Background Passages: John 6:11, John 11:41, Luke 10:21, Mark 14:22-24
I married into a family with odd holiday traditions. Pizza on New Year’s Day. Steak on Thanksgiving. Reuben sandwiches on Christmas Eve and Hamburgers on Christmas Day. Nothing against turkey, but I’ve never been wild about dressing, even though everyone else thought a serving of my Mom’s oyster dressing was close to perfection. Adopting the new traditions worked for me.
Our family Thanksgiving meal morphed a little over the years. On this Thanksgiving morning I stood over my grill, cooking chicken and beef fajitas, the new family standard for the holiday.
There were 22 people in the house and one-half of them were active, noisy and fun-loving children under the age of nine. At some point after all the running and all the games…after hours of chasing the little ones in circles upstairs…after eating my weight in fajitas, guacamole and coconut cream pie…after having no time to just relax, everyone left. With a cursory effort at straightening the house my wife and I plopped down on the couch in a state of mind we call “blessed exhaustion.” Parents and grandparents know the feeling.
I’m as tired as I’ve ever been, but I am eternally thankful. I love my family and love my time with them. I am thankful for their presence in my life.
Thanksgiving as a holiday was not a tradition in biblical times. Offering thanks to God, however, was a natural part of their worship. It made me wonder about the times Jesus expressed his thanks to God and if those times might be instructive for today’s daily living.
A quick review of my Bible Concordance shows four distinct times when Jesus offered thanks to his father in heaven. Let’s take a look at that for which Jesus was thankful.
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Looking out on a sea of hungry people, Andrew tugged at Jesus’ sleeve and introduced him to a young boy who shyly placed a woven basket filled with five loaves of bread and two dried fish into Jesus’ hands…an innocent offering to help the great teacher feed the multitude.
“Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish,”
In this first instance, Jesus offered thanks to God for his provision. The Bread of Life thankful for the bread of life.
It seems proper to me to be grateful for God’s provision…for food, clothing, health, shelter, family, love, hope…every blessing of God bestowed upon his people. That which I possess in material and spiritual things is far greater than I deserve and far surpassing anything I expected in life. I am thankful to God for his provision.
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While ministering to people in Galilee, Jesus received word that Lazarus, one of his best friends, lay gravely ill a great distance away in Judea. With work still to be done where he was and knowing that God was at work in both places, Jesus stayed for two more days before he journeyed to Bethany. In the days it took for Jesus to arrive in Bethany, I believe Jesus spent time praying for his friend and that God would use the circumstance for the glory of God.
As he neared the village days later, Mary and Martha met Jesus with news that their brother Lazarus died. They buried him four days prior. After comforting the sisters of Lazarus, Jesus asked the people to move the stone away from the entrance of the tomb. Jesus stood outside the tomb and prayed again a prayer of thanksgiving.
“Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said it for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
It never ceases to amaze me the confidence Jesus expressed in the availability of God’s power. In the words, “You have heard me…” Jesus knows God has heard his prayers and will provide him the power to work a miracle in order to give glory to God. His desire was not for personal gain, but that those who witnessed the miraculous could turn toward Jesus as the promised Messiah.
Do you, like me, find it incredible that God, creator of the universe, takes the time to listen to our prayers. I am thankful that, through the intercession of the Holy Spirit, my prayers are heard by an Almighty God. Even when I cannot articulate my need, nor express my feelings, he hears the cry of my heart. Because he hears, God’s power to sustain me in times of greatest need is a prayer away. I am thankful that I can walk through life knowing that God hears my prayers and acts on my behalf.
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At one point of his ministry, Jesus paired up 72 of his followers to travel ahead of him proclaiming the good news to the villages and towns. As he commissioned them for the mission work, he told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” God blessed their efforts and many people put their faith and trust in Jesus. When these disciples returned to report all that God had done through them, Jesus was overjoyed.
“I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children.”
Jesus often chided the Pharisees for relying on the ritual and rule rather than truth and spirit of God’s word. Because they had hardened their hearts against Jesus and could not see who he was, they missed out on the blessings that come with a life lived in faith. Jesus expressed his gratitude that God would reveal his truth to the unlearned, the leper, the tax collector, the sick and afflicted, the sinner. That God would reveal his word to someone like you and me.
On this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for parents, every pastor, every Sunday School teacher, every Bible study leader, every friend who modeled Christ in the way they lived and who introduced me to Jesus. I am thankful for my wife as my spiritual partner. I am eternally thankful for the work of the Holy Spirit in my life as he revealed each new message and meaning of scripture throughout my life.
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Jesus offered his final word of thankfulness in the quiet of the upper room, hours before his arrest and crucifixion. Jesus reclined at a table, sharing a meal with his closest followers. He knew without a doubt what the next few days would bring. He knew what his disciples would face in the time to come.
When the moment was right, he got their attention.
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to his disciples saying, ‘Take it. This is my body.’ Then, he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them and they all drank from it. ‘This is the blood of my covenant, which is poured out for many.’”
In that prayer of thanks, Jesus acknowledged the sacrificial purpose for which he was sent. Offering his body and his blood for the atonement of the world’s sin. Though he knew what was to come, he expressed his thanks to God for the opportunity to be the agent of salvation to all who would believe. Jesus could have chosen to step away. Instead, he stepped up and allowed himself to be hung on a cross as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.
I am thankful for the work of God’s Son on the cross and the new life he gave to me. I am thankful that he is still at work in the hearts of people around the world. I am eternally grateful for his sacrifice.
Through his words and actions, Jesus teaches us to give thanks. I am grateful this Thanksgiving, not simply for his provision, but also for his desire to hear and answer my prayers. I am thankful that God choses to reveal his truth to anyone willing to listen and learn. I’m thankful for those who serve as his teachers. Finally, I am thankful to God for sending his Son to live among us, to die on the cross and rise as the living Lord of my life since the day I accepted him as savior when I was nine years old. He has been a sustaining presence in my life since that day.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all.