Most of us don’t like to pay taxes. We learned that, Timothy Geithner, the new Treasury Secretary of the Obama administration had failed to pay his $34,000 taxes. I think this is problematic, given that he is the boss of the Internal Revenue Service. Two other nominees, Tom Daschle (for secretary of health and human services) and Nancy Killefer (for a top budget post), had to withdraw their nominations over their unpaid tax matters.
Historically, taxation is a very touchy issue. For example, the Boston Tea Party of 1773 was a result of the British government’s attempt to collect taxes on tea which was very popular (and expensive) at that time. The Bostonians led by Samuel Adams boarded the three British ships and dumped about $2 million worth of tea into the harbor. It was their direct rebellion against King George of Britain. Historians believe that this event was a precursor of the American Revolution.
The Jews in Jesus’ time hated paying taxes to Rome and understandably so. The Empire collected the money from the Jews to maintain its military force which was then used to oppress them. The money was also used to finance the opulent lifestyle of the Roman citizens who enjoyed fun and games. No wonder they hated the taxes and considered the local tax collectors as traitors.
One day, some religious leaders came to Jesus to ask a question in order to trap him in his words. They asked him, “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Why was this question a trap? If Jesus said that they should pay taxes to Caesar, they would call him a traitor. On the other hand, if Jesus said no, they would hand him over to the Roman Governor with the charge of rebellion against the Empire. They thought they had Jesus in a perfect trap this time. They were so sure that they began the conversation by flattering Jesus with a smug on their face.
What did Jesus say to them? But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Mt 22:18-21)
Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” Jesus did not say that it was okay for them not to pay taxes to the Roman government. On the contrary, he taught them that they had to fulfill their basic duties to state and to God.
We Christians have duel citizenships. We are citizens of the kingdom of God. We are also citizens of a nation in this world. We have basic duties toward our nation such as paying taxes and obeying the laws. St. Paul teaches us in Romans 13:6-7: “This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” We should not ignore these obligations to the state as long as they do not infringe on our obligations to God. Then we can be a good influence to others.
More importantly, Jesus says we must give to God what is God’s. Private property rights are at the heart of capitalism. So we tend to take for granted that whatever we have in this world is ours. But we learn from the Bible that God is the true owner of everything (Dt 10:14), because he is the Creator God. All the mountains and hills are God’s. All the oceans and rivers are God’s. Our life is a gift from God. Our life is not ours. Our children are not ours. We’ve been appointed as the stewards of God’s creation. We should not be like the evil tenants in the parable of the tenants (Mk 12:1-12). We should give to God what we have when he says to us, “the Lord needs it” (Lk 19:31).
What does it mean to give to God what is God’s? We must bring our offerings to God as an expression of our thanksgiving to him who provides us with everything we need (Dt 12:11). The Bible says that we rob God when we fail to bring our tithes and offerings to him (Mal 3:8-9). But no matter how much material things we bring to God, they would not mean anything to God unless we offer our hearts with them. We can give our love to him. Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” We can give our hearts to God.
How can we overcome our selfish nature and greed so that we can give to God and give to others? First, we must know what God has given us. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” We can say that Christianity begins with the word “give.” God gave his one and only Son to be our Savior. Jesus’ life in this world was literally a life of giving. Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Finally, Jesus gave his life on the cross to forgive our sins. The apostle Paul grasped the meaning of giving and quoted the words of Jesus in Acts 20:35: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
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