"THE THINGS WHICH ARE CÆSAR'S"

Humanity in general is taxconscious. The rising cost of government, with the consequent impact on the pocketbook, causes dismay to many a household. In view of this distress it seems appropriate to take a look at the problem of taxation in the light of the teachings of Christian Science.

In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul urged willing obedience to law. He said (13:7 ), "Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom." And he added, "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." There should, then, be no fear or rebellion in one's thought in the preparation of tax returns or in the payment of the sums due. Love alone should govern one's thoughts and acts.

The only obligation, or debt, we really owe is to God. And our debt to Him is paid in loving and obeying Him implicitly and in loving our neighbor as ourselves. Why should we not love God? Is He not Life, the only Life? Were it not that God is Life and therefore the source of all true being, we should have no existence. God is Spirit, the only substance. We are in reality His perfect, spiritual image and likeness, reflecting His wholeness, His substance.

Man, God's expression, has all good. He is completely supplied with the only substance there is— spiritual substance, which cannot be lost, consumed, or claimed by another. We can demonstrate in our daily lives that we have by reflection of God the complete substance of divine Love, the substance of Life, Spirit, and Mind. As we grow in the spiritual knowledge of God, we can prove that nothing needs to be added to make being more complete, more abundant" more satisfying.

Christ Jesus always put God first and with his whole heart served Him alone. But even while doing so he did not neglect the orderly requirements of constituted authority. When the tax money for the temple was due, he paid it without making a great issue of it. At Capernaum, Peter was asked (Matt. 17:24 ), "Doth not your master pay tribute?" Upon hearing of this query, Jesus asked that a line be cast into the sea. He said that the money to pay the tribute would be found in the mouth of the first fish that would be brought up.

The Master consistently subordinated the temporal to the spiritual. Had he resisted the demand for payment of the tax, he would surely not have obtained the money for its payment from the mouth of a fish. Jesus obviously knew that substance is not matter or in matter, but that it is spiritual and universal. The supply of the tax money was in direct demonstration of the truth that spiritual abundance is infinite and ever present.

One's human evidence of plenitude flows directly from the spiritual consciousness of Spirit's infinitude. The human supply will not and cannot pattern the spiritual facts of unlimited abundance so long as one resists or fears the demands of legitimate governmental authority or indulges the habit of unjust criticism of those who, as our representatives, set the tax rate and collect the tax.

On one occasion Mary Baker Eddy was asked, "What are your politics?" She replied (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 276 ), "I have none, in reality, other than to help support a righteous government; to love God supremely, and my neighbor as myself." What better guidance could the genuine Christian Scientist have than to abide by his Leader's own practice!

We support our government with our earnest prayers through the recognition that the divine Mind is the sole governing authority and is present to guide the destinies of men and nations. As alert and conscientious citizens we maintain an active interest in the legislative processes and also support righteous government in the willing payment of taxes.

Jesus was once catechized by those who wished to trick him into denouncing Caesar, the supreme governmental authority. The Master asked them to show him a piece of money. He was handed a penny on which Caesar's likeness was engraved. The Master then silenced his critics thus (Matt. 22:21 ): "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Cæsar's; and unto God the things that are God's."

The greater our genuine love for God and man, the greater will be our demonstration of true substance, for love and substance are inseparable qualities of God. Our usefulness as citizens in helping to guide a nation to higher standards of conduct and to more economical administration of its affairs is proportionate to our understanding and expression of the quality of wisdom derived from God.

The more spiritually conscious we are of God's greatness, substance, and might, the more likely we are to find the supply for our tax needs in unusual places, even as Jesus found it in the fish's mouth.

Let us all be wisely interested in the support of righteous government. And as we remit our tax payments, may our thoughts be crowned with a sense of gratitude to God for His abundant goodness. Let us not give undue value lo material riches. Rather, let us honor God, infinite Love, with our whole heart, even while we "render ... unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's."