To Pay, Or Not To Pay…

It’s Tax Time! Yeah!!

 Yeah right.

What does Jesus say about paying taxes? Jesus said, In Luke 20:25, “…pay Caesar what is Caesars…”  I wonder, is Jesus endorsing the payment of taxes? Well, yes and no, and now you say, Huh? What? Does He or does He not? I’ll try to answer this, not so easy question.

The Pharisees intended to trick Jesus in picking a side; God or Caesar. Jesus was wise enough to see their ill intent.

Luke 20:21 “ …Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, (hmm, flattery) and You do not show favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: (v.22) Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” (v.23) But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Why do you test Me? Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?” They answered and said, “Caesars.” (v.25) And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are Gods.” (v.26) But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.

Wow! What a great passage. Not only did Jesus answer in such a way that He kept within God’s rabbinic (Jewish) law, He kept within Roman guidelines and “stumped” the spies sent by the Pharisees. I’m quite impressed!

A Wise King

God states never to make a graven image of anything in Heaven or Earth. Only our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is to be worshiped. In contrast, a denarius has a graven image of Caesar on the coin and claims his deity among the Roman gods. This is forbidden in the Judeo-Christian world (Exodus 20:2-6). However, the Roman political structure required tribute (taxes) paid to Rome. There was an infrastructure the Roman army set in place that did incur some operating costs. If Jesus had openly endorsed Roman taxes, He would be immediately attacked or stoned by the people. If He had stated that taxes were against God, he would have put Himself in jeopardy with the local Roman officials.

Jesus is more concerned with your soul. Your heart, your worship to God, your salvation, that is what you should give to God. The Romans wanted your money and servitude; for the most part, Rome didn’t care to involve themselves with local religions unless it led to some revolt against Rome.

Keeping What We Earn

Let’s face it, just as the Jewish people worked hard, we in this day and time, also work hard for our money. We should keep what we earn, right? Again that question does not allow for a simple yes or no answer. Yes, we deserve to keep most of what we earn however, I do believe Jesus would want us to do the right thing and never put ourselves in any legal peril unless it’s in direct violation of God’s law.

The other answer to the question is no. What?! Am I crazy for taking the side of the government tax laws? No, I do not believe I am. For the most part, our government has laws, including tax laws for the benefit of the people and if those laws are not what we would consider fair and equitable, we as the people have a chance to vote regarding such laws by going to polls and choosing a candidate that would represent us in a better manner.

However, for the most part paying our taxes is just good common sense. There was a time when a neighbor looked out for a neighbor. Churches helped the poor, the widow, the orphan. Sadly that is not always the case any longer and the government has had to fill those roles.

Cost of Living

For instance, there are vital services our society needs for our community to function correctly such as; the police, fire department, EMT and ambulance squads, road and street maintenance, water, sewer, refuse removal, snow removal, etc. These services also incur costs as well and must be covered so we may enjoy our lives.

We, as citizens of this country, have an obligation to report our income honestly and pay our fair share to support these services. As a type 1 diabetic of more than 40 years, I  have had to call an ambulance and EMT squad three times, and on one of these occasions, they saved my life.  I thank God often for these highly trained individuals who serve their community. Well worth every penny.

He Owns It All

We, however, are only stewards of this money. God who created the Earth and provides all that is in it, owns it all. Whatever the currency; dollar, peso, denari, or livestock, it’s all His. He initially set up a tithing system to support the Jewish theocracy that God established. Remember, at that time, the religious government handled it all. It’s all they had at the time after the exodus from Egypt.  One-tenth of each persons’ income was collected to give back to God and to support the Levites who were the religious leaders at the time.

So, does Jesus want us to pay our taxes? Yes. Does Jesus want us to honor and worship God while properly tithing to Him? Yes. However, only if they both honor God. God in Jesus’ day allowed the Romans to have dominion over Israel, so it would stand to reason, for our citizens to survive,  they had to pay the taxes of the local government. No gentile government is perfect. If the regime is oppressive, be patient and pray. God will change the circumstances in His timing. While the Romans or any other government are in power, they (we) must follow the rules. However, remember, God is the one in charge and Jesus is our King, our Lord, and Savior, never a government official. God’s got this.