Wait. What. It's Over? What do you mean there is no more pecan (pronounced pe-kahn) pie? I'm not quite ready for "Santa Baby" or "The Christmas Waltz"! Nor am I ready for the inundation of commercials about things that could wind up in a yard sale this spring. Have I turned into a curmudgeon? 
Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas...at Christmastime!!! I don't know about you, but Christmas moods for me usually happen about 2 weeks before the actual day. Yes, we do now have our lights on the house, and our tree is up. I love both of these and Tammy and the girls do a great job with them! But some of the other things could wait. I suppose, that I just don't want to get burnout or suffer from Christmas overload as the day nears. And how many times do we really need to see "It's A Wonderful Life"?
Regardless of my feelings, or how much I may elaborate on them, the Christmas season has hit with a fury. And as Charlie Brown has bemoaned every year since 1965, it has become more and more commercial. Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, yesterday's Cyber Monday, and today's Giving Tuesday all elude to the fact that there is indeed a momentous financial aspect to the season from October 31 - January 1. The 4th quarter has become so lucrative that some businesses bank their entire year on the success or failure of those last 3 months.
With each transaction, there is joy at just the right gift purchased, a bit of sadness in saying goodbye to hard-earned money, and in the background, if you listen close enough you can hear the satisfied sounds of a government that has just gotten their piece of the pumpkin (or insert your favorite dessert) pie. Yes, friends, that sound you hear is one entity that we don't consider much at this time of the year...
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It is the lead song to The Beatles' 1966 album Revolver. Never released as a single, "Taxman" reflects a significant departure from the sounds that brought The Beatles ("The Beatles" a Tuesday's Musical Notes search) to prominence. Gone are the sounds of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You". Those are replaced with lyrics that make a comment on the times, a harder tone in the guitar, and blues riffs from the bass, as evidenced by "Taxman".
George Harrison (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Got My Mind Set On You" (George Harrison), Tuesday's Musical Notes - "The Light That Has Lighted The World" (George Harrison)) stretches his songwriting muscles and shows that it's not only Paul and John that can bring out a thought set to music. John provided some lyrical assistance. How much that contribution was, depends on which of The Beatles you ask. Apparently, Paul and George were in a "falling out" time, so Paul had nothing to do with the lyrical content of "Taxman".
Taxman was the first song by The Beatles to feature any kind of social commentary. It was written from the perspective of the person who collected taxes, the "Taxman", an insidious being who was taking everyone's money. The motivation behind this particular "protest song" was that The Beatles individually were facing bankruptcy in 1966. You read that right. The Liverpool Lads, the Fab Four, the most successful band of all time was looking at the prospect of being broke. Their financial plight was due to their ascension to the highest tax bracket in England at the time. As such, all of their revenues were subject to a 95% supertax rate on top of the taxes they were already paying. "...Here's one for you, nineteen for me..." Shake hands with Mr. Value Added Tax (VAT), brought to you by the 1964 election of Prime Minister Harold Wilson, whom Harrison called out in the song.
"Taxman" served as a model for the protest songs of the late 60s and winked at another icon of the time, the theme song to the TV show Batman. Can you hear it? "Taxman!!!" It also served to further solidify the disdain for agents of the government who are employed to make sure that we pay our "fair share"... "Taxman" serves as a reminder that success, like magic, can come with a price...sometimes a price that we are willing to pay but is more than what we might imagine.
