What did the Corinthians do before they observed the Lord's Supper?
Before coming to the official Lord's Communion table of Unleavened Bread and the cup, the Corinthian believers held a potluck supper. Because the congregation included slaves, bond slaves, wealthy merchants, and a cross section of society, this meal contributed to their abuse of the Lord's Supper, which Paul had to address.
Les explains that Paul had to upbraid the Corinthians because they were abusing the Lord's Supper. Before they would actually have what would be called the official Lord's Communion table of the Unleavened Bread and the wine or cup, they would have a potluck supper. Les points out the historical and environmental circumstances: the Corinthian believers were made up of a few Jews, more Gentiles, and people from the whole strata of society—slaves and bond slaves at the bottom, and wealthy merchant men who probably had ships out at sea, with Corinth as their home bay. When they had a potluck supper, people are people and have not changed; the bottom echelon would bring what they could afford, more or less the mundane and cheaper things. These circumstances made a difference in understanding the passage.