Noah wrote:Number Six wrote:[When they asked Jesus if he paid tribute to Caesar, and here was a group of people who were living poor, unlike many ministries today, he said that so as not to offend the tax collectors, that they should give a coin to the taxman.
The rest of the story....Matt 17: 25-26
....of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?...Peter said unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.... give unto them for me and thee.
Jesus and his group were strangers in the land. The tribute was just.
"Strangers" in what sense? They had all been born in the land of Israel. A "stranger" means a foreigner, so the Romans fit that definition. Due to the history of the land, and to no small part that the residents of Palestine at that time could not govern themselves, the Romans came in for security purposes and required tribute for what they were doing. John the Baptist told the soldiers who came to him to be content with their wages and to do violence to no one. Jesus commended the Centurion who showed faith, which infuriated the zealots who were hoping for a violent or supernatural over throw of the Roman "occupation". One of the reasons that Jesus was targeted by the Pharisees is that they feared that his following would reach critical mass and their version of "the law" and true religion would be swept aside.
But the problem for Christians today is applicability of the laws, which are to be obeyed and which are optional, which wrongs are moral issues and which are technical--is it a "mala prohibita" vs. "mala in se" distinction as some see it?
With taxes, all self-employed people are supposed to be in compliance in a number of ways, from income tax filings, to sales taxes, to licenses with posted notices and so forth. Ethically, as a Christian, is someone off the hook unless the tax man comes to your door or sends you a notice? Some people believe that, and try to make themselves uncollectable in case they are in a legally untenable relation to government. An audit of Jesus' ministry would have shown money only going to survival needs, and probably would have revealed that Judas was stealing from the money bag, as the treasurer. Then the real criminal would have been indicted.
'There are two kinds of injustice: the first is found in those who do an injury, the second in those who fail to protect another from injury when they can.' (Roman. Cicero, De Off. I. vii)
'Choose loss rather than shameful gains.' (Chilon Fr. 10. Diels)