“Image Bearers”
21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore
render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are
God’s.”
Again, we see the religious leaders attempting to trap
Jesus. They approach him in a way to butter him up, telling him how great of a
teacher he is and how he speaks the truth. Already we have a problem. They
approach Jesus with ulterior motives. They do not wish to learn from him. They
do not wish to know him. They do not wish to follow him; they merely want to
trap him. They want to have cause to accuse him. They want to have a reason for
killing him. But Jesus responds in a way that marvels them.
We often approach Jesus similarly. We do not wish to know or
follow him but only find cause to disbelieve him. We think of ways we can be
religious & yet not love him. We think of ways how we can catch him so that
we can say, “Ah ha! Now I’ve got you! Now I don’t have to be accountable to
you.” But every time, if we honestly look at Jesus, we have to simply marvel.
We may come accusing him but we will leave in awe of him.
He asks the religious leaders what image the coin has on it.
It has Caesar’s. Therefore, give to Caesar what is Caesars. In this way, Jesus
also drives home his own point. Who’s image do we bear? God’s. Then give to God
what is God’s. We give the government what rightly belongs to them (or so they
say). In the same way, does God not deserve what belongs to him? He made us in
his image & since we bear his image, he deserves our lives.
We bear the image of God & therefore are rightly his.
Have we given ourselves to him?
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