June 24: A Tax Collector Walks Into A Bar

The Bible mentions tax collectors many times especially in relation to Jesus in the New Testament. We might think, "big deal, Jesus ate with some short guy from the IRS who climbed a tree," or "so what, the first book of the New Testament is attributed to a guy who was familiar with the 1040 form." Well, it was a big deal. Tax collectors were generally hated in Jesus' day, and probably for good reason. In fact, here's a few jokes that people in Jesus' day may have told....

Israelite 1: I've got good news and bad news. A boat with 150 tax collectors on it sank in the Red Sea yesterday.
Israelite 2: Awesome, so what's the bad news?
Israelite 1: One of them survived.

Israelite 2: What's the difference between a tax collector and an onion?
Israelite 1: What's that?
Israelite 2: Nobody cries when you cut up a tax collector.

Israelite1: What's wrong with tax collector jokes?
Israelite 2: I dunno, what?
Israelite 2: Tax collectors don't think they're funny and no one else thinks they're jokes.

So, why the loathing for these folks? Well, to start with, nobody enjoys paying taxes, but there was a lot more to it. During Jesus' time, Rome occupied Jewish lands. The tax collectors were Jews collecting money for Rome from other Jews. The way they made a living was to add "a little extra" to what they were collecting, and many added more than a little. In other words, they were seen as dishonest traitors who cheated innocent countrymen in order to enrich a foreign nation (while lining their own pockets). To top all of this off, the tax collectors totally disregarded Old Testament teachings about money. In a society based on these teachings, this was a big deal as well.

Okay, so how does this apply to us? I'm guessing you don't know many tax collectors and that you don't despise the ones you do know. But, who is the first person that pops into your head when you think about people you don't like? Would you eat lunch with them? Do you pray for them? Do you love them? In Matthew 5:44, Jesus tells us "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

Here is a challenge: Pick a person that you really don't like and pray for them every day for at least a week. Think of something nice you could do for them and then see if you have enough courage to actually do it.