Both the Old and New Testaments provide insight into taxes and our canceled debt

TRADITION!! Tax Talk and "Fiddler on the Roof" believe in tradition. Thus, today's Easter Sunday message will explore the Bible and its take on taxes. A Tax Talk tradition!!

Some folks think reading the Bible and/or the Internal Revenue Code fall into the category of tedious and tiring tasks. Rick and Ken's approach to these themes — in today's effort — is to provide readers with insights, ideas and, perhaps, inspiration.

Tax Talk: The Internal Revenue Code has three elements that acknowledge the value of knowledge

King Solomon — an Old Testament "wise guy" — was recognized as a king of peace. He levied the Tenth-Tax on residents as a way to handle the kingdom's expenses per I Kings 4:7. As accountants, our favorite Old Testament book is Numbers, which reports a First-Born Tax that was a mandatory and set amount (Numbers 18:15-16).

In the New Testament, Jesus often sought out tax professionals and even personally paid taxes as depicted in Matthew 17:24-27. "When Jesus and his disciples came to Capernaum, the collectors of the … tax came to Peter and asked, 'Does your teacher pay the … tax?' 'Of course,‘ Peter answered." The story continues with Jesus giving instructions to Peter to "go to the lake and drop in a line; pull up the first fish you hook and, in its mouth, you will find a coin worth enough for my … tax and yours; take it and pay them our taxes." In a oft-quoted verse, Jesus affirmed it is possible to meet tax obligations and serve God: "… give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and give to God what is God's" (Mark 12:14-17).

Jesus also countered a prevailing negative judgment about tax collectors who handled unclean foreign currency (with pagan symbols), worked for far-away governments, and evidently charged more than was fair in order to fatten their money pouches. The Savior did not see tax professionals as beyond redemption. When Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, promised to give half his possessions to the poor and to repay what he overcharged fourfold, Jesus declares that salvation has come to his house (Luke 19:1-10).

In a visit to a local tax office, Jesus personally called a tax professional named Matthew to follow him. When questioned about why he shared meals with tax collectors, Jesus aligned himself with another profession (physicians) that handled unclean things, by declaring, "People who are well do not need a doctor, but only those who are sick" (Matthew 9:9-13). It is fascinating that Luke (a doctor) and Matthew (a tax collector) were disciples who experienced the compassion of Jesus and wrote two of the four Gospels.

St. Paul checks in with some positive strokes about taxes and its collectors in Romans 13:6-7. "This is also the reason that you pay taxes, because the authorities are working for God when they fulfill their duties. Pay, then what you owe them; pay … your … taxes and show respect and honor for them all."

As Christians, we believe Jesus canceled the debt caused by our sins by dying on the Cross. Past Tax Talk columns described monetary debt cancellation as a taxable event. The death and Resurrection of Jesus was remarkable, redemptive and completely free to us with only one condition — that we follow His path along life's way.

Ken & Klee's Tax Notebook

With the April 15 filing deadline about two weeks away, the Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers how to avoid common errors that may delay possible refunds. The recommended actions involve double-checking names, birth dates, and bank account and routing numbers on the return. The IRS mandates a response to digital asset questions and encourages electronic filing. Next week's Tax Talk column will focus on the benefits and burdens of filing for the automatic six-month extension available to individual taxpayers.

Tax Talk is an outreach service of the Notre Dame-Saint Mary’s College Vivian Harrington Gray Tax Assistance Program (TAP).

Rick Klee served as the tax director at the University of Notre Dame from 1998 through August 2019. A retired CPA, Klee is a graduate of Notre Dame. You can contact Rick at rklee@nd.edu.

Ken Milani, a professor of accountancy at Notre Dame, co-founded the TAP and served as its faculty coordinator for 39 years. Contact Ken at milani.1@nd.edu.

E-mail questions to either.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Explore the Bible and God's handling of taxes