“6 And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s servants, continually attending to these tasks. 7 Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor.”
In our previous devotional, we answered the questions: 1) From where do earthly powers derive their authority, and (2) what is our responsibility in submitting to authority. An implication of submitting to those in authority over us is to obey their commands. Where does this impact daily life the most? In our wallets! If governments are to continue to uphold the law, punishing evildoers and praising the righteous, then they will need funding! The sword that the government carries costs money. Jesus also addressed the need for Christian’s to pay their taxes. The Pharisees ask Him this question, hoping to catch Him in a theological trap:
“Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Perceiving their malicious intent, Jesus said, “Why are you testing me, hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” They brought him a denarius. “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked them. “Caesar’s,” they said to him. Then he said to them, “Give, then, to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”” — Matthew 22:17-21
Paul says that in addition to paying our taxes and tolls to the authorities God has placed over us, we ought also to pay respect and honor to them. Jesus speaks to this as well.
“When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the temple tax approached Peter and said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” “Yes,” he said. When he went into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings collect tariffs or taxes? From their sons or from strangers?” “From strangers,” he said. “Then the sons are free,” Jesus told him. “But, so we won’t offend them, go to the sea, cast in a fishhook, and take the first fish that you catch. When you open its mouth you’ll find a coin. Take it and give it to them for me and you.”” — Matthew 17:24-27
Jesus explains that He doesn’t need to pay the temple tax, He is the very son of God! Yet, out of a respect for God, the temple, and the people charged with collecting the tax, He pays the tax, so as not to offend them. Paul speaks of paying both respect and honor to those to whom it is due. From the example Jesus sets in the verses above, it demonstrates to Christians that we should be willing to go out of our way in order to be completely blameless before others. To truly be respectful and honor those in authority over us means that we do not transgress their authority when we think they are not watching us. To act in a way that is respectful and honoring, we must be continually obedient, until the point that we are asked or demanded to do something that is contrary to the Word of God, only then would Christians be right to disobey our leaders, and appeal to God, the higher authority. For great examples of when to rightly disobey human authority and appeal to God, read Daniel chapters 1-3.