Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s)
Our Bible reading in the mornings has been somewhat sporadic this summer, but hey, we’re still making it through the book of Luke just fine. A nice slow and easy pace. π
Today we got to a familiar story. Jesus was out in public and some “spies” were sent to trip him up in his own words. They asked him, basically, is it right to pay taxes? They knew that was a totally loaded question, and Jesus handled it brilliantly (the story even ends with the guys who were trying to trick him being quite impressed by his answer).
Jesus said, “Who’s picture is on the coin?” They said, “Caesar.” He said, “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give God what belongs to him.” For some reason today, those words seemed different. Somehow I saw a connection between the image on the coin, and how that showed it belonged to him, and how we bear the image of God, and Jesus said, “Give to God what belongs to God.” If you apply your SAT logic there, then it would fit that WE are what/who belongs to God.
So the boys and I talked a bit about that. Cute moment was when Alex got the answer right. π He was soooo thrilled with himself. It was very cute. (It is usually bigger brother Ian who gets all the right answers…) π Alex said, “We’re made in God’s image!” I said, yeah! Like that coin has Caesar’s image on it, so he can have it… WE have GOD’S image on us… so, he can have us. Every bit of us.
He doesn’t want our money. He wants us.
Good thing, since we don’t have much of the former. π
Just a fun way of seeing that story today. We are the image on God’s “coin”. I’ve always wanted to have my picture on money…… π
I think the irony of the whole thing is that, really, it’s ALL God’s. There’s scripture on that somewhere, and Jesus, by saying this, couldn’t be said to be breaking Roman law, but he WAS being a rebel: he was saying that it’s not Caesar’s in the first place. Just makes me think that the whole thing was even more brilliant than when I first read it π