“Do not cross the street by yourself.”
But Mom, I can do it.
“No, because I love you.”
The preschooler may not understand. The preschooler may fold his arms across the chest in defiance and anger. But Mom is right. She gently insists.
“No, because I love you.”
These words occasionally pass the lips of God when humans desire the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s Supper. What a miracle. What power. The Lord’s Supper brings to human lips the flesh and blood of God himself. But there is more. In connection with such power, the Lord reveals that when many taste and swallow this miracle together, their action confesses unity of faith before the eyes of God and man. “Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf” (1 Corinthians 10:17).
One body. United in faith. What if unity of faith does not exist? What if one does not share a confession of God’s truth? What if someone desires the power but publicly is associated with something that is false and dangerous?
No, because I love you.
Not because I am proud. The Lord warns each of us, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Every one of us is a target of Satan’s attacks. Every one of us can become his victim. Every one of us can be tricked into believing a false teaching.
But not a one of us wants to remain caught in the trap of the devil.
For us to say, “We are not united in our public confession,” is initially nothing more than honesty. But there is a larger purpose. We desire to show love. We long for the chance to speak patiently and gently about God’s truth. “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).
These efforts take time. The blessing we desire is a blessing for the future.
But there is a blessing God gives at the moment.
As we celebrate Christ’s body and blood and confess unity in faith, God already is showering the observer with a gift. “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). Those watching are hearing our visual announcement that Jesus has died, that Jesus has risen, and that Jesus has come again.
A confession. Through a miracle. Divine power.
And on occasion, “No, because I love you.”