Easter Season · Easter Evening · Year C
1 Corinthians 5:6b-8
Expel the Immoral Brother!
April 16, 2028

Overview & Insights
“For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival.” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8)
A major shift occurs here. The theological discussion of the first four chapters dealing with the church’s cliquish behavior, pride, and attachment to secular culture now moves to a head-on confrontation of specific community issues. The connection between chapters 1–4 and chapters 5 and 6 must not be missed, though. Because the community of the Corinthian Christians looks nothing like a true Christlike community, their vision has become so blurred that they cannot evaluate and judge even the most obvious and explicit moral issues from a “Christ perspective.” When a church looks and functions as described in the first four chapters, it invariably leads to the behavior of the next two chapters. First Corinthians 5:1–13 opens this section with the most unconscionable issue imaginable.
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Commentary
1 Corinthians 5 Commentary: Confronting Immorality Enduring Word · David Guzik
David Guzik's verse-by-verse notes on Paul's call to clear out the old leaven.
1 Corinthians 5:7 Commentaries BibleHub
Historic commentaries gathered on Paul's Passover image in verse 7.
1 Corinthians 5 Commentary Precept Austin
A detailed evangelical word study on church discipline and the Passover metaphor.
1 Corinthians 5 (Barnes' Notes) StudyLight
Albert Barnes' notes on the leaven and unleavened bread imagery.
Background & Word Study
1 Corinthians 5 Interlinear BibleHub
Greek text and parsing for the chapter, including the word for Passover lamb (pascha) in verse 7.
1 Corinthians Video Overview BibleProject
A video overview of 1 Corinthians' structure and Paul's pastoral concerns for the church.
1 Corinthians Course Enter the Bible
Luther Seminary's introductory course on 1 Corinthians for background on Paul's letter.
The Church Fathers
Questions preachers ask
Why is this an Easter reading?
Paul calls the church to cleanse out the old leaven of malice and keep the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, for Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.
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