Login / Signup

Free Access

James Jacobs, Taxman

Children's Story
James Jacobs hated the story of Matthew the tax collector. James was convinced that story was responsible for at least half the problems he experienced today. Whenever people asked him what his work was, James would mutter "I work for the government," and try to look mysterious so that folk would think he was in Intelligence and bound by the Official Secrets Act.

It hadn't always been like that. When he started work in the tax office, just after leaving school, James had been very proud of his job and told everybody about it. But he soon noticed some odd reactions. As soon as he spoke the words, "Inland Revenue," some people glared at him in disgust and walked away. Others laughed in derision and began to mock him. And some became very angry and started to berate him because they so resented paying their income tax.

James often wondered how they thought the country would run without income tax, but he soon stopped asking that question. People became very irate whenever the word, "tax" was mentioned, and James quickly realised it wasn't worth the hassle.

The problem, he thought, probably stemmed from the New Testament, where tax collectors were given such a bad press. Even though in this story Jesus called a tax collector to be one of his special friends, in the story of Zaccheus (Luke 19:1-10) the tax collector was made out to be some sort of thief who fleeced the poor in order to line his own pocket. Until, that is, he met Jesus and repented. And that was the story every one remembered. Consequently, it seemed to James all tax collectors ever since had been tarred with the same brush. Even though they were only doing their job, it sometimes felt like the whole world seemed to regard them as public enemy number one.

At least the story of the calling of Matthew the tax collector very quickly moved on to the healing of the woman with a haemorrhage and the raising of the little girl who was thought to have died. When those stories were read, James discovered most people concentrated on the healings and forgot the calling, and that suited James very well.

Then he began to wonder why Jesus had called a tax collector. Perhaps, like every group of people, Jesus and his band of disciples needed a treasurer or an accountant. But strangely enough, Matthew hadn't been the treasurer. James remembered reading that Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus, had been the treasurer.

How interesting, James thought to himself, that it was the one who dealt with the money who became the traitor. Then he felt glad that the tax collector hadn't handled the money, for from the time he met Jesus, Matthew had been a good, solid, reliable disciple.

Perhaps, thought James, money is always dangerous because with money we can have anything we want. Maybe, he found himself thinking, that New Testament story wasn't about one calling and two healings but about three healings. Perhaps after meeting Jesus, Matthew the tax collector was healed from the terrible desire for money.

James thought about himself and his own lifestyle, and realised that money wasn't particularly important to him. He wasn't too interested in always wanting more, and he found himself thanking Jesus for giving him that freedom. Then he began to think about all those people who became so uptight whenever tax was mentioned, and realised that they had no freedom at all, they were slaves to money. And he resolved that the next time anyone asked him what he did for a living he would proudly say, "I am a tax collector."
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 23 | OT 28 | Pentecost 18
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 24 | OT 29 | Pentecost 19
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 25 | OT 30 | Pentecost 20
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
Tom Willadsen
Nazish Naseem
George Reed
Christopher Keating
For October 26, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
I am a scoreboard watcher. I follow a lot more games than I actually watch, but since technology makes it easy to check scores on a moment’s whim, I watch a lot of scoreboards of teams and games that I am at least mildly interested in. And as I check those scores, I find myself having immediate reactions: “Great!” “Oh, that's too bad.” “Excellent!” “Nuts.” And in the midst of that sports-fan roller coaster, I must continually remind myself that not all scores are final.
Bill Thomas
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Joel 2:22-32
Martin Luther sings the praises of God’s love revealed in this lesson. He wrote:

The love of God which lives in man loves sinners, evil persons, fools and weaklings in order to make them righteous, good, wise, and strong. Rather than seeking its own good, the love of God flows forth and bestows good. (Luther’s Works, Vol. 31, p.57)

John Wesley nicely summarizes the Spirit’s role in fighting the lure of our old sinful habits:

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: This message is a role-play story. You will need two children to play the roles of the Pharisee and the tax collector. I usually ask two children if they will help me as they are all coming forward for the message, but you may select them however you choose.

* * *

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, but your commandments are my delight.
Your statutes are always righteous; give me understanding that I may live.
(vv. 143-144)

When I was an associate pastor in Janesville, Wisconsin one of my responsibilities was to give a lecture on spirituality once a month at a drug treatment facility. The students who attended were persons who had been convicted of drunk driving and were required to attend the class as a condition of their sentence. Attendance was always good.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

We all dislike people who blow their own trumpets, although sometimes we may be in awe of them. Jesus too deplored such behaviour and was never in awe of those who practised it. In our worship today let us open ourselves to Jesus, allowing him to see what is in our hearts.



Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes we allow other people's behaviour to intimidate us.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes we refuse to reach our own fullest potential because we are afraid.

SermonStudio

Schuyler Rhodes
Every morning when sleep leaves and waking comes there is cause for praising God. Caught up, as we are, in the currents and eddies of our lives, this is easy to forget. This wonderful psalm is a reminder. God's bounty and abundance spill into our lives like waters over a causeway. God's delight in creation explodes in a million different colors. In every moment there is reason to give God praise.
Robert R. Kopp
When I was a little boy growing up in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania's First Presbyterian Church, one of those Christian chalk artists with black light, neon colors, and black felt canvas who made pictures of Jesus look like those Elvis portraits for sale on the side of the road at the beach showed up as entertainment for a Sunday evening potluck dinner.
John E. Berger
Today's sermon begins with this little one-person drama.
Mark Ellingson
Have you ever felt that you were absolutely at the end of your rope, left without hope? Sometime during the years of 539 B.C. to 331 B.C. that is the way the people of Judah felt. It seems that their land had been ravaged by a plague of locusts which had had catastrophic consequences.

Once a harvest has been destroyed, you cannot repair it. If a building has burned to the ground, you cannot repair it. In those instances you need to start from scratch with a fresh start.

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL