Punching Entitlement in the Face
The more I think about it the more I believe that the most powerful weapon God gives His people to fight dualism, entitlement, and hypocrisy is thanks.
Consider the apostle John’s transition from the story of Jesus feeding the five-thousand (John 6:1-15 bibrefjohn6 bibrefjohn6v1 bibrefjohn6v2 bibrefjohn6v3 bibrefjohn6v4 bibrefjohn6v5 bibrefjohn6v6 bibrefjohn6v7 bibrefjohn6v8 bibrefjohn6v9 bibrefjohn6v10 bibrefjohn6v11 bibrefjohn6v12 bibrefjohn6v13 bibrefjohn6v14 bibrefjohn6v15) to Jesus’ offer of Himself as the bread of life (John 6:22-34 bibrefjohn6 bibrefjohn6v22 bibrefjohn6v23 bibrefjohn6v24 bibrefjohn6v25 bibrefjohn6v26 bibrefjohn6v27 bibrefjohn6v28 bibrefjohn6v29 bibrefjohn6v30 bibrefjohn6v31 bibrefjohn6v32 bibrefjohn6v33 bibrefjohn6v34). Tucked into John’s description of the crowd’s movement from the “other side of the sea” back to Capernaum is a key repetition. John does not repeat the miracle Jesus performed, He repeats the thanks Jesus gave. “Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks” (John 6:23 bibrefjohn6 bibrefjohn6v23, see verse 11 for the first mention of Jesus giving thanks).
Thinking back over the story, as far as we’re told, Jesus is the only one who expressed thanks. The disciples don’t. The crowd doesn’t. The crowds follow Him because they wanted more bread, not because they wanted to express gratitude. They wanted to make Him King so that He could give them security not so that they could give Him appreciation.
The bread by itself wasn’t the problem. Jesus was glad to provide bread of both kinds, imperishable and perishable. He didn’t make them a meal in order to make them feel guilty on full stomachs. Thanks keeps the imperishable in mind while enjoying the perishable. Thanks fights dualism which says only the spiritual matters. But the crowd couldn’t recognize the distinction or receive the full benefits of either bread as evidenced by their lack of thanks.
Thanks also fights entitlement. The crowd didn’t get bread because they were great or because they deserved it or because He was obligated to meet their expectations. For us, thanks enables us to receive what He gives, even to seek provision from Him with a dependency that honors Him rather than with an self-referential expectancy. It is hard to be grateful and demanding at the same time. Pride buys entitlement a drink and sits down to commiserate. Thanks punches entitlement in the face (in the right way).
Thanks also fights hypocrisy. Take communion as one example. The point of this ordinance is not half-hearted, let alone hardhearted, participation. We fight against externalism, Pharisee-ism, going-through-the-motions-ism by stirring up and starting with thanks. And how much life, here and forever, we have to be thankful for at this Table.