Should We Pay Taxes?
Paying taxes is a part of life, unfortunately. I have a picture above my washing machine that says, “Nothing is certain except death, taxes, and laundry.” Truer words have never been written. At various times in the world’s history, the payment of taxes has been a hot button issue. The time of Jesus was certainly one. The people who lived around Jerusalem paid an exceedingly high percentage of taxes to fund all the building projects Herod erected to make himself famous. This is why the question from the Pharisees’ disciples was intended as a trap. To declare the taxes unjust would anger the Romans and start a riot. To side with the Romans and their constant pillaging of the peoples they conquered would turn the crowds away from Jesus. Again, Jesus showed us that we don’t have to attend every fight we are invited to.
Does God care about whether or not we pay our taxes? One might argue that, in the grand scheme of things, paying taxes falls very far below our spiritual wellbeing. While this is true, we have an obligation to obey the laws and people God allows to govern us – even if we don’t agree with them. Romans 13:1-2 clearly tells us, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” Verses 6-7 add, “For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.”
As an American, it has been ingrained in me to resist corrupt governments. The idea of submitting to an unworthy authority rubs against my sense of right and wrong like sandpaper. However, I cannot argue with scripture. Only a fool would try. It helps settle me that these words were written by Paul at a time when the authorities he preached to obey were pagans who hunted down and executed Christians like himself. If Paul can submit to such an authority, what right do I have to argue? Now, I believe there are exceptions that even the apostles followed. Acts 5:40-42 tells us, “His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” This was to fulfill Peter’s declaration of verse 29 in the same chapter which was, “We must obey God rather than men!” God must always come first. We must not place man or man’s laws above the Lord’s. However, in matters that do not affect salvation, we are commanded to obey the authorities placed above us.
Does God care if we pay our taxes? Every word we say and every action we do speaks to others about our God. If we ask ourselves what Jesus would have done, we can clearly see in today’s reading that he declared, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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