Whose Image Do You Bear?
Jesus would have been shown a coin like this.
Supporters of paying taxes always quote Jesus’ response to his questioners in Mark 12:17.
As often happens, we may miss a deeper lesson. Jesus’ statement had less to do with taxes and more to do with recognizing what belongs to whom.
The coin obviously had the image of Caesar on it, specifically of Tiberius Caesar, who rules the Roman empire from 14 AD to 37 AD. The challenge is recorded in Mark’s gospel like this:
They sent some of the Pharisees and supporters of Herod to trap him in his words. They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you’re genuine and you don’t worry about what people think. You don’t show favoritism but teach God’s way as it really is. Does the Law allow people to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay taxes or not?”
Since Jesus recognized their deceit, he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a coin. Show it to me.” And they brought one. He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” His reply left them overcome with wonder. (Mark 12:13-17, CEB)
The implication, of course, is that the coin “belonged” to Caesar because it carried his image. I can’t help but think the listeners were overcome with wonder not because of the cleverness of Jesus’ reply, but because of the clear implication for each of them. The Pharisees and Herodians despised each other even more than conservatives and liberals do today, but they joined together against the common perceive enemy of Jesus. They identified closely with their particular affiliation. Jesus caused them to look beyond that to point out that they should all think of themselves first as belonging to God.
Ownership claimed.
When humans were created, we were stamped with the image of our creator.
God created humanity in God’s own image,
in the divine image God created them,
male and female God created them. (Gen. 1:27, CEB)
Have you thought about how often the Bible describes us as being made or remade in the image of Christ? For instance:
We know this because God knew them in advance, and he decided in advance that they would be conformed to the image of his Son. That way his Son would be the first of many brothers and sisters. (Romans 8:29, CEB)
All of us are looking with unveiled faces at the glory of the Lord as if we were looking in a mirror. We are being transformed into that same image from one degree of glory to the next degree of glory. This comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:18, CEB)
Instead, renew the thinking in your mind by the Spirit and clothe yourself with the new person created according to God’s image in justice and true holiness. (Eph. 4:23-24, CEB)
Don’t lie to each other. Take off the old human nature with its practices and put on the new nature, which is renewed in knowledge by conforming to the image of the one who created it. (Col. 3:9-10, CEB)
It may strike you that this language has deep meaning.
Whose image do you bear? Something to think about.
Peace.