TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK – Tax Day is Coming!
13 Then they *sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him in order to trap Him in a statement. 14 They *came and *said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not? 15 Shall we pay or shall we not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to look at.” 16 They brought one. And He *said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.” 17 And Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were amazed at Him.
Mark 12:15-17 (NASB 1995)
You may have already filed your taxes for 2021. If you did, about 30% of your payment went to support militarism and war. But if I refuse to pay my taxes, there are severe consequences. And didn’t Jesus support the payment of taxes to the government when he said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s”?
Many people quote this verse to support payment of taxes like a good citizen without asking questions about how it will be spent. But is that really what Jesus is saying?
There are several clues that Jesus’s answer shouldn’t be taken at face value. First, don’t forget who is asking the question and why. Some Pharisees and Herodians had been sent to Jesus by the Chief Priests for the specific goal of trapping Jesus. Second, remember that the Chief Priests and Herod’s people were in power only because they agreed to be in league with Rome. They had already made their choice about who–Caesar or God–had their allegiance. So Jesus’s answer isn’t really about whether his followers should pay taxes. In the end, his answer affirms that all things belong to God–and especially human beings that bear the likeness of God; and nothing (except the coin) really belongs to Caesar and Rome. God, not Caesar, is deserving of our allegiance.
His questioners understood him clearly, and later twisted his answer into an accusation when Jesus was on trial before Pilate. They claimed that Jesus was “subverting our nation, opposing the payment of taxes to Caesar” (see Luke 23:1-3).
So, should followers of Jesus blindly pay taxes that support militarism? Why or why not?
Each day (except Sundays) during Lent, we will post a Scripture for reflection on our theme, “Military Withdrawal.” Together, we will learn to walk in God’s ways of peacemaking and reconciliation. These posts are meant to stimulate conversation and interaction. Please post your thoughts and comments.
Tongue on Fire 