Corinthians, unity and the Lord's Supper

There are passages in scripture that are hard for me to understand. I still don't quite get many of them, but once in a while one will come into focus after some work. 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 is one of them.

To put it very generally, chapters 1-10 are all about divisions in the church and the specific issues that are behind the divisiveness. Paul works his way around to a broad discussion of liberty, our "rights", and how we walk that out in the context of widely varying sensibilities. Paul is trying to build a cohesive, attractional community. He can't do that if believers are victimizing each other sexually, launching lawsuits at each other, disregarding each other's varying sensibilities and ignoring social issues that bear on politeness and modesty. So, the first 10 chapters are all about unity.

Here we are in chapter 11, which starts off with male/female social relationships. Paul gives instructions that would have been common to both Roman and Jewish moral codes in the first century, then addresses head coverings for women (hair length is an analogy). THE POINT IS MODESTY, NOT GENDER ROLES. Then comes the issue of the Lord's Supper, which was in that era a communal meal. People brought food that was typically shared by all. For the poorest among them, that might be the best meal they had all week, so it was a means by which they received care and support. It was also a symbol of the equality of all believers in Christ. Men, women, slaves, children, rich and poor all ate together. It was the only place in the Roman world where that was true. Paul clarifies the problem in the Corinthian church in 11:21:

"For when the time comes to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper, and one goes hungry, and another becomes drunk."

The Lord's Supper has become yet another issue of divisiveness. People are separating along socio-economic lines and introducing aberrant behavior with causes further divisiveness. In 11:27 Paul says:

"Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord."

An "unworthy manner" means "divisively". Paul is telling the Corinthians that if they continue turning the Lord's Supper into exercise in socio-economic stratification, then they're not only defeating the purpose of it, but they are sinning against Jesus himself, who died for everyone. In 11:29 Paul says:

"Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup."

Compare that to the words of Christ in Matthew 5:23-26. I suspect that that was Paul's mindset while writing those words. He's saying, reject the social assumptions that produce divisions along the lines of social standing and economic power. Reject the behaviors that victimize others or cause unnecessary offense. Do not go to the Lord's Supper divided or you'll make yourself even worse than you were before (13:1?). That seems to form a cohesive argument from throughout the entire letter.

I know, probably completely uninteresting to anyone but me. It's my journal though. Enjoy the ride.