1 Corinthians 11: Checking the Fit Before the Bread

I was building a dining table last spring. Six legs, two aprons, a solid top. I had the legs turned and the mortises chopped, and I was dry-fitting the joinery when I noticed something. The legs were not sitting square. One of them was leaning out by maybe three degrees.

I checked my measurements, the angle of the mortise, and the tenon. Everything was right on its own. But when I put them together, the leg leaned. It took me an hour to find the problem. The shoulder of the tenon was cut at a slight angle. Not enough to see with the naked eye. But enough to throw the whole leg off.

I thought about that leaning leg when I read 1 Corinthians 11 this week. Paul is writing to a church that has a lot of things right on their own. They are gathering, praying, and taking the sacrament. But something is leaning. The way they are doing these things is pulling them apart instead of bringing them together.

"But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." (1 Corinthians 11:28)

The Meaning of Head Coverings in 1 Corinthians 11

The first half of the chapter is about head coverings. Paul says that men should pray with their heads uncovered and women should pray with their heads covered. It is one of those passages that sounds strange to modern readers. We do not wear head coverings in church. So what is the point?

The point is not the cloth but what the cloth represents. In first-century Corinth, a head covering was a sign of modesty and respect. It said something about who you were and how you understood your place in the order of things. Paul is not giving a dress code for all time. He is saying that the way we present ourselves in worship should reflect a heart of humility.

I think about this when I walk into the chapel on Sunday. I am not wearing a head covering. But I am wearing my best shirt, sitting quietly, and leaving my phone in my pocket. These are small things, but they are the modern equivalent of the same principle. The way I dress and act in a sacred space says something about whether I understand where I am.

Paul also makes a point about interdependence. He says that in the Lord, the man is not without the woman and the woman is not without the man. This is not a hierarchy where one person is more important than the other. It is a structure where every part depends on every other part. Like a table, the legs do not hold the top up on their own. The aprons tie the legs together and the top ties the aprons together. Every piece needs the others.

How to Examine Yourself Before the Sacrament

The second half of the chapter is about the Lord's Supper. The Corinthians were taking the sacrament, but they were doing it wrong. Wealthy members were eating their own meals while the poor went hungry. What was supposed to be a sacred ordinance had become a social event that divided people instead of uniting them.

Paul reminds them of what the sacrament actually means. He recounts the night when Jesus broke bread and said, "This is my body." He took the cup and said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood." The sacrament is not a meal. It is a covenant.

Then Paul gives the instruction that has stayed with me since I first read it. He says to examine yourself before you partake instead of just going through the motions. Stop and look at where you are.

I have a habit of checking my work as I go. When I cut a dovetail, I stop and look at the fit before I move to the next one. When I plane a board, I run my hand across the surface to feel for high spots. It is the same idea. You cannot fix what you do not see, and you cannot take the sacrament with intention if you have not looked at yourself first.

The word Paul uses is "unworthily." It does not mean you have to be perfect to take the sacrament. If that were the case, none of us would qualify. It means you should not take it as if it does not matter. The real danger is not that you are unworthy. It is that you have stopped paying attention.

I wrote about a similar idea in 1 Corinthians 15: Resurrection, Spiritual Bodies, and Victory. Paul talks there about the hope that comes from the resurrection. The sacrament is the weekly reminder of that hope. But only if we are paying attention.

Why Did Paul Rebuke the Corinthians for the Lord's Supper

The rebuke is strong. Paul says their meetings do more harm than good. That is a hard thing to hear. A church gathering should be a place of healing, not harm. But the Corinthians had turned the sacrament into a display of wealth and status. The people with money ate and drank while the people without money went hungry.

Paul tells them to eat at home if they are hungry. The sacrament is not for filling your stomach. It is for filling your spirit. When you treat the bread and water like any other food, you miss the point entirely.

I think about this in my own life. It is easy to let the sacrament become routine. I sit in the same pew every week, hear the same prayers, and take the same bread and water. And sometimes I do it without thinking. Paul's rebuke to the Corinthians is a rebuke to me too. Do not let this become ordinary. It is not ordinary.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Paul talk about head coverings in 1 Corinthians 11

Paul was addressing cultural norms in Corinth where head coverings signaled modesty and respect. While the specific practice is cultural, the principle is that our appearance in worship should reflect a heart of humility toward God.

What does it mean to partake of the sacrament unworthily

It means taking the sacrament as a habit or routine without recognizing what it represents. It is the act of ignoring the spiritual significance of Christ's sacrifice and failing to examine your heart before partaking.

What is the purpose of examining yourself before the sacrament

Self-examination is a moment of honest introspection. You acknowledge where you have fallen short, feel the need for the Atonement, and make a conscious decision to repent. It prepares your heart to receive the blessing of the ordinance.

Do Latter-day Saints follow the head covering instructions in 1 Corinthians 11

The Church does not require head coverings in worship today. The principle of modesty and reverence remains, but the specific cultural practice from first-century Corinth is not binding on modern members.

I finished that dining table last month. I recut the tenon shoulder, squared it up, and the leg sat straight. The whole table came together after that. It is not a perfect table. There are small gaps in the joinery that only I will notice. But it is square, it is solid, and it will hold a lot of meals.

That is what 1 Corinthians 11 is about. Checking the fit before you take the bread and making sure the structure is square. Not because you are afraid of getting it wrong. Because you want to get it right.

— D.