These are hidden reefs in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
You live in first century Rome. If you are rich, you know how to feast.[1]
“Popular but costly fare included pheasant, thrush (or other songbirds), raw oysters, lobster, shellfish, venison, wild boar, and peacock…elaborate recipes were invented…with expensive ingredients and elaborate, even dramatic, presentation. For example, in [a fictional story] from 54–68 A.D., one man serves his guests… pig stuffed with sausages, a hare decorated with wings to resemble Pegasus, and various foods arranged in the shape of the twelve signs of the zodiac.”[2]
Tableware was made of “silver, gold, bronze, or semi-precious stones (such as rock crystal, agate, and onyx).”[3] The best cups were engraved with images of Dionysis, god of revelry. One article calls these feasts “A Calculated Display Of Debauchery And Power.”[4] This was a time to wallow in your wealth. This was primarily reserved for men, though really important women could join. If you were poor, this was a world to which you did not have access. It was for the elite.
“Outside the patrician mansions and saffron-flavored swimming pools, the plebeians lived in overcrowded tenements and ate frugally. Food inequality was as endemic to ancient Rome as it is to our world today, with hunger and hedonism coexisting through the empire… With a population of one million people, the city was hard to feed… We know of 19 food riots in ancient Rome, and there were surely other ones that haven't left a documentary record. During one such riot in the Forum in A.D. 51, caused by a prolonged drought, the Emperor Claudius had to flee for his life.[5]
The poor appear to have eaten largely a grain or cereal diet, with millet showing up a lot (the rich called this ‘animal food’).[6]
“The ancient Roman playwright Plautus (c. 254 – 184 B.C.E.) noted a common lament in the ancient world when he wrote that “wretched is the man who has to look for his food himself and has a hard time finding it, but more wretched is one who has a hard time looking for it and does not find anything. And most wretched is that one who does not have anything to eat when he wishes to.’””[7]
Slaves fared worst of all. They…
“were fed by their masters and sometimes with little more consideration than that afforded to livestock. Some ruthlessly efficient masters even admonished owners to cut food rations for sick slaves and provided instructions on how to feed them according to the amount of work they were expected to do depending on the season, similar to draft animals.”[8]
Enter the church and the subversive presence of the gospel not just in individual lives but in structures and norms. The early church – which was full of slaves, widows and orphans - began to have their own feasts. They called them “love feasts,” and in Greek, that “love” is a form of the word agape (agapai).
“[it] probably denotes a communal celebration in the church… [it is] the observance of the Lord's Supper (which elsewhere Paul can describe with terms like "coming together to eat," 1 Cor 11:17-22 ), or… a fellowship meal that may have preceded or followed observance of the Lord's Supper.”[9]
It seems that, perhaps on a weekly basis or even more frequently, the church gathered together to take communion and share a meal, a feast. The wealthy in the church would throw the feast, and everyone, even the poorest of the poor, would get to celebrate. The idea was that the more affluent members of the church would share their abundance of food with the less fortunate. Women, children, and slaves joined in. Entire families feasted together. This was not a “calculated display of debauchery and power,” but of love, service and honor. They didn’t just gather in a common place; they have a common experience. Think of how the church was described in Acts 2:44-46:
“And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people.”
It’s a great vision for community – “common unity” in Christ, and this sharing of good through both communion and meals or feasts was intended to be a really practical expression of it. We can see that the church had been learning this idea of community throughout the New Testament: In the passages teaching that all women should be veiled and no man should cover their head, it’s a leveling of the playing field by addressing cultural symbols that divided and judged people. This was going to have to be addressed in meals too.
“Roman communal feasting not only united and classified participants by social rank, it also offered “dramatic confirmation of what we now recognize as a key element for interpreting any eating event—namely, that once we establish the time, place, and participants of any meal, nearly everything else about social relationships in a given society can be brought into sharper focus. Such is the power of food.”[10]
A Roman satirists named Marshall described the hierarchy of food/social status this way:
“You take oysters fattened in the Lucrine lake; I cut my mouth sucking a mussel from its shell; you get mushrooms, I get swing fungi; you take a turbot (a flatfish delicacy), but I a brill. A golden turtledove with fattened rump fills you up; a magpie dead in its cage is set before me.”[11]
This should never happen in a church love feast. The feast in the church was intended to be a practical demonstration of unity, celebration, and common care that crossed all boundaries. This was meant to be a life-giving “agape”feast both socially and nutritionally, not an unhealthy or sinful indulgence of the appetites of the flesh in which the rich flaunted their luxury and the poor were reminded of theirs.
“In Corinth the agape seems to have been slightly modified by two Grecian customs. One of these customs was the…symposium; a banquet [much like] our modern picnic…the most generous way was for those best able to bring the most liberal amount, and then spread the whole on a common table... The second custom was the Grecian sacrificial feasts, in which an ample supply was furnishe and so moderately eaten that a rich remainder was left for the poor. While Paul remained at Corinth the best qualities of both these pagan customs were exhibited in the love-feasts of the Christians, with some Christian improvements.”[12]
When Paul left Corinth, it seems to have fallen apart. The rich indulged with gluttony and even drunkenness while the poor ate what the poor always ate. This has implications for physical health on both sides for sure, as well as emotional, relation and spiritual health. Paul calls out the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 11.
