Taxes: Kindom Currency

 Money!

I have visited many a widow who has her dining room table set up for the sorting and answering of mail. There is a pile of requests from non-profits and organizations telling of the great work being done and asking for money so that they can continue. Some of these women, at the end of each month, would sit down with the requests and their cheque books, sending $20 to this cause or that cause until their budgeted amount, plus any extra money left from their own expenses at months end, was donated to help others.  

 

Let us consider taxes. Imagine a world where there are no taxes. Consider the pile of financial asks that you would receive. Services requesting donations would include: police and fire service, infrastructure- roads and such, health care, education, meteorological data centres, garbage collection, snow removal operators, drug and vaccine procurement, water and sewer systems, libraries, parks, defense contractors, disaster relief, public radio and media, environmental protection agency, department of agriculture, pension plan, courts and justice system, and so on…

Sitting at your table, cheque book in hand, or computer to send e-transfers, how many of these financial asks would you donate to?

 

The reading from Isaiah talks about Cyrus the king of Persia and how God used Cyrus  - who worshipped another god, a foreign king – as an appointed servant to work God’s purpose. Without getting into the story the Empire was part of God’s vision, and in its time and place, was a redemptive force. If Empire can take this roll, can money and taxes be redeemed?

 

We know enough about Jesus and Jesus’ teachings to understand the currency of Jesus’ words, “Give to Caesar that which is Caesar’s and to God, the things that are God’s.” For weeks, and a few more to come, we continue to read kindom parables and teachings. By now it should be clear that God’s kindom was, is, and will be: the gift of a lush abundant vineyard; a wedding banquet with tables overflowing with abundance, invitations delivered far and wide.

When Jesus replies to the question of taxes, Jesus doesn’t give a prescription. Jesus gives a reminder that all abundance and material is a gift created and given, from in the beginning when God created the heavens and earth.

 

Deep down we don’t like Jesus’ reply very much. Jesus, just tell us what to do. And while you are at it, let’s keep money, business, and our worldly affairs separate from religion, faith, and God.

There is not much separation in the story this morning. In fact, worlds are colliding. The Pharisees – a group of quiet religious types who spend their days discussing the Law among their own and harbour strong resentment to Roman occupation, team up with the Herodians - a group of politically entrenched and aspiring Judeans who are pro-Roman. Traditionally the Pharisees and Herodians are not on the same team, anti-Roman and pro-Roman stances polarized the people. The sides draw together religion and politics.

Jesus’ response acknowledges the complexity and interconnectedness of human life. A person can not live life outside of society, Empire, and culture. No matter one’s religious affiliation, beliefs, or faith practices, they are lived out in the world – inseparable.  

Jesus’ response expands the inseparability of life from religion and culture by returning to the beginning, before humankind. Life is an interwoven web of relationship brought to life through the currency of Creator’s breath and word. Separation is impossible because all began as gift, all is already God’s and kindom.

As I said earlier, I appreciate the pairing of the gospel with the story of Cyrus. The idea that even Empire can be redeemed and work together for common good. Empire’s ability to bring kindom to the now is mind-blowing. There is enough God-material in the very essence of the created to breakthrough oppressive human structures of power and authority and for it to align with God’s purpose. This is revolutionary for the hearers of Jesus. And revolutionary for us too. Do you live in the abundance of kindom already gifted? Where all that we have, all that we are is sacred and holy? Do you act and live from this truth?

Ideally, the better part of ourselves wants to say ‘yes,’ and agree full-heartedly. But it doesn’t take much for the ways of empire to overshadow our best intentions. The always present kindom appears to us only sporadically because of our fogged-up vision.

All that was, all that is, all that will be is God’s abundant kindom.

I know that is not how we experience what is around us and within. We hear of wars and rumours of wars, there is sickness and poverty, there is slavery and oppression, there is violence and death, there is anxiety and stress, greed and self-importance. There is no peace.

And Jesus’ response … All that was, all that is, all that will be is God’s abundant kindom.

This is the radical nature of the gospel. It completely turns upside down what we think we know. All has been accomplished, all is finished, all is ready because Emmanuel, God-with-us, not only gave all in creation, but became incarnate to redeem oppressive human structures and suffering brought on by the ways of empire. The Spirit continually comes to dissipate the fog that continues to cloud human vision and heart and action from living with gratitude in the abundance and wholeness of God’s present kindom.

 

Could it be that Jesus’ poignant response on taxes  -  on money – is revealing once again the redemptive nature of God in and through all things?  Consider taxes as a currency redeemed.

I read an opinion piece where the author interpreted taxes as working God’s purpose. They suggested that taxes remind us that our possessions and money are not and never were our own. Taxes redirect us to embrace living life abundantly; an abundant life does come about through material wealth or property.

 

Taxes, on their best day, are an expression of the Empire acting for common good, distributing goods and services for a whole municipality, province, or country. In merciful redemptive agency collective items that otherwise would not get funded, projects too big for one or two, people who would be forgotten, receive lifegiving resources. There is abundance.

We live in Empire where taxes can be this source of revenue to provide abundant life, and where the other side of the coin uses taxes as a mechanism for subjugating people. Taxes – money – is full of complexity. The Pharisees and Herodians are mixed up in the complexity. Even though it is against religious law, they are carrying coins engraved with the Emperor’s face and words to the effect that the Emperor is god. They are

participating in the empire economy, complicate, because they are able to immediately produce a Roman coin when Jesus asks for one. All of them whether willingly or because they have no choice, pay taxes.

Taxes, in Canada, although often causing complaints, questions about fairness, transparency, opinion of spending – they are a currency. Here the currency brings components of wellbeing, inclusion, wholeness, justice, community.

If empire, if government, works towards taxes that which reflects kindom principles, kindom currency --- is this not Jesus holding a coin out to us? Asking us how are we with money? With it do we purposefully further the kindom with the thoughtful and faithful use of each coin?

 

We live and work in that which was created and gifted from the very beginning. There was and is abundance.  All that was, is, and will be, is holy and redeemed.  What is described as your money, your possessions – are holy currency. Use ‘the holy’ you have been given to expose God’s abundant kindom.