To not give an offense

Matthew 17:24-27

This is one of the statements my dad often repeated, taxes and death are two things we all must encounter.  While living in Spring, Texas, we found out that taxes are not always fair, but it a wise man who pays what is owed and a foolish man who listens to someone who says, you will not have to pay that tax, even if he is a lawyer.  We lived in a sub-division that lost its developer in an accident and the silent partner, a saving & loan, was left holding the bag for a 500 home sub-division, and at that time only four or five houses were built.  They built 10 more houses and when that did not go as planned they devalued the lots that were not built on so that the tax burden would be less, and by doing so they could no longer meet the three million dollar note being paid to the bondholders at 15%.  My taxes went from around $2,800 to over $6000.00 per year an each year we were told that they would double, but have no fear the ad hock attorney assured each of us, on the board, that it was in the best interest of the community.  Like blind sheep we followed his lead!  This is what I came to understand; it was not our community he was referring to but the community of bondholders and bond sellers.  So I did not pay my taxes that year and guess what they fined me, and I ended up paying both my taxes and the penalty.  It was at this point that a godly man rebuked me and told me to give to Caesar what is Caesars’ and to God what is Gods’ and I paid my taxes.

The point is that the tax guy is going to win, so pay up and you will be dollars ahead. Jesus has just come into Capernaum and the collectors of the half-shekel tax went to Peter an asked; “Does your teacher not pay the tax?”  He said, “Yes.”  And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth 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. 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.”

As I read this, I put myself in Peter’s shoes and being somewhat an entrepreneur, I would have kept fishing, but not Peter, he obeyed the Lord and paid the tax.  You understand it was a tax to support His Father’s house, and Jesus had Peter do it to not give offense to these tax guys.  What did Peter learn from his hook with no bait, he learned that Jesus Christ is all-sufficient; now it is your turn, what did you learn?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice