Digest of Biblical Civil Law

Jesus’ famous line on paying taxes is “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mark 12:17) What is less well remembered is the reason Jesus called out both the political and the religious leaders who asked him about whether you should pay your taxes: Jesus “knew their hypocrisy.” (Mark 12:15)  Pledges not to raise taxes are dumb and hypocritical.  We need taxes to run the government, and we need government because it does things no individual or even organization can do on its own.  Don’t be a hypocrite. Pay your taxes.
- Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, “A Tax Day Bible Lesson,” The Washington Post, 4/15/2012, at http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/a-tax-day-bible-lesson/2012/04/15/gIQAv3YCKT_blog.html.