Thanksgiving Is Hard
It seems that wherever the people of God are seeking more of Him and desiring to draw close to Him, the enemy is just as hard at work in the same exact scenario to draw our attention away from Him. Yesterday morning a friend texted me an interesting thought. Basically she posed the question: What if this whole romaine lettuce thing is a scheme of the enemy to strike fear in God’s people during the very time of year they are supposed to be focused on thanking and worshiping him? This immediately made me think of my recent study of Matthew 26. This is exactly what the enemy does. We don’t like to talk about it, but we do have an enemy eager to steal all that is good from the world. We can see his work clearly illustrated throughout Scripture.
As I read the opening of Matthew 26, I can’t help but notice the stark contrast in scenes. It opens with Jesus talking to the disciples, predicting not only his death but specifically that he will be handed over for crucifixion. In the very next verse we are taken to a new scene in a different location—the home of the High Priest, where he and the elders are conspiring to arrest Jesus. God is gathering and preparing His disciples in one scene and Satan is gathering and preparing his disciples in the next scene—all within four verses.
Immediately after we see Jesus proclaim his coming crucifixion, we are brought to a scene in which a woman anoints Jesus for burial. This stirs indignation among the disciples for what they view as waste. (John 12:1-7 gives tremendous clarity to this portion of the story for those who love a good cross reference.) Jesus condemns their judgment, asserting that she is preparing Him for the burial He had just warned them was impending. He goes as far as to elevate the woman, saying that she will always be remembered for this good act. At this moment, Judas goes to the chief priests and agrees to hand Jesus over to them. Just like that we have our second juxtaposition. This very good act that will bring eternal fame to the woman who anoints Jesus for burial, is the catalyst for Judas’ treacherous act which will bring him eternal infamy. Where God is doing and preparing good works, Satan is also at work.
My favorite revelation of this entire section of Matthew 26 comes in the closing line in verse 16: “And from that time he started looking for a good opportunity to betray him.” I love this because the very first line of the passage (vs. 1 and 2) tells us that Judas would betray him in two days—the night of Passover. Judas was looking for a time that Jesus had already revealed. The story they were playing out had already been written and the times were known and being made known to all who were involved. This kind of dramatic irony is why I find the Bible so compelling to read. Judas hadn’t made the decision to betray Jesus when Jesus relayed the details about the time and place.
In the following passage, we will see the Passover dinner play out and Judas will leave early to betray Jesus. (This we find in John’s account—John 13:27-30.) The entire time that the chief priests and Judas should be celebrating Passover, they are planning to slay the Lamb Himself. In fact, while the rest of the disciples are eating the final Passover meal that Jesus is declaring represents his flesh and his blood, Judas and the very highest priest are preparing the fulfillment of the final and perfect Passover meal. Here in this dramatic fulfillment of the salvation of mankind, one thing we can claim for full assurance is this: nothing that Satan plans for evil cannot and will not be redeemed.
It is Thanksgiving. The one day in the year that we set aside to truly meditate on all we have been given. And while we do all of our preparations for our big meal as the disciples did for their meal with Jesus, there is an enemy at work plotting the destruction of the day. Today I’m exceptionally grateful for this reminder. Because, with this little lettuce-induced reminder, I am on my guard. For me, it’s not fear that threatens my giving of thanks, it’s disappointment.
I feel disappointed about how my holiday plans are turning out. I feel disappointment toward friends and family who have let me down and, honestly, a little ashamed that those feelings of disappointment are overshadowing the beauty I see in those very same people. That’s a quick sentence I just wrote there, but there’s a very real and raw confession buried in those words. You see, God has healed me from soul staining unforgiveness in the past and it’s rearing its ugly head again. You know what heals unforgiveness? Remembering the lifetimes’ worth of debt that was forgiven and being grateful. Giving thanks for my own forgiveness helps me to forgive.
There are very few things that thanks giving doesn’t cure. So, this Thanksgiving I plan to keep my eye on the ball, and I’m side eyeing all of the distractions threatening to keep me from experiencing all God has for me today in the giving of thanks. The lesson I’m most grateful for in this Passover story is that the outcomes of all of those distractions are already written and in the hands of a gracious God who sees our struggles…who is masterful in His redemptive plans. Even if we are struggling to be grateful this Thanksgiving, there’s no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. He is a compassionate Father who sees us and hears us. No matter what schemes the enemy cooks up, it cannot keep us from His never-ending love.