What Would Jesus Vote?

Taken from Facebook, originally posted to Life by John on February 17, 2016.

Is it a crazy thought that Jesus both advocated for paying taxes to Rome, with it's imperialism and military-industrial complex, and encouraged his fellow citizens of Israel to submit to the higher, unauthorized, tyrant powers of Rome, yet simultaneously encouraged his brethren to give of themselves to the poor and needy, to clothe the naked and feed the starving?

Could it be possible that voluntarism AND paying taxes to government powers that we disagree with are both the responsibility of Christians, and that we're supposed to give glory to God in both?  Could it be possible that Jesus was not an anarchist or a socialist, because he believed that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, and not some distant utopia meant to be crafted by men on a hill?

And lastly, could it be that if Jesus were a citizen of the United States, he would say to the refugees and to the illegals 'let all those little children who would, come to me', and then promptly tell them to pay their taxes and encourage them to 'go the extra mile' for those who oppress them?

Picking and choosing lines from Jesus is what people do when they want to shame other people for their beliefs and manipulate their political point of view using religion. Squabbling like Christ's teenage disciples. Perhaps the solution is to focus inwardly, render to Ceasar, owe no man anything but love, feed the hungry, and simultaneously be wise stewards over the gifts we've received, searching the mountains for one lost sheep and scouring the house for one lost penny.

Individual responsibility, social voluntarism, and civic duty are not mutually exclusive concepts. Society collapses when people try to pick one as their overarching principle at the expense of the other two, and you can see people advocating with extreme prejudice for one, neglecting the other two, who all go to church together and worship the same Jesus. Crazy.