What does Jesus Think About Paying Taxes?

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Image by 401K via Flickr

In the next article, or chapter, on the topic of what God thinks about governments, this one’s about taxes. Christians area forever hearing from their leaders that they should be good citizens –so far, so good– and that they should obey the law –okay, that would be a very qualified agree– and that they should always pay all the taxes they owe.

Okay, still so far and still so good. Mostly good, but not 100%, okay?

They’re always pointing to Romans 13.

Well, for every verse that somebody uses to tell you to obey all the laws all the time, and that says something VERY un-Christian like we should all support what our country does because it’s our country (an actual quote from the 2008 campaign from an ordained Baptist minister running for president (looking at you, Huckabee!).

These are blind leaders of the blind. Paul and James were severely beaten for preaching in the name of Jesus Christ, and they were ordered to shut that up about Jesus Christ, and they said, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)

Whoa! Wait a minute! There was a U.S federal judge who actually told a school, okay, you can have an ecumenical prayer, but if you utter the name of Jesus Christ, you will go to jail. I’m not making it up. In the United States of America, land where the Constitution says Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion.

Judges are not supposed to make that kind of laws either, and no kind of law in fact.

But that’s not the best part! Here comes taxes!

Matthew 17: 24 ¶ And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?
25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?
26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.
27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

Pay attention there. Jesus gave a lesson about tax collectors. He let them say the point that the children of the tax collectors don’t pay the taxes. And why did he tell the disciples to go ahead and pay them? Was it a spiritual lesson about obeying the government? No way Jose! What he said was, it is not worth the effort and the distraction to fight them on this tax thing, go ahead and pay it! But go fish for it, go collect it, go see where God tells you to find it so you can pay it.

I can see some guy reading this who works for the IRS, maybe even a collector, and protesting that their kids do pay taxes. Well, maybe so, but seeing as how Americans love “democracy”, and they have these “Congressmen” that make the tax laws, those guys and their bosom buddies are the ones who don’t pay taxes.

It just came out a couple of days back, in fact, that a lot of the Congressmen who voted on the tax code, and their staff that worked on it, actually owe a bunch of back taxes right now. And now we find out that employees of the federal government owe BILLIONS in back taxes, BUT the IRS is prohibited from collecting from them or grabbing it from their paychecks.

In Jesus’ day, the tax collectors themselves decided how much you were going to pay them, and the Romans didn’t care as long as they got their required tribute.

Today, these Congressmen pass the laws, and certain friends help them write it in such a way that the same rich folks who vote for Big Government politicians and keep saying they want us to raise taxes on the rich (them), they hide great gobs of money from the tax man.

It’s okay, because they are the tax man, and not only that, they keep saying to tax the rich. Talk about $250,000 often enough and they won’t notice that they guy who signs your paycheck doesn’t have the money to pay you anymore because the middle class doesn’t have enough to invest anymore.

So much for taxes.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. (Matthew 23:14)

Stay tuned, because next I’m writing about the money changers. Those are the guys that do the devouring. These are the guys that finance the mortgage guys that get the blame for devouring widows’ houses.

http://www.thefamilyinternational.org/en/viewpoints/relationship-god/40/

For those who might not really get it, here is a takeaway: Jesus does not like taxes, because tax collection is never fair, because it is sinful human beings who tell you what to give, and all taxation begets corruption.

 

Related articles

• HE loves You, Flaws and All (heatherdawkins.com)
• A Character Portrait of Christ (jesuscarriesme.com)
• TurboTax – Video: How to Get Rid of an IRS Tax Lien (turbotax.intuit.com)
• What the Bible Says About Taxes (verticalviewer.wordpress.com)
• Accommodating ( by Carley Evans ) (obsecrations.wordpress.com)
• Jesus Loves Sinners (communionwithjesus.wordpress.com)
• Repenting on behalf of the church (celinegabrielle.wordpress.com)
• Is Christ Jesus God? Answers From Ignatius(ca.30-107 A.D) (withalliamgod.wordpress.com)
• Jesus as socialist-Nyet (truebook.wordpress.com)
• Jesus as socialist-Nyet (trutherator.wordpress.com)
• Matthew 16-17 (mybiblereadingplan.wordpress.com)
• John 4 (mybiblereadingplan.wordpress.com)
• 1 John 2:18-28 (briancoatney.com)
• No Hope without Jesus Christ – Part 3 (godsbreath.wordpress.com)
• Day 1 (truebook.wordpress.com)
• A Bad Topic (kbhall.wordpress.com)
• “Many tax collectors and sinners were sitting with Jesus” (worryisuseless.wordpress.com)
• A Pharisee, A Sinful Woman, and the Savior (brakeman1.com)
• Video: What are Income Tax Rates? (turbotax.intuit.com)

Advertisement