1 Corinthians 11:22
“What, don’t you have houses to eat and to drink in? Or do you despise God’s assembly, and put them to shame who don’t have enough? What shall I tell you? Shall I praise you? In this I don’t praise you.”
What does 1 Corinthians 11:22 mean?
Paul is calling out the Corinthian church for turning their worship meal into a display of wealth and social division. Some people were eating their own food and getting full while others went hungry, essentially turning a sacred shared meal into a statement about who belonged and who didn't. His questions here sting because they're rhetorical, not real questions, he's saying: if you want to eat your own food, do it at home. When you gather as God's church, the point is togetherness and honoring each other, not showing off what you have. Paul's frustration comes from seeing them contradict everything the gospel stands for, and he makes it clear that this particular behavior doesn't deserve praise. If you're in a community where some people are left out or made to feel less worthy, this verse is a reminder that Jesus never intended it to work that way.