We certainly have heard a lot lately about paying fewer taxes to our government, and nobody would complain about that. Obviously, everyone wants to keep as much money in their pocket as possible, but the money to fund our government has to come from somewhere.
Back in the days of Jesus, the Jewish people lived under the rule of the Roman Empire. Some of the Jewish people collected taxes for the Roman Empire, and some of these tax collectors became wealthy because they overcharged people.
They put some of the money in their own pockets, and that’s how they became wealthy. The Bible talks about one tax collector named Zacchaeus, who decided to become a follower of Jesus. He then volunteered to give half of what he had to the poor, and to pay back four times as much to anyone he had overcharged. Making Jesus a part of his life dramatically changed his behavior.
One day Jesus was asked if He thought it was lawful to pay taxes to the government. Jesus asked to see a penny, and then asked whose picture was on it. He was told that it was Caesar’s, so He then gave His reply: “Pay Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and pay to God what belongs to God.” They tried to trick Jesus into saying something wrong, but He turned the tables back on them. They didn’t want to pay taxes to Caesar, and neither were they faithful in paying tithes to God.
The Jewish people themselves had to pay what was called a “temple tax”, money that paid for the upkeep of the Temple. The disciples of Jesus were asked one day if Jesus paid the temple tax like everyone else. Peter said that He did, and apparently told Jesus about this. Jesus instructed Peter to cast a line into the lake and open the mouth of the first fish he caught. He told Peter that he would find a coin in the mouth of the fish, and that he should take the coin and pay the temple tax for both himself and for Jesus.
The apostle wrote in Romans 13 that we should be subject to the authority of the government. This seems to be a problem to some people today, but the Bible teaches that citizens should obey the laws of the land. As Peter explained in Acts 5, the only exception to this is when God’s law is in conflict with the laws of government. He said, “We must obey God rather than men.”
God’s people should be a good example to the rest of society, whether in paying taxes, obeying the speed limit, buckling their seat belts, or whatever. Most important of all, God’s people should be a good example of obeying the laws of God.
Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville. Everyone is welcome to attend. For information, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.