Thanksgiving
Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada. Our church is currently going through the Gospel of John in all age groups in a 40-day period we call Encounter. The weekend sermons are from that gospel and many of us are doing directed daily devotionals in John at the same time.
Today’s devotional was based on the account of Jesus walking on the water John 6:16-24, but also comparing the account in Mark 6. The event of Jesus walking on the stormy sea happens the night after feeding the 5000, as the disciples row hard to get across Galilee. The story of Jesus feeding the 5000 is one of the few events recounted by all 4 gospel writers. In each of them he takes the few loaves provided and gives thanks. Then they are distributed to the hungry people and fully satisfy them with plenty left over.
But on this Thanksgiving Day, I noticed that John is unique in how he refers back the event. He notes that people had noticed that Jesus had not gotten into the boat with his disciples the previous evening. And they go back across the sea in boats looking for him “near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.”
Interesting…. Not “eaten the bread the Lord had miraculously multiplied.” Not “provided so abundantly that they wanted to force him to be king.” But, “eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.”
We know that no word of scripture is without purpose. And we know that John, in particular, wrote his gospel “that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God…” (John 20:31) So what is the significance of him drawing our attention to the “thanksgiving” aspect of this miraculous sign?
I don’t actually know, but some things have occurred to me. One is that when we take the little we have and offer it to the Lord with thanks, He will do amazing things with it. Giving thanks acknowledges that everything comes from him. When we give thanks for our little resource and then begin to act like it will be enough, we are expressing faith. We are, in effect, saying, “I believe the Word you gave which says that you have given us all we need for life and godliness.” You are confessing, “Lord I am not among those you will condemn as disobedient, ungrateful and unholy.”
Today’s devotional was based on the account of Jesus walking on the water John 6:16-24, but also comparing the account in Mark 6. The event of Jesus walking on the stormy sea happens the night after feeding the 5000, as the disciples row hard to get across Galilee. The story of Jesus feeding the 5000 is one of the few events recounted by all 4 gospel writers. In each of them he takes the few loaves provided and gives thanks. Then they are distributed to the hungry people and fully satisfy them with plenty left over.
But on this Thanksgiving Day, I noticed that John is unique in how he refers back the event. He notes that people had noticed that Jesus had not gotten into the boat with his disciples the previous evening. And they go back across the sea in boats looking for him “near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.”
Interesting…. Not “eaten the bread the Lord had miraculously multiplied.” Not “provided so abundantly that they wanted to force him to be king.” But, “eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.”
We know that no word of scripture is without purpose. And we know that John, in particular, wrote his gospel “that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God…” (John 20:31) So what is the significance of him drawing our attention to the “thanksgiving” aspect of this miraculous sign?
I don’t actually know, but some things have occurred to me. One is that when we take the little we have and offer it to the Lord with thanks, He will do amazing things with it. Giving thanks acknowledges that everything comes from him. When we give thanks for our little resource and then begin to act like it will be enough, we are expressing faith. We are, in effect, saying, “I believe the Word you gave which says that you have given us all we need for life and godliness.” You are confessing, “Lord I am not among those you will condemn as disobedient, ungrateful and unholy.”
posted by lornewel at
2:09 p.m.
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