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner meant that I was to “examine myself” to see if I was clean enough. Did I have unconfessed sin? Was I worthy enough to partake? However, when I did that, I was putting the attention on me. The Lord’s Supper is not about me. Communion is to remind me of what Jesus did to make me worthy.
“Examine yourself” simply means that you are to look inside and see if you are understanding that Jesus’ body was broken for your healing – physically, mentally, and emotionally. Are you acknowledging that Jesus blood was poured out for the forgiveness of all your sins? Jesus wants you to remember what He did and why.
When you don’t understand and remember what Jesus did – that you were included in His death, burial and resurrection, you are not discerning the Lord’s body. You are eating and drinking in an unworthy manner and you don’t receive the benefits. Jesus is not making you weak and sick. You become that way because of your lack of understanding. To discern the Lord’s body is to grasp what God saw when Jesus died.
The Mirror version puts it this way: “So whoever does not value the meaning of the bread and the wine, keep themselves in condemnation. To see oneself associated in Christ’s death and declared innocent in his blood is the only worthy manner in which to examine one’s own life in the context of the new covenant meal. Anyone who partakes of this meal in an indifferent manner, either because of religious sentiment or merely being blasé about the meaning of the meal, eats and drinks judgment upon themselves. The human body of Jesus represents the judgment of every single human life; to fail to acknowledge this is to deliberately exclude yourself from the blessing of the New Covenant. This is the reason why many of you are suffering unnecessarily with weaknesses and illnesses, and many have already died. By judging that we indeed co-died in his death we are free from any kind of judgment.”
Partaking of the Lord’s Supper should be a time of rejoicing because of ABBA’s Love for you. You have been redeemed by your kinsman, Jesus – one of your kind – one who lived the perfect life in a human body. He wants you to remember, with understanding and gratefulness, this mind boggling demonstration of LOVE and receive the benefits.
“Rejoice! This is the day the Lord has made.”
He Gave Himself Freely