One bread – one body

10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. 11 For it has been reported to … that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters.. (1 Corinthians 1)

What Does 1 Corinthians 10:17 Mean?16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (1 Corinthians 10)

Unity in the body

Paul is writing this letter because the community is in trouble. There are many divisions and quarrels among the brothers and sisters in Christ. Why does this matter?

Consider how the disciples of Jesus first came together. He called them all. They witnessed his death and resurrection. And 120 of them came together in the upper room and received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. With one heart and mind they burst onto the streets of Jerusalem to proclaim the saving death and resurrection of Jesus.

But within a short time, there are divisions. Some of the disciples withhold their wealth, others seek to maintain their allegiance to the Jewish tradition, and yet others try to accommodate the pagan culture around them. The leaders, like Paul and Peter, are sometimes part of the problem.

Now the very reason for Jesus’ mission was to reconcile all people to God, and so to reconcile us with each other. The disciples of Jesus are to be ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5). The source of unity amongst the disciples was the giving of one Spirit in one baptism (1 Cor. 12). It was also to be in their regular sharing in the Lord’s Supper, their sharing in the body and blood of Christ (1 Cor. 10).

Paul’s reasoning is simple: “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” Consider the spiritual unity among these early Christians brought about by the one Spirit, one baptism, and in the one bread. How alarming for Paul then, to see the divisions. His response is an authoritative appeal to their true identity.

Christians today see the same divisions: following different leaders, neglecting the poor, focusing on irrelevant points. We also appeal to brothers and sisters to live up to who we truly are in Christ, and to the Holy Spirit who makes us one.