Luke 18:10-14 and True Thanksgiving

¹⁰ “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” [ESV]

Luke tells us Jesus taught this parable in response to some people who trusted in their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else. Notice the first thing the Pharisee in the parable says: “God, I thank you.” Sounds like a promising start, does it not? Thankfulness is a thoroughly Christian virtue. This is why Thanksgiving is one of the few truly Christian nationwide celebrations left in the US, Christmas and Easter both having been hijacked by secular culture and stripped of their true meanings. It sounds like this Pharisee gets it! But wait. What is he thankful for?

“I thank you that I’m not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers…” There is, perhaps a valid point here. Isn’t God sovereign? If He so desired, He could make us into extortioners, or unjust people, or adulterers, could He not? Our lives could be very different from what they are at the moment if God so willed. He could have turned us over to the worst of our sin and allowed that sin to take full root in our lives. And yet, hopefully, this is not where you are. You are, I hope, living in the light of the gospel and enjoying the blessings and benefits of Christ.

“… or even like this tax collector,” the Pharisee continues. As you may be aware, the tax collectors in Jesus’s time were not well respected in the community. Let’s face it, tax collecting has never been a popular profession. But First Century tax collectors in Judea had two things going against them: first, they worked on behalf of the oppressors, the Roman government, so they were seen to be aiding and abetting the enemy. Second, they had a reputation for dishonesty. It was not unheard of for a tax collector to charge a little more than was required and skim that extra off for themselves, for example. So we shouldn’t be shocked that the Pharisee is thankful God didn’t make him a tax collector. Perhaps, if you’re a good, honest, upstanding Christian with a respectable job you may feel inclined to say the same.

“I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get,” he goes on. Those dirty, godless tax collectors think nothing of spiritual matters. They’re all about getting rich and taking from others. This Pharisee obeys the Law, fasting twice a week. And he gives his tithe regularly. How many Christians today could say this? What a good man he is!

What about the tax collector? Was he giving thanks that he wasn’t a self-righteous Pharisee or a poor beggar? No. This was the tax collector’s prayer: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

Yes, the Pharisee could be thankful that God had allowed him to prosper, to know the Law, and not to have fallen into grave sin. These are things for which we can all give genuine thanks. But the Pharisee missed the most important point. In calling out all the people he was not like, including the tax collector, he missed the fact that he was not without sin himself. Indeed, as Jesus suggested, he was so confident in his good works that he approached God fearlessly and gave thanks for his own righteousness. The tax collector, on the other hand, stood far off and couldn’t even lift his head. He was well aware of his own failings, his sinful heart, and his need for God’s mercy.

Jesus says that the tax collector, not the Pharisee, was the one who “went down to his house justified.” That is, he received the mercy from God that he sought. Why didn’t the Pharisee receive mercy? Because he didn’t seek it. All he could see were all the good things God had given him, all the blessings in his life, and it appears he didn’t think for one moment how much he didn’t deserve any of them. When he lists his righteous acts, it’s almost as if he’s explaining why God had blessed him and not the heathen taxman.

If you’ve ever thanked your boss or your company for your paycheck, you may understand where the Pharisee is coming from. Most people don’t do this, and we understand why. You may, out of courtesy, say “thanks” when your boss hands you the check. But it’s not really a sincere “thank you” because, after all, you earned that money. If you didn’t say “thanks,” he would still give you the check and not think the worst of you. He owes you that money and you don’t owe him gratitude for paying you. Indeed, if he didn’t pay you, you could take him to court!

We can be thankful that we have jobs, cars, houses, friends, family, all the things that we have. But we need to recognize that we have those things only because the Lord has been gracious to give them to us. And not because we deserve them. They are gifts poured out to us by His grace.

But most of all, Christian, we need to give thanks that, despite our sinful, godless, rebellious, unfaithful hearts, God has in Christ shown mercy to us. In Christ, we have the greatest gift we could ever ask for, and we did nothing to deserve it.

May that be at the core of our Thanksgiving today, and every day.