Two things are sure--death and taxes. We pay plenty of taxes for sure. No wonder the Pharisees used taxes to try to trap Jesus, everybody hates paying taxes. But in many ways, we are better off than the Jews in the first century. At the time this confrontation with the pharisees took place, the tax collector had lots of power. Let's say you were the proud owner of an ox and a cart. The tax collector could stop you, charge a tax on the ox, a tax on the cart, a tax on the contents of the cart and even a tax on the wheels!
We need to pay taxes to support our government, and scripture supports this understanding. But don't you wonder sometimes how our taxes are used. It was John Adams who said, “In my many years I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two useless men is a law firm and three or more is a congress.” Mark Twain: “Suppose you were an idiot. Now suppose you were a member of congress. But then I repeat myself.” The comic Will Rogers, “I don't make jokes, I just watch the government and report the facts.” We laugh because sometimes our frustration with government threatens to get the best of us. But we have the words of Jesus and so we pay our taxes, we render unto Caesar what is Caesar's.
We need to pay taxes to support our government, and scripture supports this understanding. But don't you wonder sometimes how our taxes are used. It was John Adams who said, “In my many years I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two useless men is a law firm and three or more is a congress.” Mark Twain: “Suppose you were an idiot. Now suppose you were a member of congress. But then I repeat myself.” The comic Will Rogers, “I don't make jokes, I just watch the government and report the facts.” We laugh because sometimes our frustration with government threatens to get the best of us. But we have the words of Jesus and so we pay our taxes, we render unto Caesar what is Caesar's.