This morning I heard on the news that the current tax bill in Congress was going to be a “great Christmas gift” to the American people. It made me wonder - What if Jesus decided to come back this Christmas. Would he agree with tax bill would it seem like a gift that honored his birthday?
We often forget that Mary and Joseph were traveling at the height of Mary’s pregnancy because of the census. The census was taken so that Caesar could properly collect taxes. One might say that they were on the road in the run up to an upcoming Roman tax bill.
As we hear about this tax I wonder if it will help working families like Mary and Joseph? Would they find themselves better off? If they did get more short-term income would they also be worried that they would saddle their children with future debt? What about the shepherds? Would they end up with money to buy a few more sheep?
From everything I am hearing in the analysis it seems clear that King Herod would be happy about the end of the Inheritance Tax, the Three Kings would get a break on their overseas investments and the Innkeeper would see his corporate tax rate go down from 35% to 21%. This bill seems to all hinge on the notion that these folks would take the money they receive and reinvest it. It assumes that if the innkeeper had extra income he would expand the inn, hire more folks and be able to offer an affordable room to the Holy Family.
In Luke 4 at the beginning of his public ministry Jesus enters the synagogue and quotes from the book of Isaiah saying,
““The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
This text framed the essence of Jesus reason for coming to Earth. I am not sure what Jesus would think about a trickle down economic strategy but I am clear how he would measure success. If this tax bill is going to be good news to the poor, if it will help former prisoners to re-integrate into society, if will offer health care and other services to those with disabilities and illnesses, if it will provide relief to those who are oppressed and on the margins…... If that is the kind of bill it is - well then it is a great Christmas. But if the bill puts the needs of Herod or the Innkeeper first, we should remember that neither of them welcomed the Christ child.
Many of our Congressions leaders are rushing to fit all of their votes in so they can get home to celebrate Christmas with their families. As they vote on this bill I hope they think of the Holy Family and be sure that their Christmas gift to the nation is one that the Christ child could celebrate.
