What does 1 Corinthians 11:17 mean?
Paul began the previous section praising the Corinthian church for maintaining some of his teachings (1 Corinthians 11:2). Now he writes—pointedly—that he does not praise them for the subject he is about to discuss.The issue is this: When the Christians in Corinth come together to supposedly practice communion (1 Corinthians 11:20), they make things worse than if they had not met. The reports Paul has received about these events make clear how selfishly the Corinthian Christians could treat each other.
To correct this, Paul will first soundly criticize the believers in Corinth for their mishandling of the Lord's Supper. He will then give a relatively detailed account of Jesus' institution of communion. This is followed by a dire warning: that those who carelessly or maliciously abuse the Lord's Supper are subject to judgment and even death!