Whatever Were You Thinking? Series

“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.” [1]

“Whatever was he thinking?” That is the question that was no doubt on the minds of many Canadians when they first read of the fall of Colin Thatcher, the disgraced Saskatchewan politician. Thatcher was convicted of bludgeoning and shooting his ex-wife to death. Almost a year and a half after her death, Thatcher was charged with her death and ultimately convicted of the horrendous murder. [2]

Among other notable Canadian politicians who have fallen from grace in more recent history is Svend Robinson, who admitted to the theft of an expensive ring from a public auction site. He claimed he was undergoing personal stress and mental health issues as the underlying cause of his theft. Though Robinson admitted the theft, turned himself in to the RCMP and returned the ring, his political career was effectively destroyed. [3] Reading this report, we can only ask, “Whatever was he thinking?”

Jack Ramsay served as Justice Critic and as Citizenship and Immigration Critic for his party in the House of Commons. His political career was derailed when he was convicted of the attempted rape of a 14-year-old Cree girl, committed while he was an RCMP officer. Later, he was alleged to have confined a 15-year-old girl and made threats of a sexual nature. At trial, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of indecent assault. [4] When reading of the rise and fall of this individual to national service, we can only ask, “Whatever was he thinking?”

Ed Byrne was the leader of a major provincial political party. He served as opposition leader in his provincial legislature, and when his party came to power, he was named Minister of Natural Resources and Government House Leader. Yet, he was convicted of defrauding the Crown in excess of $100,000 and influence peddling, leading to his downfall from the high position he had previously occupied. [5] We might well ask, “Whatever was he thinking?”

While news accounts of prominent individuals who act stupidly, destroying their career, may seize our attention, even more egregious actions are perpetuated on an ongoing basis among the professed people of God. Professed Christians, men and women who openly confess that they are following the Son of God, treat the Body of Christ with contempt. Moreover, these same people imagine that they are doing nothing wrong. In fact, they are unconscious of sin. However, God is holy, and He takes seriously disrespect shown toward His Son’s Bride.

As an example of disrespect toward Christ and His Holy Bride—disrespect from professed Christians, consider what was happening in the Church of God at Corinth at the time the Apostle Paul wrote his first letter to that congregation. What was exposed as gross disrespect for Christ’s Bride is a condition that too often continues to this day. When such disrespect is revealed, we can only ask, “Whatever were you thinking?”

CONTEMPT FOR THE SAVIOUR — In our text, the Apostle has written, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.” Focus on the charge that by participating in the Meal, some could be “Guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord!” Whatever can this mean? How is this possible? I have witnessed this verse given as a reason for a surprising number of individuals refusing to participate in the Meal because they have confused the adverb used in this verse for an adjective. On a number of occasions, I have heard people excuse themselves from participating in the Meal because they felt they were “not worthy.” Whenever someone has told me they were not worthy, I almost always agreed with them. I did, of course, point our that neither am I worthy to participate in this act of worship. Let me explain what I mean.

While there are undoubtedly good reasons why a person should avoid partaking of the Meal, how one feels is not a valid reason for avoiding participation in the Communion Meal. Take note of the word “unworthy” in our text. While few of us are English majors, it is important to note that the Apostle was guided by the Holy Spirit to use an adverb at this point! That information is important for our understanding of the argument Paul is presenting here. Had Paul used an adjective, he would have spoken of the suitability of the individual who seeks to approach the Lord’s Table—and none of us are suitable in our own right. However, by using the adverb, attention is focused on the attitude of the individual as he or she approaches the Table. Therefore, what is in view is not the individual, but the attitude of the individual as he or she comes before the Lord to worship!