20260602 [새벽묵상] 누구를 위하여 먹고 마시는가? For Whom Do You Eat and Drink? (고전/1Cor 11:17~26)

11:17 내가 명하는 이 일에 너희를 칭찬하지 아니하나니 이는 너희의 모임이 유익이 못되고 도리어 해로움이라

11:18 먼저 너희가 교회에 모일 때에 너희 중에 분쟁이 있다 함을 듣고 어느 정도 믿거니와

11:19 너희 중에 파당이 있어야 너희 중에 옳다 인정함을 받은 자들이 나타나게 되리라

11:20 그런즉 너희가 함께 모여서 주의 만찬을 먹을 수 없으니

11:21 이는 먹을 때에 각각 자기의 만찬을 먼저 갖다 먹으므로 어떤 사람은 시장하고 어떤 사람은 취함이라

11:22 너희가 먹고 마실 집이 없느냐 너희가 하나님의 교회를 업신여기고 빈궁한 자들을 부끄럽게 하느냐 내가 너희에게 무슨 말을 하랴 너희를 칭찬하랴 이것으로 칭찬하지 않노라

[Correcting an Abuse of the Lord’s Supper]

17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 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. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. 20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21 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. 22 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!

11:23 내가 너희에게 전한 것은 주께 받은 것이니 곧 주 예수께서 잡히시던 밤에 떡을 가지사

11:24 축사하시고 떼어 이르시되 이것은 너희를 위하는 내 몸이니 이것을 행하여 나를 기념하라 하시고

11:25 식후에 또한 그와 같이 잔을 가지시고 이르시되 이 잔은 내 피로 세운 새 언약이니 이것을 행하여 마실 때마다 나를 기념하라 하셨으니

11:26 너희가 이 떡을 먹으며 이 잔을 마실 때마다 주의 죽으심을 그가 오실 때까지 전하는 것이니라

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 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.” 25 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.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

            사람이 사는 일에 중요한 일들이 참 많은데 그 중에 하나가 바로 먹는 것일 것입니다. 저희 한국인들은 특히 밥이 중요하죠. ‘안녕하세요’ 라는 인사말대신 “식사 하셨어요?,” “다음에 봐요” 라는 말 대신 “언제 밥 한 번 먹자” 와 같은 말로 인사를 할 정도이니까요. 어르신들은 “밥심으로 산다”는 말씀을 하시고 심지어는 가족을 일컫는 말로 “식구”라는 말을 씁니다. ‘식구’ – ‘먹을 식’에. 입 구’자를 써서 같이 밥 먹는 입이라는 뜻이지요. 그런데 초대교회에서도 이 밥이 참 중요했던 것 같습니다. 그들도 교회에 모일 때마다 함께 식사를 했습니다. 그리고 이 식사를 그들은 주의 만찬이라고 불렀습니다. 예수님께서 돌아가시기 전날 밤에 식사를 하시며 자신을 기념하라고 하셨기 때문이었습니다. 그렇다면 주의 만찬은 함께 식사를 하며 식구가 되는 자리, 예수님을 기념하는 자리가 되었어야 했을텐데 실상은 그렇지 않았던 것 같습니다. 이들을 꾸짖는 바울의 말씀을 통해 오늘은 “누구를 위하여 먹고 마시는가?”라는 제목으로 말씀을 나누기 원합니다.

[Introduction: The Meaning of "Sikgu"]

There are many important things in human life, but one of the most vital is eating. For us Koreans, sharing a meal is especially meaningful. Instead of a standard greeting, we often ask, "Have you eaten?" or say, "Let’s grab a meal sometime soon." Our elders often say we live by the "power of rice," and we even use the word Sikgu (식구) to refer to family. Sikgu literally combines the characters for "eat" (食) and "mouth" (口)—meaning those who share their meals at the same table.

In the early church, this shared meal was also of utmost importance. Whenever they gathered, they ate together, and they called this fellowship "The Lord’s Supper." They did this because, on the night before He died, Jesus commanded them to eat together in remembrance of Him. Ideally, the Lord’s Supper should have been a place where they became a true spiritual family (Sikgu) and remembered Christ. Sadly, the reality in Corinth was far from it. Looking through Paul’s rebuke to them, I want to share a message titled: “For Whom Do You Eat and Drink?”

                  첫번째, 주의 만찬은 공동체의 연합을 위한 만찬이었습니다. 사도 바울은 어제 말씀 2절에 고린도교회가 그가 가르쳤던 것을 잊지않고 기억하고 그가 전한 전통을 지킨다고 칭찬하였었습니다. 그런데 오늘 말씀은 그 시작부터 꾸짖음으로 시작하고 있지요. 이제 내가 지시할 일에 대해서는 너희를 칭찬하지 않는다 라고 말하고 있습니다. 대체 그 일이 무엇입니까? “너희의 모임이 유익이 못되고 도리어 해로움이라” 이들이 모이는 것이 유익이 되지 않고 오히려 해롭다는 것입니다. 사도행전에서 말하고 있는 원래의 초대교회의 모습은 이렇습니다. 사도행전 2:46 제가 읽어보겠습니다. “날마다 마음을 같이하여 성전에 모이기를 힘쓰고 집에서 떡을 떼며 기쁨과 순전한 마음으로 음식을 먹고” 날마다 이들이 모일 때에 그들은 마음을 같이 하였습니다. 그러나 오늘 말씀은 뭐라고 말씀하십니까? 18절, “먼저 너희가 교회에 모일때에 너희중에 분쟁이 있다함을 듣고 어느정도 믿거니와.” 사도 바울이 고린도교회 안에 분열이 생겼다는 얘기를 들었는데 그 얘기를 사도 바울도 소문으로만 취급하는게 아니라 믿는다는 말입니다. 그러면 그 분열은 이미 교회를 쑥대밭으로 만들어놓고 있었겠지요. 이런 상태에서 이들이 아까 사도행전 말씀처럼 “기쁨과 순전한 마음으로 음식을 먹”을수 있었겠습니까? 없지요. 그러니 20절에 이렇게 분열되어 있는 이들이 함께 모인다고 해도 그들이 먹는 음식은 주의 만찬이라고 부를 수 없는 것입니다. 그렇다면 이 분열은 왜 생겼을까요? 사도바울은 그 자초지종을 이렇게 설명합니다. 당시에 고린도교회 안에는 사회적 지위가 서로 다른 사람들이 함께 섞여서 예배를 드렸었습니다. 그러다보니 신분이 높고 노동에서 비교적 자유로운 사람들이 먼저 교회에 와서 예배를 드리고는 성찬식을 위해 준비된 음식들을 뒤에 올 사람들을 생각하지도 않고 자기들끼리 다 갖다 먹어버린 것입니다. 후에 힘들게 일을 하고 예배에 온 사람들, 아마도 가난하고 사회적으로 지위가 낮은 사람들이겠지요. 이들은 성찬식에 참여하려고보니 이미 성찬을 위해 준비된 음식이 바닥나 버렸습니다. 이들에게는 성찬이 그날의 한끼였을 수도 있습니다. 성찬에 참여하지 못한 것도 억울한데 옆을 보니 부자 성도는 성찬을 너무 많이 먹고 마신 나머지 술에 취해있습니다. 당연히 분열이 일어날 수 밖에 없는 것입니다. 22절입니다. “너희가 먹고 마실 집이 없느냐?” 무슨 말입니까? 부유한 너희들은 집에 먹을 음식이 충분하다는 말입니다. 그런데도 불구하고 이들이 교회에 와서 다른 지체들은 생각도 안하고 욕심을 부리고 있다는 것입니다. “너희가 하나님의 교회를 업신여기고 빈궁한 자들을 부끄럽게 하느냐?” 너희가 지금 교회에 와서 성만찬을 한다고 하는 행위가 오히려 교회를 업신여기고 가난한 이들을 창피하게 한다는 것입니다. 원래대로라면 이들이 사도행전의 말씀처럼 “날마다 마음을 같이하여 기쁨과 순전한 마음으로 음식을 먹”어야 하는데 이렇게 한 마음으로 공동체를 연합해야 할 성찬이 오히려 공동체를 무너뜨리고 있었던 것입니다.

[1. The Lord’s Supper is for the Unity of the Community (v. 17-22)]

First, the Lord’s Supper was designed for the unity of the community. In verse 2 of this chapter, Paul praised the Corinthians for remembering his teachings and holding to the traditions. But today’s passage starts with a sharp rebuke. He says, "In the following directives I have no praise for you." Why? Because, as he states, "your meetings do more harm than good." The original blueprint of the early church in the Book of Acts was beautiful. Acts 2:46 says: “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” They were of one heart.

But what does Paul say about Corinth in verse 18? “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.” Paul didn't just treat this as a rumor; he believed it. These divisions were tearing the church apart. In such a fractured state, could they eat with "glad and sincere hearts"? Absolutely not. That is why verse 20 says that when they meet, "it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat."

Why did this division happen? In the Corinthian church, people from vastly different social statuses worshipped together. Wealthy believers, who had leisure time and did not have to perform manual labor, arrived at the church early. They immediately began the love feast and consumed the food prepared for Communion, completely ignoring those who would arrive later.

On the other hand, the working class and slaves arrived late after a hard day's labor. For some of them, this Communion meal might have been their only proper meal of the day. But when they arrived, the food was already gone. To make matters worse, they had to watch wealthy believers who had eaten and drunk too much sitting there intoxicated.

Naturally, division was inevitable. Paul barks in verse 22: “Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in?” He is saying, "If you are that hungry, eat at home! Why come to church and act out of pure greed without a thought for your brothers and sisters?" He adds, “Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing?” The very act that was supposed to unite them as one body was instead destroying the community.

