Recently I wrote a tongue in cheek appraisal of the
superficial way politics and religion are presented on Facebook. My point was that the confluence of the two
topics on our favorite social media platform usually takes the form of pithy
(and too often awkward and not so pithy) slogans proclaiming, among other
things, that Jesus was a hippie who commanded His followers to pay their
taxes. I’ll leave the first point for
another time, but Jesus’ attitude toward taxation does deserve attention
now. When I first started seeing
variations on this theme popping up on my newsfeed, I was a bit confused as to which
verse of Scripture was being referred to.
After a while I finally figured out they’re talking about when Jesus
told the Pharisees to “render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God
what belongs to God.” (Mt. 22:15-22, Mk.12:13-17, Lk. 20:20-26) Those who quote this passage are usually
trying to justify big government social programs, and the need for higher taxes,
especially on higher income earners. No,
I didn’t get it at first, but I’m a bit slow on the uptake, especially when
Scripture is being twisted beyond recognition.
I had trouble figuring it out because this reading has been
used to justify both the paying of taxes as well to justify their conscientious
withholding. For example, I know someone
today who is in trouble with the IRS for not paying his taxes. He’s not one of the 1% and he doesn’t have
any off shore accounts. Truth be told he’s not evading anything; he’s pretty
open about his refusal to file a return.
He won’t pay federal income taxes because some of the money goes to fund
the military industrial complex. He has no problem with food stamps and
Medicaid, but predator drones and cruise missiles are another story. The way he sees it there is a line to be
drawn in how much Caesar should be cooperated with before it infringes on the
proper way to serve God. Is this how I
would put into practice the Gospel if I were subject to federal taxes? Probably not, but this line of thinking is
not unprecedented in Christian thought, especially among Christian
anarchists.
In light of this, what did Jesus mean by His words on
taxes? There is divergence of opinion,
as we have seen, but to understand it we have to take this passage in
context. Jesus is being confronted by
adversaries trying to trap Him in controversies. Pharisees didn’t believe that taxes should be
paid to Rome since they went to support a foreign occupying force. Herodians were essentially Jewish collaborators
with the Romans, who supported the tax.
If He said go ahead, pay the tax, the people would turn against Him. If He said no, you shouldn’t pay them, then He
would be in trouble with the Roman authorities.
This was not the only time Jesus was being cornered by opponents, and as
usual His response was to turn the tables on His accusers.
After He’s questioned about whether taxes to Rome should be
paid or not, Jesus asks to see a coin.
On it was the image of Tiberius Caesar, the emperor. The fact that the Pharisee had a coin in his
possession said two things. First, that
he was already participating in the economic and political life of occupied
Judea, cooperating with the Romans. He
was sharing in the benefits of Roman commerce, and rule in general (think roads
and aqueducts), so he shouldn’t gripe about paying taxes to them. Second, he could be accused of blasphemy
because the Romans claimed the emperor was divine, so such coins represented
graven images in the traditional sense (thus the need to exchange them for
Temple currency before entering the sacred space). If he was so indignant at the situation he
would never have had that coin on him to begin with. The money has Caesar’s image and
inscription, it belongs to him. If you
are active in the economic life of the community, sharing its benefits, unless
you plan to go off and join a commune in the desert, pay your taxes and shut
up.
Jesus is not making any comment on what the upper marginal
rate should be, what the role of government is in supplying a social safety net
or what limits there are to cooperating with the secular authorities. What Jesus does here what He always does in
these situations; He changes the conversation.
He is not going to be drawn into political or religious controversies. When asked about the legality of
divorce, He tells them to read Genesis to see what God intended from the
beginning. When the woman caught in adultery is presented to Him for stoning, He
tells the crowd to examine its own conscience.
When a person approaches Him, asking Jesus to force his brother to give
him his share of the family inheritance, He tells him to avoid avarice. When Peter was questioned about the payment of
the Temple Tax, Jesus pretty much tells him that they shouldn’t have to but to do
it anyway for appearances sake.
The Gospel has political implications, this is true. But Jesus leaves the details up to us. If we should avoid one thing, it is the
absolutizing of political positions, identifying them with moral precepts. The Scriptures seem to indicate that Jesus
bristled at such things. We form our
conscience, allowing the Gospel to influence our entire life, both public and
private. It may lead us to take the
difficult stand, like my friend with the “tax problem.” It may lead us to more of a compromise solution. But what Jesus is calling all of us to faith
and honesty, about ourselves and about the world we live in.
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