Matthew and Government Employees

To be honest, it is easy to rant against government employees in the current environment that we live in today. A bureaucracy as large as the United States government is surely going to breed incompetence, inefficiency, a lack of motivation, and a sense of entitlement among its workers. These and a host of other negative results are simply what bureaucracies produce. I even fell prey to some of these traits when I was a government employee during my college years. I am certain I would have exemplified these characteristics in even greater measure if I were still employed by the government. This indictment is not only true for the government, but also many other institutions and organizations. Just take a look at many local churches and their deeply imbedded bureaucracies.

My aim in this post is not to unceasingly rant against the government or to even suggest solutions for a better government. Instead, I want the Spirit of God to protect me from the joining the chorus of other people who sin in their thoughts, words, and actions in regard to their distaste for the government. In short, how do I respond to this reality of bad government in a way that pleases God? I have a few thoughts.

First, in a practical manner, there are surely exceptions in the government workforce. Not everybody fits the profile of a lazy government worker. For instance, a few weeks ago when I went to the DMV, the woman there was super helpful and even saved me some money on my car registration.

Second, I must make every effort not to join family members, friends, co-workers, and radio & television hosts in their derision of the government. Even if the content of what they are claiming is correct, I must not mimic their oftentimes mean-spiritedness in their tone. I want to find ways to agree with their assessment without giving approval to their wrath and bitterness.

Finally, I want to actually demonstrate the love of Christ to these government employees. I sense that these workers will be held in more contempt by the taxpayers in the future as our economic woes continue. Should I join in this contempt? Absolutely not! My mind now turns to the Apostle Matthew. Matthew was a government employee (tax-collector) when the Son of God came in the flesh and called him to leave his life of sin and to follow Him. At the time, these officials were greatly despised by the Jewish people. Yet, what did Jesus do? He was their friend. He talked and ate with them. What an example to us!

So, yes, we should desire an environment where government workers are hard-working, efficient, and content with decent wages & benefits paid for by the taxpayer. However, in the absence of this ideal scenario, may we, as followers of Jesus Christ, honor the good government employees, resist the mantra of anti-government screams, and truly be a friend to, “tax-collectors and sinners.”