Text: Matt 17:14-27
In the name of + Jesus. Amen.
Sts. Dorcas, Lydia, and Phoebe served their Lord and their church from within their holy vocation of womanhood. As is often the case, women provide hospitality, charity, works of mercy, and financial support for the work of the church. And as Christians, this sacrificial offering of time, talent, and treasure is not coerced. It is not based on the Old Testament law of the tithe, nor are such works done to earn God’s grace – for we already have that!
Taxes, on the other hand, are a bit trickier.
Jesus said to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt 22:21). Of course, it is all God’s, and so the Christian’s life is one of loving service to the Lord. But we do live in the world, and those who serve us in various capacities need to be paid. And so, taxes should be a voluntary payment for services rendered. But in our fallen world, taxes are compulsory, and are collected by force. And fallen men with that kind of power are seldom exempt from the temptations of power and riches that can be had by twisting arms and threatening people.
Our Lord’s enemies tried to attack Him by asking Him about taxes. For if He supported paying taxes, people would think of Him as part of the corrupt Establishment. If He opposed taxes, He would draw the ire of the government, and perhaps be arrested and executed as an insurrectionist.
Notice how our Lord threads the needle, appealing neither to the brute force of the Law, nor to an unlawful rebellion against the authorities – which have been established by God (John 19:11, Rom 13:1). The tax collectors “came to Capernaum” and asked Peter, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” Peter answered simply: “Yes.”
Jesus teaches Peter using the Socratic method, asking him, “From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” Peter replied, “From others.” Jesus concludes, therefore, “the sons are free.” As Christians we are sons and heirs of the king. We do not owe the state’s taxes, especially in this fallen world. We are free. And we should be free to pay based on what is right, based on services used, based on what is the best use of our resources for the kingdom, rather than to be subject to tax collectors, who were often grifting by skimming for themselves. Some things never change!
But Jesus nevertheless encourages a kind of turning of the other cheek in the matter of taxation, “not to give offense to them.” Jesus provides for us to pay the taxes demanded. It is a matter of faith that we pay our taxes so as not to “give offense” and give an excuse to be accused of rebellion. We can render to God the things that are God’s more effectively from outside of a jail cell than within. And our obedience (within reason) to government officials also demonstrates that our Lord’s kingdom is indeed “not of this world” (John 18:36).
In His kingdom, we don’t offer God taxes to keep Him off of our backs. Rather, we offer Him our very lives – as did the holy women Dorcas, Lydia, and Phoebe – cheerfully (2 Cor 9:7), as a thank offering for what He has freely given us in His kingdom: forgiveness, life, and salvation!
Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment