Tax Day in
the USA. Give to Uncle Sam the things that are his and to God the things that
are God’s. Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees, as written in Matthew
22:15-22, who were trying to trick Him into saying that the Jews didn’t need to
pay the Roman poll-tax, and thus they could hand Him over to the Romans for
punishment, or that they should only pay the poll-tax and thus be disloyal to
Judaism.
Then the Pharisees met together to
plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested.
They sent some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to meet
with him. "Teacher," they said, "we know how honest you are. You
teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don't play favorites.
Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or
not?" But Jesus knew their evil motives. "You hypocrites!" he
said. "Why are you trying to trap me? Here, show me the coin used for the
tax." When they handed him a Roman coin, he asked, "Whose picture and
title are stamped on it?" "Caesar's," they replied. "Well,
then," he said, "give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to
God what belongs to God." His reply amazed them, and they went away. Matthew 22:15-22 NLT
Jesus was so
wise. Likewise, we should be smart about how we handle our money. Pay our
tithe, taxes, take care of ourselves and our families, give to others, and save
for the future, but always trust in the Lord—who provides everything for us.
Training Tip – Get out some coins and dollar bills. Show your
children that the money says US currency (or your country’s name) and let them
read, or read to them, what is written on the coins and bills. If they don’t
know yet about taxes, show them on receipts from stores, gas stations and restaurants
that taxes are paid each time we buy something other than food. Then explain
that we also pay a percentage of our income as income tax. Due today. If you
have 100 pennies available to you then have the kids count them out and then
divide them into piles for tithe, taxes and spending pennies. You may even want
to divide the penny piles into housing, food, clothes, and fun categories. Of
course, those spending pennies will then be subdivided into money spent on
products and taxes.
Show your
children the money again and point out the “In God We Trust.” Ask them what
does “In God We Trust” mean? Remind them that we trust God to provide that
money for us. Pray and thank God for all that He provides for us.
Lord Jesus, just like You taught the Pharisees and
Your disciples, we give to our rulers what is due them and to You what is Yours—everything.
We praise You for who You are and ask for forgiveness of our sins_______; thank
you for everything You provide for us and for the way you are always there for
us when we call upon You.
All
scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise
noted.
© 2013 by Mickey
M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
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