                  그래서 사도바울은 두번째, 성만찬의 의미를 다시 한번 되새깁니다. 그 의미가 무엇입니까? 예수님을 기념하기 위한 만찬입니다. 바울은 말합니다. 내가 여러분께 가르쳤던 성만찬은 예수님이 가르쳐주신 것입니다. 언제 가르쳐주신 것입니까? 예수님이 잡히시던 바로 그날 밤입니다. 예수님께서 제자들에게 마지막으로 행하신 역사인 것입니다. 떡을 떼어 주시며 이것은 너희를 위하는 나의 몸, 그리고 잔은 당신의 피로 세운 새 언약이라고 말씀하셨습니다. 그래서 이 성만찬을 할 때마다 예수님을 기념하라고 하신 것입니다. 그러므로 이들은 이 떡과 잔을 마실때마다 26절 뭐라고 하십니까? “주의 죽으심을 그가 오실 때까지 전하는 것이라” 성만찬이 그냥 식사가 아니라는 것입니다. 이는 주를 기념하는 일이며 그 기념하는 일이라는 것은 십자가의 도를 전하는 사명에까지 확장된다는 것입니다. 즉, 성찬에 참여한다는 것은 음식을 먹고 마시는것이 아니라 예수님의 살과 피를 마심으로 예수님과 하나된다는 말입니다. 그래서 예수님의 새언약, 즉 예수님과 함께 십자가에서 우리의 육신이 죽고 예수님의 부활에 참여하는 자가 되어 하나님 앞에서 의롭다 함을 얻는 것을 기념하는 자리인 것입니다. 그것이 성찬의 진정한 의미인 것입니다.

[2. Reclaiming the True Meaning of Communion (v. 23-26)]

Because of this abuse, Paul takes them back to the basics and explains the true meaning of the Lord’s Supper. Its primary purpose is to remember Jesus.

Paul reminds them that the tradition of Communion came directly from the Lord Himself. When was it instituted? On the night Jesus was betrayed. It was His final, ultimate act with His disciples. He broke the bread and said, "This is my body, which is for you." He took the cup and said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood." He commanded them to do this in remembrance of Him.

Therefore, whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup, what are we doing? Verse 26 says: “You proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” The Lord’s Supper is not just a casual dinner party. It is a holy remembrance, and that remembrance extends to our mission of proclaiming the message of the Cross.

To participate in Communion is to become one with Jesus by spiritually consuming His flesh and blood. It is a sacred space where we remember the New Covenant—that our old flesh died on the cross with Jesus, that we participate in His resurrection, and that we have been justified before God. That is the true weight and meaning of Communion.

                  말씀을 맺습니다. 오늘 본문의 고린도교회는 서로 편한 사람들끼리, 서로 말이 잘 통하는 사람들끼리, 또 서로 사회적 위치가 비슷한 사람들끼리 너무 친밀해진 나머지 내 그룹이 아닌 다른 사람들은 보지 못하고 자신들만의 만찬을 즐겼습니다. 그래서 소외된 사람들이 성만찬에 참여하지 못하고 부끄러움을 당하였습니다. 이것은 단순히 먹고 마시는 문제가 아닙니다. 초대교회나 지금이나 교회에는 많은 다양한 사람들이 하나님을 예배하기 위해 모입니다. 그러나 우리가 내 주변의 사람들만 생각하고 위한다면 우리 또한 같은 행동을 반복할 수 있습니다. 전혀 의도하지 않았다고 하더라도 하나님의 교회를 업신여기고 빈궁한 자들을 부끄럽게 할 수 있는 것입니다. 오늘의 성만찬의 예는 예수님이 우리를 위하여 행하신 일이 어떤 것이었는지 다시 한번 생각하게 합니다. 그렇다면 우리는 하나님의 교회와 우리의 시선에서 소외된 사람들을 위해 어떻게 하여야 할까요? 여러분은 누구를 위하여 예수님의 성찬을 먹고 마십니까? 기도하시겠습니다.

[Conclusion: Breaking Free from Exclusive Fellowship]

The Corinthian believers became so comfortable within their own cliques—with people who talked like them, thought like them, and shared their social status—that they became blind to anyone outside their circle. Consequently, the marginalized were excluded and humiliated at the Lord's table.

This is not just an ancient story about eating and drinking. Today, just like in the early church, diverse groups of people gather to worship God. If we only look out for the people we are comfortable with, we will repeat the exact same sin. Even without intending to, we can despise the church of God and humiliate the broken-hearted.

The Lord's Supper forces us to look at what Jesus did for us on the cross. He broke His body to include us.

How, then, should we look at the church and those who are marginalized in our own community? For whom are you eating and drinking today?

I pray that we would look beyond our comfort zones and live as a true, inclusive family in Christ.

Let us pray.