NOVEMBER 17, 2003

THANKSGIVING MAY BE SINFUL!

You can’t say “Thank You” enough. It’s hard to imagine any expression of thanks being sinful. But Jesus told a story about a kind of thanksgiving that reveals a sinful heart:
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’” (Luke 18:10-12)

Jesus said that this upright, religious Pharisee was not justified in God’s sight (verse 14). He was in a place where God was going to have to humble him. His thanksgiving did not truly honor God.

I wonder if some of our expressions of thanksgiving are also insulting to God! I won’t get specific in my illustrations, because I’d probably choose examples that would make me look better than other people (the Pharisee part of me is still alive and active). But here are three red flags that may help us to avoid bringing God this unacceptable, Pharisaic thanksgiving:

Thanksgiving that masks pride in our own accomplishments is not true thanksgiving. This Pharisee was really bragging on himself. His fasting and tithing showed how totally dedicated he was to keeping the Law. But the Law had not gotten through to his heart, or he would have learned humility. Any time we thank God for things we have done, we need to ask whether we are thanking or bragging.

Thanksgiving for special privilege can also be a trap. Unlike thanks based on our own accomplishments, this expression of gratitude highlights God’s grace; it is not our own merit but his choice that makes us special. We should thank him that we are his people, but we have to do so with great humility. Otherwise, we can easily slip into the belief that there is something particularly loveable in us that caused him to choose us.

Thanksgiving for “blessings” at other’s’ expense does not honor God. The Pharisee compared himself to a nearby penitent tax-collector, a man whose lifestyle did not show respect for God’s Law and God’s will. Compared to him, the Pharisee looked good, and for that he was thankful: “I thank you that I am not like other people.” Any time our thanksgiving follows this formula of comparison, we should question our attitude toward God and toward others. The tax-collector knew he was a sinner: “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” The Pharisee should have been praying the same prayer, but instead, he thanked God (congratulated himself!) that he was not a sinner—at least not like this man.

This thanksgiving story, told by Jesus, should give us pause as we celebrate during our thankful season. We should filter out the “thanks” that are really expressions of pride. Maybe we need to spend some time focusing on the prayer “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” before we begin to thank him.

–Pastor George Van Alstine