Up to this point, Jesus had gone around the northern Israel area of Capernaum and the Gallilee region. As He traveled He gained followers (disciples) and instructed an inner circle (apostles, as many as 4 or 5, but not all 12 that we will soon meet). He was serving folks by healing their illnesses and even raising the dead to life. He was gaining followers by doing the miraculous activities He did and the incredible illustrative stories (parables) He was telling. Most of all Jesus was attempting to explain a concept with which the people in Israel and even some of the foreigners in the region were familiar...repent, return to God, come back to the Lord your God and follow Him. Jesus began instructing folks on who He was as He even went one step further and proclaimed that the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Enter Matthew, the taxman. Of the apostles, it appears that Matthew was the only businessman. ("What Were the Professions of the Twelve Apostles?" by Erin Martise, updated November November 9, 2021, at theclassroom.com) As a former business manager, I resonate with Matthew and am drawn to his story in particular. OK, he's my favorite apostle...I said it! Matthew's story has been poignantly told by the team of creatives who have produced the TV series about the apostles, The Chosen. Check out Matthew's calling here: "Jesus Calls the Misfit Tax Collector" from The Chosen season 1 or start from the beginning and binge The Chosen at https://watch.angelstudios.
As a taxman, it is seen through the narrative as well as the video that Matthew was not liked very well by those whom he "served". If Matthew was representative of the taxmen of his time, he took advantage of the folks in ways that were acceptable, perhaps even encouraged, by the Romans. However, among the Jews in his "care", Matthew was seen as a sinner and ostracized by his people. Because of his legal profiteering, he was disliked by Jews as he was seen as a puppet for the Roman invaders This antipathy for Matthew was so severe, he was kept from worshiping in the temple.
And then Jesus calls the taxman. The tenor of all of the Gospel accounts leads us to believe that Matthew did not hesitate in following Jesus. He left his tax booth and went. He gave up a lonely, yet profitable, life to be a follower of an itinerant teacher who was changing the lives of those who followed Him. Matthew's calling, that of a taxman, is viewed by those who already maligned Jesus and caused them to sneer at Him even more.
Then Jesus does what no Jew in good standing would do. He goes and eats not only with this taxman, but has Matthew invite anyone else to his home for a banquet. Can you imagine the circle of folks that Matthew knew? Remember, his kinsmen had all but excommunicated him because of his position. In all likelihood, Matthew's guests would have included taxmen, as well as other unacceptable outcasts from the ranks of Jewish society, and perhaps even a few of the Romans with whom he had associated.
This party did not sit well with the religious rulers. They wouldn't confront Jesus to His face but began "murmuring", as the Amplified Bible puts it, to Jesus' disciples. Why would Jesus hang out with these folks? And Jesus, either because He heard them or because in His deity He knew what they were saying, gave them an answer that they didn't like much. Again from the Amplified Bible: "...And Jesus replied to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but [only] those who are sick. I did not come to call the [self-proclaimed] righteou
Here's the point for us today. There is NOTHING that you have done in your life's history that keeps Jesus from desiring YOU. He wants you to believe in Him and become a disciple of His. It is as simple as that. All through the Gospels, we see Jesus embracing, physically and spiritually, thieves, lepers, prostitutes, convicted murderers, and yes as we see today....at least one taxman...and then bearing witness to their changed lives. That's how you tell a disciple...is there definable ways their life has changed because of their encounter with Jesus. How about you believing friend? Are you the same as you were before you declared Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Reflect on your life change, it'll be good for your soul.
So what did following Jesus cost this taxman? By following Jesus, Matthew, the taxman, lost worldly profits but gained heavenly treasures. By following Jesus, Matthew, the taxman, lost his association with the Roman government but gained an association with the saints of glory. By following Jesus, Matthew, the taxman, became a missionary to Ethiopia and lost his life by impalement and beheading, but gained an eternity future where God resides and Jesus reigns.
"Let me tell you how it will be..." Following Jesus comes with a price. But the Bible promises that price will not go unnoticed. Nothing is keeping you from Jesus today, but yourself. "...Now my advice to those who die..." Choose the gift of eternity future with Him and God the Father, through Holy Spirit's calling to your soul. Even if you are a...."Taxman"!!!
'Til Tuesday,
Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
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My daughter, Kristen, and I have started a YouTube channel. It's called Cross & Kin. It's a channel devoted to entertainment media and commentary by us and you. We have 2 episodes loaded so far and would love for you to check them out. You can find the first one here: Cross & Kin episode 1
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