“There is actually not that much debate about the Lord’s Supper these days, even in very conservative circles. It is not one of the hot topics we find regular articles about in Christianity Today or Interpretation or Christian Century.” So writes Dr. Ben Witherington in his wonderful book, “Making a Meal of It: Rethinking the Theology of the Lord’s Supper” (Baylor University Press, 2008, 144 pp, Amazon $16.50, Books Christian $16).

In this short paperback he reviews the OT material, Last Supper, NT material, and offers contemporary applications. He is a Methodist minister, Amos Professor of NT for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary, and on the doctoral faculty at St. Andrews in Scotland. A graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, he received his M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell and Ph.D. from the University of Durham in England. He has written over 30 books, including a highly regarded commentary on 1 Corinthians. Last month he was keynote speaker at a 65-pastor luncheon in Charlotte hosted by Christ Central PCA.

Here are a few excerpts from the book:

“The text may imply that the well-to-do were going ahead and eating without the poor who were arriving late after work, thus going without their fair share. This view depends on translating ekdexesthe as “wait for one another” in verse 33, which is certainly possible. Perhaps more likely is the suggestion that the well-to-do are eating in the triclinium while the others were eating in the atrium or peristyle garden, and further that there were two sorts of foods being served to the two groups. The verb in verse 33 can often have the sense of “welcome” one another or even “entertain” one another when it is used in the context of a meal (cf. 3 Macc 5:26; Josephus, Ant. 7:351). In any case whether the problem was timing or location, the result was divisions in the body between the haves and have-nots” (p. 53).

“The examination referred to in verse 28 means that one must reflect on how one is partaking of the meal; it is not about introspection to determine if one is worthy. Notice that when Paul refers to discerning “the body” (v. 29) it is only “the body” and not “body and blood” or even “the Lord” that is to be discerned in the partaking of the meal. While this might be a reference to remembering Christ’s death when one eats, it seems more likely in this larger context to refer to the body of believers. One is to be cognizant that this is a group meal, a group-building ceremony. The least probably interpretation is that Paul is warning against forgetting the sacramental presence of Christ in the elements. The Corinthians are eating in a selfish and self-centered manner without taking cognizance of their brothers and sisters present. They should be partaking with them as one body of Christ, rather than following pagan protocol that gives the elite better treatment and first dibs on the meal” (p. 59).

And by itself, this closing illustration is worth the price of the book:

“At the end of the Civil War in Richmond, Virginia, on the Sunday after Appomattox and the surrender, a worship service was held in the historic Episcopal church there. It was an old church that had a balcony where the slaves of the owners had sat for many years, with the masters and their families sitting downstairs. The practice in this church had been to have two calls for the Lord’s Supper, one first for the whites downstairs, and then one for the slaves upstairs. But on this given Sunday at the first call to communion an older Black man, a former slave, began down the central aisle, right after the call. Naturally enough there was surprise and shock downstairs, but what was even more of a shock was when an elderly, white, bearded gentleman got up, hooked his arm in the arm of the former slave, and they went forward and took communion together. That man was Robert E. Lee. There was forgiveness and healing and reunion at the Table that day, and thereafter there was no more segregated communion” (p. 132).

For a list of other books and articles on the Lord’s Supper, check out this link to a bibliography on the website of Central Carolina Presbytery http://ccpca.net/news/bibliography_on_lords_supper.pdf

[Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced in this article is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]
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Howie Donahoe ([email protected])