Image of ___
6 min read
16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” And they were amazed at him.
—Mark 12:16-17
The Jewish authorities were trying to trap him with a question that, from a human perspective, had not good answer. If Jesus answered, “It is right to pay taxes to Caesar,” the crowd would have started to turn against Him. If he answered, “It is not right to pay taxes to Caesar,” then Rome would have reason to put Him in prison.
What I see in this encounter is the worldview of the world pitted against the worldview of God. The worldview of the world is all about power and wealth, and who controls it. The fact that Caesar’s image was on the coin was a perfect and accurate reflection of that worldview.
The worldview of God understands that God alone is in control. He is sovereign. He has all the power. And what our all-powerful, all-knowing God cares about are people—human souls. And the fact that God has placed His image in every human being perfectly and accurately reflects that worldview.
I read this morning that thousands of people are being laid off in high tech, even as “sales and profits jumped and share prices spiked.” The very people who helped sales and profits and share prices to soar are being punished for their good work in helping the companies to exceed their goals. Nice.
And while the companies admit that their labor force got “fat” to meet the unplanned, unanticipated demand for software during COVID, suddenly we find these tech barons looking into the future and planning to have these jobs made obsolete through AI. They are anticipating profits in the trillions. Trillions. The real cost of a few thousand employees (who would be contributing to their profit in some form) versus the imagined profit of trillions (which would probably happen even if the employees stayed on). Nice.
Now, I’m not a socialist or anything like that, and I believe that everyone ought to have the opportunity to build a business and make profit. But really? There is no economic system in this world that can work if it doesn’t recognize and moderate the fact that people tend to be greedy, selfish, and heartless because of sin.
No wonder this society is so crazy angry. Many people act as if the inscription and image of Caesar is stamped on their hearts—even those who might be Christian.
The spiritual reality (the true reality) is that the image of God is coded into every human soul. And God did this so that He might inscribe the Word of God, who is Christ, into our hearts through faith. May this reality guide my life, my family, and this Canvas family for our own sake and for the glory of God.
Father, I confess that Your economy of love seems impossible to live by in this corrupt world. And yet, even if living according to Your economy might be difficult, give us the wisdom and strength that comes from Your Spirit to obey You. Bless us all, Lord. And be glorified in us all. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
