Whose Image Is This ?

Mk 12:13-17

Today’s Gospel gives us a bit of “Numismatic Theology.”

This is one of my favorite Gospel passages.

Partially because I was once a practicing numismatist myself … a coin collector.

We could tell you things like where our coins got the motto, In God We Trust.

It came from Francis Scott Key’s Star Spangled Banner.

But, an even greater attraction of this Gospel is that it shows how exquisitely clever Jesus was.

Clever in the very best sense of the word—possessing a quick and powerful intelligence.

Jesus once told us not to worry how to answer our accusers, just trust God to give us the words.

This passage gives an excellent example of just how powerful those words can be.

In this encounter, the Pharisees have devised a crafty plot.

They’ll approach Jesus in public and ask him their own clever question.

No matter how he responds—he loses.

Should we pay the tax or not pay?

If he says don’t pay, he’s publicly promoting rebellion.

And they could have the Romans put him to death.

If he says pay he’ll lose many of his followers; they’d see him as bowing to Rome.

But the infinitely more clever Jesus effortlessly sidesteps their plot.

He doesn’t give the direct pay or don’t pay response the Pharisees asked for.

He draws them into a demonstration—the examination of the coin.

A little scene that the crowd can enjoy and remember.

Then, he gives a response that actually does answer his attackers’ question.

And in a way that not only avoids their trap but also discredits them.

And, with supreme cleverness, he ties in an even deeper more powerful, positive lesson. 

His answer builds-in multiple layers of truth.

He says, Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.

What does belong to Caesar?

Well, obviously, the coin.

It has his image stamped right on it.

So, give it back to Caesar.

With a well-demonstrated rationale and without directly saying those words,

His answer is, pay the tax.

But Jesus also incorporates more into his response.

Repay to God what belongs to God.

At first blush that might simply emphasize the insignificance of the coin.

It’s only money, there are more important things.

But when his followers reflect on the words,

When they retell the story of the encounter,

They can’t help but see that it raises a deeper question.

What do we have that belongs to God?  Well, everything.

If we apply the test Jesus showed us, we’ll focus particularly on what is made in God’s image.

That’s what most certainly belongs to God.

And that, of course, is us—our very selves.

So, how can we give ourselves back to God?

That’s an excellent personal question for each of us to ponder and work out.

And, with Ash Wednesday tomorrow, the question comes at an opportune time.

We don’t need an immediate, clever answer.

We can contemplate that question over the next forty days.