A Tea-Party for Tax Day

Today, April 15, is that dreaded day known as "Tax Day." If you have not filed your income tax return for 2008 by midnight tonight, or have filed for an extension, then you will join a long list of people known as tax-evaders. It is a law in the United States that everyone pays an income tax.

I have often been asked if Jesus paid taxes. The Bible tells us that He did. In Matthew 17:24-27, Jesus and His disciples had hardly time to get settled into their accommodations in Capernaum, when Peter was approached by the collectors of the temple-tax. He was asked if Jesus paid the required tax for the upkeep of the temple. Peter replied that Jesus did. Then Jesus invites Peter to go fishing and upon catching the first fish he should open its mouth and find enough money to pay the temple-tax for both Jesus and himself.

On yet another occasion, Jesus was confronted by a group of Pharisees and Herodians who desired to entrap Him. They asked Jesus if they should pay taxes to Caesar or not. Now we need to remember that the Roman government certainly was not one of the most popular. Tiberius Caesar had done his share to antagonize the Jewish people in Judea. His government was full of corruption, and Tiberius himself was often under a cloud of suspicion. Why should I pay my hard-earned money to keep a government in power with which I strongly disagree?

Now, before we look at Jesus' response, let's put this conversation into a contemporary setting. Should a Christian pay his or her taxes? I don't know about you, but I cannot whole-heartedly endorse what this present administration is doing. I am strongly opposed to the concept of a government that is spending itself into bankruptcy yet does not recognize that danger. I am strongly opposed to a government that has used my hard-earned money to bailout those who knowingly made wrong choices. If I am penalized because I make a wrong choice, then should not others suffer the same consequences? Because I have these feelings should I just refuse to pay my taxes?

Well, what did Jesus say? Show me the coin used for paying the tax. ... Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription? ... Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's (Matthew 22:19-21). In other words Jesus says, "The coin bears the mark of the Roman government. Then give that coin to the government when it is demanded of you." The Apostle Paul would echo this with these words to the Romans: 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... (Romans 13:6-7).

But today, April 15, has been declared TEA Party Day, and throughout the country hundreds of thousands of people are meeting in community centers, on state capital grounds, in civic centers to protest the misuse by the government of our tax money. Many have been encouraged to send a tea-bag to their congressional representatives and even to the White House. This day is predicated upon the famous Boston Tea Party of 1773 in which, to protest the increased taxation on the Colonies by the British government, hundreds of boxes of tea were dumped into Boston Harbor. Many historians believed that this act ignited the American Revolution. Could such a "tea party" today lead to a similar revolution? Could such a public demonstration get the attention of our nation's leadership and remind them to be fiscally responsible with the taxpayers money? I guess time will tell.

I trust you have paid your taxes, not only as an act of obedience to a governmental edict, but also as an act of obedience to God. And I also trust you will consider the grassroots effort to hold government more accountable for your tax dollars. I believe both could be a strong testimony of our relationship with Jesus Christ.