Should We Pay Taxes?

In Matthew 17 Jesus makes a pretty bold statement. Some IRS agents (okay, not really, but they were tax collectors) came up to Peter and wanted to know if Jesus intended to file his 1040. Peter immediately says "yes" - which is typical of Peter - speak first and find out the answer later.

Later he finds Jesus and he makes this pretty bold statement:

"What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the dearth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others? And when he said, "From others," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free."

The implication is clearer to us than it was to Peter. Since we are sons of the King of Kings we are exempt from the petty taxes collected by kings from their subjects. Right?

Read on:

"However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself."

My simple point for today is that for Jesus it was more important to follow the law than make their freedom so much of a point that those tax collectors might actually miss the really important point, and that is that everyone has the opportunity to become free from sin by becoming a son in God's family.

We should never use our freedoms in Christ in a way that might cause someone else not to follow Christ. Do a search, the letters from the Apostles are full of examples where we are encouraged to follow even stupid laws and be law abiding citizens and tax paying citizens so as to be good examples and possibly lead people to faith in Christ.

Pastor Tom