Publicans

Thats Publicans as in Matthew 5:44 in the King James Version of the bible. I had never thought much about this word until I was reading an article that linked to Matthew 5:44 in the New International Version of the bible. It substituted "Tax Collector" for the word "Publican." Well I checked wikipedia and sure enough, there it was in black and white. A publican is a tax collector.

Now go back and read what Jesus was saying. Sure he was saying to love your enemies, that is the main message, but he was also saying that when you love those that love you, you are doing something that even a tax collector would do. I think that is called irony. It's like saying even a murderer would do that , or even a child molester would do that or even a rabid dog would do that. Of all of the loathsome, despicable, slimy beings and creatures in the universe, Jesus chose a tax collector for his irony. What does that tell you about tax collectors?