Spirituality Column #784

November 23, 2021

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Hungry for Thankfulness

By Bob Walters

"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." - John 6:11, Feeding the 5,000

Since Thanksgiving is so much about eating, let’s look at the small boy who gave up his lunch of “five loaves and two fishes” so Jesus could “feed the 5,000” (John 6).

For openers, let’s understand these were not big, rich loaves of boutique bakery artisan bread.  Nor were the fish plump salmon, marinated and grilled with seasonings and garlic butter.  Nor was the boy wealthy or overladen with an excess of food.

John 6:9 tells us that Andrew told Jesus, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will the go among so many?"  Think of five small biscuits and a couple of smoked smelt or maybe sardines.  They wouldn’t “go far,” and barley, remember, was the cheap grain of the poor.

The small boy on the one hand needs to be sainted for his generosity, but on the other, it’s a great lesson of kindness and compassion for its own sake, not for reward, gain, or recognition.  Note: nowhere does anybody thank the boy for sharing his lunch. 

Jesus gave thanks, but it was to God for the miracle He was about to perform that the hearers might come to know God the Father by His Son Jesus, the Bread of Life, “the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:33).

In summation, the boy’s small, humble gift allowed Jesus to glorify God.  Our gifts matter.  We should all – and always – seek to do the same. 

And when we do, to praise God, find joy, and be thankful for the opportunity

Also on Thanksgiving, consider the blessing and importance of our giving thanks, and of Jesus giving thanks, and God teaching us all to be thankful … all the time. 

Why is thankfulness a blessing?  Because thankfulness is a joy-generating, God-ordained human quality of humility and grace.  Thankfulness is a really good look.

Thanksgiving, the holiday, is mostly a civil affair as opposed to a traditionally religious affair.  Only a few churches have Thanksgiving Day services and when you try to look up traditional Thanksgiving holiday church hymns … the list is pretty short.

Thanksgiving of course is a civic metaphor for God’s grace and provision, but most people think of it, if they think of God at all (too many don’t), as a time to thank God for the good earthly things He provides.  We thank God for family, our homes, our being taken care of, our nation, our love, our “stuff.” I.e., “things that make us happy.”

Instead, we should focus and invoke our best thanks for our joy.

You see, I always assert that “happy” is different from “joy.”  I like to say that happy is a symptom, but joy is a condition.  Happy is usually about “my comfort and situation right now.”  Joy, at least the true joy I’ve found, is about doing things for others. 

And remember, Jesus came to humanity not to be happy, but for the joy of saving God’s creation, sacrificing Himself, and glorifying God. 

Thanks, when you think about it, is always directed at others, never ourselves.

Thankfulness done right makes us less greedy, more charitable, and facilitates God’s two greatest commands: to love God and love others.  When we are thankful, we are joyful – we can’t help it! – and that is a great, relationship-building gift of Jesus.  And more than simply obeying God, we nurture our own joy, ease our pain, and grow in our appetite and appreciation for Christ’s peace.  That’s a wonderful hunger to have.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) figures that our mantle of thankfulness makes us more loveable to each other as well.  Every little bit helps.