MYSTERIOUS WAYS: Whose image is on it?

A column in which Simon Kumm unpacks the mysterious ways of God, to connect believers with their Father and His incredible living inheritance!

A while ago I woke up from a dream with a clear phrase in my head. It said: “A coin holds in tension two things, identity and value”. Quite a deep and philosophical concept to wake up to!

As I emerged from my sleepiness, just well enough to contemplate this, I realised this truth is best captured by the two sides of the coin being referred to. It usually has a denomination of value on one side and a face or coat of arms with its identity on the other, which indicates to which country it belongs.

In similarity to the coin, it’s true that our relationship with our money holds the same two things in tension, our value and our identity. Who are we? How much do we have? How much are we worth? How desirable/valuable is the work of our hands? Are our works/opinions held in high regard, by society’s elite? What is our place? and where do we fit within society’s hierarchy of perceived value? So many and more questions we use to define ourselves.

I recently re-read that well-known passage in Mark 12, where the Pharisee tries to trick Jesus, asking him if it’s right to pay taxes.

Jesus’ reply is stunning, and He looks at the coin and replies: “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

His answer was not just talking about ownership or money, there was a lesson included on both identity and value as well. Just like that coin, we will always bear the image of our Creator (identity) and our inscription (value) is His to inscribe on us. The man standing before him got his value and his identity from his wealth, position and social standing. In many ways He was just like the Roman coin.

Jesus ended the conversation by saying: “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” In effect the value ascribed by Caesar within his fiscal system, belonged to him, but that value which God gives belongs to God.

The monetary system has no eternal value and thus He lifted the conversation to something that did have eternal value, their lives in relation to their Creator!

As I wrote at the beginning, a coin holds two things in tension, but so do you. You bear His identity and His value, the life of His Son! So give to God what is God’s.

Whose image do you bear? Whose Son’s death was the value given to your life? So will you give to Him what is His? I’ll let you decide.

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