Luke 18:9-14 “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. “
Can thanksgiving ever be wrong? Here Jesus clearly shows us it indeed can and why. True thankfulness depends upon what we are thankful for and to whom we are actually thankful.Thanksgiving is not one’s consideration of himself; rather, it is one’s consideration of his God. Thankfulness can be our greatest attribute or our worst sin, for thanksgiving without humility before God is no less than an abomination. Consider Jesus’ teaching.
First, the man who was wrong in his thanking God. To begin with, he had much to be thankful for. He had a deeply religious upbringing. Being a Pharisee, he was taught the Word of God in depth. He knew the scriptures by heart. He regularly attended the House of God. He was able to come, a privilege that many who were afflicted did not have. He had the privilege to pray. Knowing the scripture, he knew how he should approach God and what God required of him for rightness and fellowship. He had prospered and was popular among his peers. No doubt he had a good name in the community. He was righteous in the things he did and in the rituals he kept. One would think he surely would be aware of where his blessings came from.
But note his “prayer.” He stood as if because of his rightness he was on equal ground with his God. He gave thanks that he was not like those of lesser status. His very words smacked of resentment. He even pointed out to God the publican across the room and how much better and more worthy he was than him. Then he boasted of how good a person he was. He reminded God of all the right and noble things he was doing and how much better he was than anyone else. It’s as if he wanted God to thank him, to be proud of him, to confirm just how wonderful a person he was. And he prayed all this “within himself.” There was nothing about God or God’s goodness to him. It seemed he was directing this prayer to all in the sanctuary to impress them. He was more than wrong in his thanksgiving; he was an outright fool.
Before we bash him too much, consider just how we pray and give our thanks. Do we find ourselves talking more about ourselves in our prayers than we do our Master? Do we tend to spotlight our good deeds while downplaying or ignoring our faults, sins, and failures? We think we do so much when in reality we do so little. On the average, we fail more than we succeed; we sin more than we do right; we do what self wants to more than what God wants. And then we have the audacity to come before God to thank ourselves! If we ever had an urgent prayer request it should be, “Lord, help me to quit being like this poor, foolish Pharisee.”
Secondly, the man who truly and rightly thanked his God. He was a publican, a tax collector. This in itself did not make this man a bad person. He knew that in himself he was just a weak and failing human being who deeply needed the mercy of God. He recognized how good God was being to him even in his wretched state. All he had, the good things in his life, were a gift of God, solely by God’s goodness and grace. He knew he deserved nothing, yet he saw that God did him good anyway. He bore no ill-will to the sarcastic Pharisee or to anyone else in the room. The only ill-will he felt was to himself. He “smote on his breast” and stood “afar off.” He is ever so cautious and hesitant to approach God. He comes in deepest gratitude unto God coupled with shame and regret for how he had been. He sees himself as truly unworthy, undeserving. His gratitude is shown, not by eloquent, impressive words, but by a contrite submissive, pleading spirit. He only asks for mercy and is appreciative of whatever God might show to him. He knows that all he has and can ever hope to be is in God’s Hands. He is willing to receive whatever God chooses for him. If it is judgment, then so be it. He just wants to reach up to God.
Guess what. God responded to both these men. But only one left the sanctuary justified. And it was he who had humbly presented himself to God giving himself over completely to the decision of God. And whatever that may be, he would continue to be thankful for it. He was the man who knew how to give thanks and who deserved full credit for every good thing in his life. He was the man who exalted his God.
How about you? Is your gratitude a sin or an attribute? Are you truly thanking God or yourself? Who are you owing it all to? Come and let us stand with the publican. Let us pray along with him and thank the right One.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 