ESTUDIO DEL VERSÍCULO
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 — The Lord's Supper Instituted
Paul passes on the tradition he received from the Lord: at his final meal Jesus took bread and a cup, identified them with his body and blood, and commanded his followers to repeat the act in remembrance of him until he returns.
Escritura
- 23.Porque yo recibí del Señor lo que también os he enseñado: Que el Señor Jesús, la noche que fue entregado, tomó pan;For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread;
- 24.y habiendo dado gracias, lo partió, y dijo: Tomad, comed; esto es mi cuerpo que por vosotros es partido; haced esto en memoria de mí.and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body, which is for you: this do in remembrance of me.
- 25.Asimismo tomó también la copa, después de haber cenado, diciendo: Esta copa es el nuevo pacto en mi sangre; haced esto todas las veces que la bebiereis, en memoria de mí.In like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
- 26.Así, pues, todas las veces que comiereis este pan, y bebiereis esta copa, la muerte del Señor anunciáis hasta que él venga.For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death till he come.
Qué significa este pasaje
The passage opens with Paul's claim to apostolic authority: what he delivers to the Corinthians he himself "received of the Lord" (v. 23). This places the Lord's Supper on the same footing as the gospel itself — not a Corinthian invention but a tradition handed down directly from Jesus. The wording "in the night in which he was betrayed" anchors the meal historically to the Passion narrative.
After taking bread and giving thanks, Jesus identifies the bread with "my body, which is for you" and commands, "this do in remembrance of me" (v. 24). The phrase shifts the meal from a Jewish Passover remembrance into a specific memorial of Jesus' person and sacrifice. Verse 25 parallels this with the cup, calling it "the new covenant in my blood," connecting the wine directly to the covenant language of Jeremiah 31 and the atoning death Jesus anticipated.
Verse 26 gives the theological purpose: "as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death till he come." The meal is simultaneously retrospective (looking back to the cross), present (proclaiming that death in the assembly now), and prospective (oriented toward Christ's return). The three temporal dimensions — past, present, and future — define the shape of Christian worship centered on the Supper.
Contexto
Verses 23-26 sit inside a larger discussion of gathered worship in Corinth. Verses 20-22 describe the problem Paul is addressing: when the church assembles, the rich eat privately while the poor go hungry, so that "it is not possible to eat the Lord's supper" in any genuine sense. Paul's quotation of Jesus' words is therefore corrective — it re-centers the meal around Christ's self-giving rather than around social status.
The passage also sets up what follows in verses 27-34, where Paul warns that eating "in an unworthy manner" without discerning the body brings judgment, and instructs believers to "wait one for another." The institution narrative in 23-26 supplies the standard by which the Corinthians' practice is being judged: the Supper proclaims Christ's death, so a Supper that mirrors the world's inequalities contradicts its own meaning.
Preguntas frecuentes
Why does Paul say he "received of the Lord" what he delivers?
Paul is emphasizing that the account of the Lord's Supper is not his own composition but a tradition he passed on as it was given to him. By attributing the words directly to the Lord, he places the Supper on the same authoritative level as the gospel itself and corrects the Corinthians' disorderly practice.
What does "this is my body" mean in verse 24?
Jesus identifies the bread with his own body given for the disciples. The passage does not explain the philosophical mode of that identification — whether physical, symbolic, or spiritual — but it plainly connects the bread to his atoning self-giving ("which is for you") and ties the act to remembrance of him.
What is the timeframe of "till he come" in verse 26?
The phrase orients every celebration of the Lord's Supper toward Christ's future return. The meal looks back to his death, is presently a proclamation of that death in the assembly, and remains meaningful until the Second Coming, when the memorial will be fulfilled in his presence.