Context first. In Chapter 9, Paul goes off about how he limits his freedoms and exercises self-discipline:
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible... I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings…I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
In Chapter 10 he talks about unity, and surrendering rights to what is beneficial and constructive for the glory of God:
our ancestors…were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea… ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink…drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them (Christ)….Is not the cup… and the bread… participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf…
“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others… So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
In Chapter 12, spiritual gifts must be surrendered and self-disciplined for the beneficial construction of the body, the church:
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.13 For we were all baptized by[ one Spirit so as to form one body… and we were all given the one Spirit to drink…. those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor…. God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Chapter 13, is the Love Chapter, and chapter 14 is all about not just doing things in spiritual practices to edify yourself, but to edify others.
So, Chapter 11 falls right in the middle of this pattern. Also, remember the food riot that was so bad Claudius had to flee the city? This was written about that same time.
In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.
So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!
(A meal – the Lord’s supper - meant to unite was highlighting things that divided them: in this case, wealth and food)
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
(The Lord’s supper is about sacrifice and love.)
So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner[13] (I think in this context[14] it means without a heart to sacrificially share and show love[15]) will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord (basically, making a mockery of Christ’s legacy). Everyone ought to examine themselves (their motivation; their hearts; their resources[16]) before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ (without noticing the needs in the community of the church - they celebrate Christ’s body without seeing Christ’s ‘body’[17]) eat and drink judgment on themselves.[18] That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.[19]
A lot of ink has been spilled trying to figure out what verse 18 means. If I may offer an ‘at minimum’ reading: “People are sick and dying in your church because you aren’t honoring the sacrificial nature of Christ’s sacrifice, and you have refused to sacrifice yourself for the benefit and construction of the body of Christ.”[20]
But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world. So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. (1 Corinthians 11:17-33)
* * * * *
Let’s back up and get the big picture.
Even good things can become bad if our use or exercise of them shows we don’t ‘discern the body of Christ’ by seeing the people around us and stewarding what God has given us in a way that builds up the ‘body of Christ’ that is assembled in ‘common union.’
False teachers are not only wolves, they are lone wolves (even if they run in packs). Their followers are loners as well, seeing themselves as islands, responsible to no one but themselves. It’s as if freedom in Christ was freedom from any obligation outside themselves, when actually Christ frees us to see our obligations in light of the Kingdom and joyfully fulfill them for our good and God’s glory.
So I’ve been thinking a lot about this for myself. How does ‘discerning the body of Christ’ shape how I view life together in the church?
An obvious example is money. And as I’ve been saying, I just love how I have seen so many generous hearts revealed in this congregation in the past few months. That’s “love feast” territory. Sheila and I have been talking more than ever about what it means for us to be more generous in times of concern rather than less generous, because we have this default tendency to want to circle the wagons or claim exclusive ownership of what actually belongs to God. It turns out God has given us family resources to bring to the common table at the family feast.
My time. When I have the luxury of lots of time, am I praying about how to “feast with others” in the midst of my plenty? This isn’t to suggest I shouldn’t carve out time for me and God for my health on multiple levels so that I can serve Him well, but am I praying for wisdom about how to share from my abundance with the body of Christ?
My talents, gift or skills. If I am good at something, do I only use that to profit myself (which is a necessary things for stewarding a household), or am I also using it for others as I am able? How do those around my benefit from the talents, gifts and skills I bring to the feast? You might think, “All I can do is this.” Unless it’s a sin that you are offering, there are no dishonorable parts. Bring it.
My words, face to face or in a virtual world. While I am sharing a “love feast”, am I filling the space with truth and grace? Is my verbal fountain yielding fresh and bitter water, or am I drawing from the well that never runs dry? Am I filling the air with gossip, fear and bitterness, or with truth, hope, peace?
Like Scott pointed out last week, the New Testament writers constantly warn about the creeping danger within the church. The wolves aren’t gate crashers; they have been invited to the feast, and now the church is in danger.
I don’t want to be that person. I want to discern myself and the body of Christ. I want the truth and love of Christ in me to be working in me and embodied through me as I pull up my chair. Because that’s the obvious opposite effect of what Jude and Paul are warning about. In NOT discerning the body of Christ is so bad, just think how good it is when we DO discern the body of Christ? If one path leads to sickness and death, the other path must lead to health and life, right?
Once again, within the warning is the hope. Envision church community characterized by genuine love feasts in the fullest sense of the word: constantly ‘discerning the body of Christ’ by seeing the people around us and stewarding what God has given us in a way that builds up the ‘body of Christ’ that is assembled in ‘common union.’
It’s a glimpse of heaven, an expression of Christ, a vision of Kingdom that points toward the goodness and glory of the God into whose likeness we are constantly being made.
