In Jesus’ day there wasn’t a much more reviled occupation than “tax collector.” It wasn’t so much out of a general distaste of all things IRS as you might see today, but more because the system was rigged for tax collectors to game the system, which they did. It was made worse when tax collectors gamed the system against their own kind, such as a Jewish tax man collecting from Jewish people.
For that reason you see the title “tax collector” frequently used in the New Testament as a pejorative, representing not only the worst end of the sin spectrum with the likes of prostitutes and sinners but also used as the epitome of bad as seen in phrases like “even tax collectors do this.”
The tax collector reputation of the New Testament gives us an intriguing dynamic to consider from our perspective today. Scripture shows us how people loved to revile the tax collectors, were seemingly given permission to revile. And yet Jesus not only showed love to tax collectors (such as Zacheaus) and lifted them up (such as the tax collector at the altar), He even pulled one into His inner circle (Matthew).
So does this mean we need to find an IRS agent to hug or take to lunch? That’s certainly not a bad idea and might be one of the best moments of grace that agent will have ever had. Probably the more poignant application, however, is to think of those in your life who are a challenge for you to love. Or perhaps think of those people in your life whom you feel you have permission to dismiss. To offer an example, for me it’s those who appear to lack initiative or discipline. I have little mercy for those in a dire mess due to their own laziness or bad choices.
Or maybe the “tax collector” dynamic in the New Testament is to get us to think about the people whom we feel it’s okay to be rude to. Again to offer an example, for me it’s telemarketers and tech support agents whose dialect I cannot understand. At times I’m sure that my interaction sounds as though I’d never heard of the gospel message, let alone seek to live it and teach it.
In both of these situations I feel that I can so easily be the Pharisee in Luke 18 who looked down on the tax collector, thanking God that he was not like him. That is a dangerous place to be.
Yes, the date April 15 sounds like its own pejorative, the cuss word of dates. But maybe today can be a day we bring Jesus’ tax-collector interaction into our daily lives, showing gospel love to those who are a challenge to love, lifting up those we are tempted to dismiss.
And if you’re thinking, “I wonder how I’d do on a short quiz about tax references in the New Testament?” then here is a fun quiz for you. Click here!