First Corinthians 11
Monday, February 17 1 Corinthians 11:2-6
“She should wear ahead covering”
Verses 2 through 16 of this chapter areprobably the most complex and controversial of any passage of comparable lengthin the New Testament. A survey of thehistory of interpretation reveals how many different options there are for themany questions the text raises. This, inturn, should raise a fair measure of tentativeness on the part of anyone whowrites a daily devotion on the text. Still, there are several points about which interpreters have generallyagreed.
One timeless principle that may bedeclared from these verses is that Christians should not try to blur alldistinctions between the sexes. Christianity recognizes that God created men and women as sexual beings,with sexual differences. So we must nottry to eliminate these distinctives by dressing or grooming in ways that blurgender differences. There is alsogeneral agreement that there is nothing inherently moral or immoral about headcoverings, whether veils, shawls, hats, or the length of one’s hair. The issue is what the use (or, non-use) ofhead coverings in first-century Corinth implied about either the sexual orreligious circumstances of the members of the church.
May all that we do, Lord, even how wedress, bring honor to you. Amen.
Tuesday, February 18 1 Corinthians 11:7-12
“Women and men arenot independent of one another”
In verses 8-9,Paul presents a two-fold argument from creation: (1) Adam was created first andthen Eve; (2) woman was created to be a helper suitable for man. Verse 10 applies the creation argument to theissue of a woman’s head covering (either with long hair or with a shawl) toindicate both her responsibility to keep her head covered and her authority to pray and prophesy in Christian worship. Christian tradition from Pentecost on hadapproved of such worship practice by both men and women (Acts 2:18), and itreadily fit Paul’s own emphasis on freedom in Christian worship for both menand women.
Verses 11-12 introducean important qualification into Paul’s discussion. Paul reminds the Corinthians that asChristians, notwithstanding creation, men and women are fundamentallyinterdependent. The order of creation isreversed in subsequent procreation, with the woman being necessarily firstbefore the man can be born. Further,everything comes from God and his authority is over all.
Maleor female, Lord, you call us to mutual honor and respect. Amen.
Wednesday, February 19 1 Corinthians 11:13-16
“We have no other custom than this”
In these verses,Paul returns to the specific issue of head covering, this time explicitlyreferring to long hair on men and women, with three further arguments. After appealing to the Corinthians toconclude that what Paul is saying is true (“Judge for yourselves . . .), heargues further from propriety (v. 13b), nature (v. 14-15), and the widespreadfirst-century custom of all believers (v. 16). The first and third of these clearly refer to the “status quo” in Paul’sday.
“Nature” soundslike an appeal to the way God created things, but Paul the Jew would have knownof the Nazirites whom God blessed precisely because they did not cut their hair(of whom Samson was the most famous example; Judges 13:15). It was true, then as now, that most culturesmaintained a relative difference in hair length between men and women. So “nature” is probably best understood hereas that which is a long-established custom. Thus, Paul concludes, since long hair serves as a covering for a woman’shead, she should not cut it short or shave her head as a man might.
May we be wiseChristians, Lord, choosing our battles carefully. Amen.
Thursday, February 20 1 Corinthians 11:17-22
“You are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper”
Once again Paul refers to divisions (as in1:10). But here he is not thinking ofthe rival parties who support different leaders but of the gulf between therich and poor within a given house-church. The minority of well-to-do believers, including the owners of the homesin which the believers met, would have had the leisure-time and resources toarrive earlier and bring larger quantities and finer food than the rest of thecongregation who had to finish their work-day before coming to church in theevening – there was as of yet no legalized day off from work in the Romanempire. Those that could not afford tobring a full meal, or a very good one, did not have the opportunity to sharewith the rest in the way that Christian unity demanded.
The result of the lack of consideration bythe wealthy for the less well-to-do implies that they are not celebrating the Lord’sSupper at all, merely their own supper. Instead of sharing a kind of potluck andensuring that all get plenty to eat and drink, some gorge themselves and getdrunk at the expense of those who come later or have less.
We will treateach person equally, Lord, for that is how you treat us. Amen.
Friday, February 21 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
“In remembrance ofme”
Paul’s method for correcting the unworthyeating and drinking taking place in the Corinthian church is to go back to thevery beginning and to remind his readers of the Lord’s Supper institution andmeaning. First, the Lord’s Supper isrooted in history. It was a certain man,the Lord Jesus, and it was a certain night, and it was a certain event in whichhe took actual bread and wine and instituted the sacred rite. Paul’s explanation is an effort to remind theCorinthians of the historical roots of the meal they were abusing.
Second, the Lord’s Supper is about God’sgift of life that is ours through Christ’s death. We are to “do this in remembrance of me,”that is, in remembrance not only of his death but of his life and histeachings, his resurrection and the hope that it brings, and we are to rememberhis purpose in the world. Third, theLord’s Supper celebrates a new covenant in which we have entered into a newrelationship with God through Jesus Christ. He is our God, acting on our behalf, and we are his people, obedient tothe commands of his Son.
We remember your sacrifice, Lord, wheneverwe take bread and cup. Amen.
Saturday, February 22 1 Corinthians 11:27-34
“Whoever eats ordrinks in an unworthy manner . . .”
The message Paul gives in these verses isan effort to apply what he has said about the institution of the Lord’s Supperto the abuses being practiced in the church. What does he mean by the word “unworthy?” Does he mean that those who do not haveperfect lives should not participate? Does he mean that if we can think of any way in which we do not measureup that we should not come to the table? The answer to these questions is “no.”
This is not a discussion of the characterof the worshiper but highlights instead the nature of their actions. Thus his warning was not to those who wereleading unworthy lives and longed for forgiveness but to those who were makinga mockery of that which should have been most sacred and solemn by theirbehavior at the meal. If we truly enterinto the spirit of the Supper we will have a heightened sense of our ownunworthiness and of God’s grace. Thisawareness of God’s love for us ought to make it easier for us to love oneanother and, thereby, avoid the types of abuses that were occurring in theCorinthian church.
Wereceive the bread and cup, Lord, with reverence and humility. Amen.