QUESTIONS
1. What do you bring to the “love feast”?
2. How have you experienced the “love feast” gone right or wrong in your church history? What was the result?
3. How can others in the group pray for you in this area?
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[1] https://eyesofrome.com/blog/eyes-on-storytelling/feasting-roman-style
[2] https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/banq/hd_banq.htm
[3] https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/banq/hd_banq.htm
[6] https://www.livescience.com/27569-ancient-romans-ate-millet.html
[7] https://zapruderworld.org/volume-5/food-provisioning-and-social-control-in-ancient-rome/
[8] https://zapruderworld.org/volume-5/food-provisioning-and-social-control-in-ancient-rome/
[9] https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/love-feast.html
[10] https://zapruderworld.org/volume-5/food-provisioning-and-social-control-in-ancient-rome/
[11] https://zapruderworld.org/volume-5/food-provisioning-and-social-control-in-ancient-rome/
[12] https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/whe/1-corinthians-11.html
[13] “At all events, the unworthiness lies in a lack of living active faith in the atonement which has been achieved by the death of Christ; and this is the source of the various moral disqualifications by which the celebration of the Supper may be dishonored (Meyer Ed. 3). Among these we may mention a selfish, unloving conduct as one of the chief—such conduct as the rich at Corinth manifested towards the poor, and which exhibited a striking contrast with the love of Christ shown in the sacrifice of Himself for all, and set forth in the Holy Supper wherein the benefits of it are extended to every one.” – Lange’s Commentary
[14] “To eat or drink unworthily is in general to come to the Lord's table in a careless, irreverent spirit, without the intention or desire to commemorate the death of Christ as the sacrifice for our sins, and without the purpose of complying with the engagements which we thereby assume. The way in which the Corinthians ate unworthily was, that they treated the Lord's table as though it were their own; making no distinction between the Lord's supper and an ordinary meal; coming together to satisfy their hunger, and not to feed on the body and blood of Christ; and refusing to commune with their poorer brethren. This, though one, is not the only way in which men may eat and drink unworthily. All that is necessary to observe is, that the warning is directly against the careless and profane, and not against the timid and the doubting.” – Hodge’s Commentary
[15] “The context implies this refers to the disrupted unity of the church caused by the factious groups' arrogance and pride, but some have understood this to refer to the mandate for a proper spiritual attitude when observing the Lord's Supper (cf. Heb. 10:29).” – Bob Utely
[16] “In one sense all Christians are unworthy because they all have and continue to sin. In this context it refers specifically to the disunity and factious spirits of some in the church at Corinth (cf. II Cor. 13:5).” – Bob Utely
[17] "His body" seems not to refer to (1) the physical body of Jesus nor (2) the participants, but to the Church as a group (cf. 10:17; 12:12-13,27). Disunity is the problem. A spirit of superiority or class distinctions destroys the fellowship.” – Bob Utely
[18] “Paul is asserting in plain language that believers who violate the unity of the church may suffer temporal physical consequences, even death (cf. 3:17). This is directly connected to a lack of respect for the body of Christ, the church, the people of God (cf. Acts 5; I Cor. 5:5; I Tim. 1:20).” – Bob Utely
[19] 'For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he discern not the body. For this reason many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep.'
For all who come eating and drinking of the Lord's Supper, who do not discern in it His body, and His dying for them, and through it His uniting of them all in His body as one, drink judgment on themselves. Indeed that is why there is sickness among them, and quite a few have died ('sleep' is the Christian synonym for death). This would suggest something unusual which had happened, above the norm, which Paul saw as the chastening of God, for it was not seemingly a judgment that affected their eternal future. It had openly happened, and all were aware of it. It was not theoretical. And it was to be seen as a chastening of the whole church.
“'If he discern not the body.' In chapter 10 stress was laid on the fact that the bread was the representation of the body, and that that included both the body of the Lord Jesus and the body composed of His people as united with Himself. The bread represented His physical body, but it also represented His people made one with Him. Both have to be discerned as one for they are inseparable (Ephesians 2:15-16). Thus as we come to the Lord's Supper we must discern the Lord's body, that is, we must recognise that it proclaims His death for us and that we come as participators in His death and resurrection, and we must equally discern that we are all therefore one body in Christ sharing with Him in His death and resurrection.” – Peter Pett’s Commentary On The Bible
[20] “That there were disorders of the most reprehensible kind among these people at this sacred supper, the preceding verses sufficiently point out; and after such excesses, many might be weak and sickly among them, and many might sleep, i.e. die; for continual experience shows us that many fall victims to their own intemperance. How ever, acting as they did in this solemn and awful sacrament, they might have "provoked God to plague them with divers diseases and sundry kinds of death." (Adam Clarke)
“The “sleepers” had died in the Lord, or this term would not have been used of them; it does not appear that this visitation had singled out the profaners of the sacrament; the community is suffering, for widely-spread offence.” (Expositors New Testament)