“So What Should Thanksgiving Be About?”

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14, Romans 6:15-18

During the past 4 weeks, we have been considering those things that we should truly be thankful for – those that come out of the Lord’s benevolent nature and generous blessings. It isn’t that we aren’t to be thankful for those things of life - for family and friends, for jobs that provide us with both necessary resources and satisfaction in accomplishment, for a church family that encourages and supports us, for the beauty of God’s creation, and our list will go on. The point of this is that all of these precious gifts and blessings are from God, not from ourselves.

This evening, we consider the attitudes of two men who had come to temple to show the Lord Jehovah just how grateful they truly were.

Read Luke 18:9-14

Jesus had chosen two very different men for this parable. The Pharisee was the ultimate example of how a person of Israel was supposed to live, and the tax collector was the perfect example of what a God-fearing Jew should never become! And why the difference? The Pharisee was a man of the Law, while the tax collector was now a man of faith.

Let’s take a look at the prayers of these two men.

The Pharisee had come to temple to give his Lord thanks – but the gratitude was over who he was, not for what the Lord had done for him. The truth is that prayer should have very little of “I” in them, except for our requests that God would bring a change into our lives! Prayer should always be lifted up to the Lord, and not used to proclaim all that we had accomplished.

His prayer is eloquent, but it is offered more as bragging than it is praise. He tells God that he is very happy for the difference in his life over that of other men – specifically, over some of those recognized sinners of Israel.

He tells God that he fasts twice a week – an attempt to show just how righteous he truly is. The problem is that fasting was to be offered for specific purposes – it was to display a dependence on the Lord for a situation that you were unable to resolve on your own, not just as some routine religious measure. It was to be a sign of humility, not a sign of your own pride and goodness.

Fasting was also supposed to be anonymous, not as a public display. Isaiah 58:3-4 tells us that the Lord sees through our false humility, and calls us to task for our self-centeredness. And a few verses later, (v. 6-14) and through the end of the chapter, we read of what true fasting should be about – it’s about our commitment in reaching out to others. Jesus even took this to a whole new level – in Matthew 6:16-18 he tells us that we should appear to be in celebration, not in mourning, and he concludes with these words – “… and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

The Pharisee was only seeking the admiration of other people, not the reward of the Father. And no matter how much he wanted it to be different, God saw through his deception.

This man also tells the Lord that he tithes on all that he receives. Again, he is bragging, as this is not exactly what God wants from our lives. In Leviticus 27:32, the Lord calls specifically for a offering of every tenth sheep, with the intent being that the offering should be a tenth of whatever we produce or earn – whether sheep, or cattle, or grain, or finances. Other things, such as gifts or other wealth that we gain through no efforts of our own, are exempt. In Matthew 23:23-26, Jesus teaches about our attitude toward our offering to the Lord – that it isn’t just an obligation that has been placed on us, but rather we are to see our offering as an opportunity to reach out to others, and not just as some legalistic requirement.

But how about the tax collector – why does Jesus see his prayer as worthy? There is only one offering that he raises up, and that is a request for God’s mercy. He acknowledges his sinful condition to the extent that he humbles himself and declares himself as unworthy to even look up to the heavens!
His heart was broken over the realization of who and what he had become. His spirit was broken in his confession that he was no longer worthy to be seen as a member of Jehovah’s chosen people. He was humbled before God and admittedly a sinful man.

And Jesus pronounces him worthy of God’s blessing and love.

Read Romans 6:15-18

The point that Paul is making is that grace, like freedom, is never free. Even though it may not cost us anything on the surface, it does demand a price. Since time began, the issue of “free grace” has haunted humanity. And Paul nails the issue – that just because Jesus Christ has made the perfect sacrifice on our behalf, that doesn’t free us to live in whatever way we desire. And he compares this to the mandates of slavery. When we give our lives to Christ, that doesn’t free us in worldly ways – it frees us to reject the ways of earth, as well as our dependency on legalism for our salvation!

We have to understand, though, that the apostle doesn’t actually see a life in Christ as slavery – at least not in a human sense! Slavery to sin is nothing that even resembles freedom – it can only bring condemnation and death. But a life in Christ is about the freedom to live a new life in the here and now, as well as the promise of an incredible life with Jesus in eternity.

So the next time you consider those things you are thankful for, perhaps during dinner tomorrow, remember the divergent ways that the Pharisee and the tax collector were thankful – will our thanks be for all that we have accomplished, or will it be for all that we have failed in, and for all that our Lord can do for us?

Has the Lord done anything for you that is worthy of your praise? Let him know!