In this season of Thanksgiving, we are especially mindful of everything we are grateful for. Interestingly, there are several passages in the Gospels that specifically mention Jesus giving thanks. Because He is our perfect example, we can learn from Him. In today’s passage, Jesus gives thanks for God’s plan.
In Matthew 11, Jesus begins by reassuring the imprisoned John the Baptist, then issuing a strong statement in support of John. He then forcefully denounces the cities Bethsaida, Chorazin, and Capernaum. Then in verse 25, Jesus gives thanks for the way God’s plan of salvation works.
“At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.” Matthew 11:25
Depending on your translation, it may read “I praise You, Father.” If so, that doesn’t negate the point. There is an inseparable connection between thanksgiving and worship. (Actually, that may be a good topic for another day.)
Jesus thanks God that He is sovereign over every aspect of salvation.
Our redemption plan existed in the mind of God before anything was created. God promised a savior as soon as sin made its entry into the world. He protected that bloodline throughout the reign of the kings and Babylonian captivity. He preserved the life of Jesus and His family when Herod sought to wipe them out. Jesus was providentially protected from angry crowds until the precise moment God’s plan was ready to be realized.
Further, God superintended the recording of the written Word. He ensures that the Gospel goes out. He arranges conversations and connections. He directs the Holy Spirit to help us hear, understand, and receive the gospel message.
Jesus thanks God that salvation is not based on the world’s metrics.
What a blessed reality that salvation is not limited to those with status or power or wealth! God’s plan means we don’t have to be born in the right kind of family. We don’t have to have a specific kind of education or belong to a particular group or demographic. In fact, anyone who relies on those factors, or believes he or she is somehow “pre-qualified” for heaven because of wealth or works or birthright will miss out.
Jesus thanks God that salvation is available to anyone who humbly realizes their need.
In the Gospels, there are several occasions when Jesus compares those with a humble faith to children. Children aren’t afraid to ask for what they need, to ask someone to provide what they cannot. Further, they aren’t ashamed to receive. To receive salvation, we must recognize that we have absolutely no way to obtain it unless we simply receive what is offered.
Jesus said in Luke 19:10 that He had come to seek and to save the lost. We need to be thankful every day for Jesus’s willingness to come accomplish our redemption. And like Jesus Himself, we can be thankful for God’s plan, for His sovereignty in bringing it about. We can also be thankful that salvation is available to anyone who recognizes they have a need.
This season, while you’re offering thanks for God’s care and provision, follow Jesus’s example and include thanks and praise for God’s plan.