One of my favorite films is "Meet Joe Black." It's about Death taking a holiday in human form, portrayed by Brad Pitt. In one scene he makes a fuss over the saying, "Nothing in this world is certain but death and taxes." Hilarious as the scene is, it points out two inevitable realities, realities not even I can ignore - unless I transform into a Brad Pitt look-alike and have the power of Death, which I doubt will happen anytime soon.
Rejoining the world as an average-class working man, I am faced with the reality of taxes once more. Amplified through the loudspeakers, our moderator makes us regret ever learning subtraction in school. Yes, with all the "benefits" that are deducted from our salary, it would be more lucrative to sue everyone instead. Or how about deducting our salary from our taxes? Invented originally to create equality in society, the ancient rulers of the world used taxes to expand their empires, support their armies and provide for their people. The rich people quickly found the loopholes in tax laws, so the poor people ended up being oppressed to this day.
Jesus didn't worry about taxes. He lived with his parents for the most part. When he set out to live on his own, he essentially lived "off the grid" - a freelance guy. When he was charged for the temple tax, he reluctantly gave a coin from the mouth of a fish. When he was consulted about taxes, he simply said, "Give Caesar what is Caesar's and God what is God's." Of course, Jesus was convicted falsely and was executed at 33, so Christians usually ignore that chapter of our Lord's life. The Apostle Paul was a tentmaker, and said "Those who do not work, do not eat." Thus, he lasted longer than the other followers of Jesus, who preferred to be bums.
I like quoting the first part of the verse "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." The verse was quoted by Jesus during his forty days of fasting in the wilderness, where he out-quoted Satan. Satan was basically saying that Jesus had the power to turn stones into bread to feed himself, and Jesus essentially replied by pointing out that God decides if we get stones OR bread. Mankind did not create itself. I prefer saying "Man shall not live by bread alone, but we still need bread." Dangerously close to being Satanic, we must understand the realities of the world. Like the Apostle Paul, we have to play by the rules to join the club.
God ultimately has the last word, of course. Death is the curse we inherited from Adam and Eve - who chose to be independent from God, with a deteriorating mind and body plus mortality, rather than being blissfully united with God, with unlimited potential and immortality. Jesus came to earth, died, and rose again to tell us that happy days are here again. Through our faith in Jesus we are given life with God forever.
I have been to too many funerals. The question that goes through most mourners' minds is "Why?" The question that goes through my mind is "Why wasn't it me?" As Gandalf mused in The Lord of the Rings, "Many who lived deserved death, and some who died deserved life." Indeed. Christians in ancient times faced persecution willingly because of a life beyond life. They knew that as long as Jesus is their Lord, they would be like a seed that dies in order to truly live.
Interestingly enough, some death row inmates prefer their quick execution than face what seems like forever in a substandard environment like prison. "The Chamber," a book by John Grisham (which later became a movie) focuses on such an inmate. The cycle of hope and disappointment the inmate faces whenever a new lawyer comes to defend him proves too much, and the inmate welcomes the reprieve of death. This is also the case with suicides and "mercy killings" and abortions - a hope and disappointment magnified to an extent that murder and death seem "good". To a lesser degree, alchoholism and drug addiction are similarly self-destructive and similarly justified - justified incorrectly.
I have been at the edge, and have on occasion agreed that "maybe six feet ain't so far down," as the song goes. I've tagged myself somewhere between "psychotic" and "suicidal" at times, but by God's grace I drank poison only AFTER learning how magicians drink poison. I've muddled the discrepancy between "fasting" and "starving" so many times, the light at the end of the tunnel burned out. God still wants me to hang around - to give a coin to a beggar, to have a front-row seat at the Apocalypse, or to write a blog - whatever.
As the Apostle Paul said, "To live is Christ, to die is gain." Which means, if we Christians live, then we have a chance to serve God, and work and pay taxes and LIVE. If not, then we get to live WITH God. Forever. Which is better. But only God knows when that will be. Literally and inevitably.
