Nazi! Nazis in Jerusalem? Maybe that term is too harsh when describing the Roman occupation of ancient Israel. But then again, there are a lot of similarities. I'm sure historians would find many differences between Hitler's Nazi Storm Troopers and The Emperor's Tenth Legion, but on the other hand, the Nazis and the Romans had a lot in common. Both were unwelcome conquerors who used overwhelming military might, especially over smaller countries, and both kept unwanted occupation troops in the land to maintain peace.
The Nazis, like the Romans, used local puppet rulers to do their bidding, and both had to fight a constant battle with underground freedom fighters who were trying to free their country. Jesus lived and ministered in this hostile environment, and so did the Jewish tax collectors.
Tax collectors, also known by their Latin name "publicans," were looked upon as traitors to their country. They were Jews who contracted with Rome to collect a given amount of revenue for their district, the amount of which was set by their Roman rulers. Anything they got above their quota was theirs to keep. As is obvious, such an arrangement, called tax farming, left the door to corruption wide open. To make bad matters worse, the tax collector was given broad powers to ensure success at his task. For instance, in his book The Master's Men (Abingdon Press, New York, Nashville, 1959) p.15ff by William Barclay we read, "The first century Jew had to pay also a number of occasional taxes that were not only expensive but irritating and degrading. He paid a purchase tax on all that he bought and sold, bridge money for crossing a bridge, a tax for using a road, a tax for his cart and wheels, on its axle and on the beast that drew the cart. The collector of taxes was an amalgam of customs officer, bailiff and collector for a finance company. He could stop a man anywhere and demand to see his goods. He could strip off his clothes or force him to pay impossible sum of money, then offer to lend him the money at an exorbitant rate of interest."
"Jesus left that place, and as he walked along, he saw a tax collector, named Matthew, sitting in his office. He said to him, ‘Follow me.' Matthew got up and followed him." Matthew 9:9 Today's English Version. It seems that this man, a lowly tax collector, must have been chosen by Jesus as an example of what depths God is willing to reach down to offer a hand to fallen mankind. In his book Gospel Characters (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids Michigan, 1976) p.67, Leonard Griffith writes, "Needless to say, customs officers and tax collectors were the most hated members of Jewish society; not only hated but ostracized and cast out from Jewish society. People treated them like moral lepers and denied them all the privileges of citizens. They were not permitted to serve either as judges or as witnesses. They were refused entrance to the synagogue. They were regarded as criminals. They had no friends except among other crooked characters like themselves, and those were not friends but partners in crime. Decent people would not associate with them, and a religious teacher would not be found talking to them. Surely, Matthew was the last man whom you would expect Jesus to choose as a disciple."
After his call to be a disciple, Matthew and many of his tax collector friends entertained Jesus in his home (see Mark 2:14,15) and a few days before his crucifixion Jesus befriended Zacchaeus, a Jewish tax collector of Jericho (see Luke 19:1-9). It was after their encounter with Jesus that these former collaborators with the Nazi-like occupiers of Israel became revolutionaries that truly turned the world upside down---and did it without spear or sword!

Blessings in your study of God's Word!

Marvin Hunt

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Blessings!
Marvin Hunt

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