So old Roman coins are kind of like iPhones. ¬†Well not anymore. ¬†But to the citizens of ancient Roman colonies, they were pretty awesome. ¬†Having them in your pocket meant you were “connected”. ¬†Whipping them out in public was a clear statement of your cultural savviness. ¬†Of course there were other ways to buy stuff like bartering and such. ¬†But simply put, possession of Caesar’s coins was to side with the awesome populace of humanity.
Ok, this isn’t a post about Apple products at all really. ¬†That would be the last thing the blogosphere needs aside from another rant about what white people like or why famous authors are mad at the church. ¬†This is about being human.
In the first century, the trend went something like this: be a Roman citizen, hoard and spend Roman money, and – bam – you’re a first class human being. ¬†All others were second rate. ¬†It was a worldview that people would literally buy into. ¬†The humanistic Caesar agenda was working. ¬†Even in Israel.
Enter Jesus. ¬†Seen from his world’s eyes, he was a homeless, self-proclaimed Jewish Messiah who didn’t seem to care either way about Caesar or his coins. ¬†Taught a lot about a kingdom. ¬†Backed up his statements by performing outlandish signs. ¬†Gave special attention to women and children in a male-chauvinist society. ¬†Embraced the wicked. ¬†Argued with the righteous. ¬†Commanded people to love the bad guys. ¬†Looked forward to being killed by the good guys. ¬†Confused lots of folks with talk of coming back to life. ¬†But for whatever reason, he was getting super popular. ¬†So popular in fact, that the local politicians had to do something about it. ¬†And they went for the jugular.
Politicians: “Should we pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
Clever. ¬†A classic political move. ¬†They were trying split up Jesus’ fans into two groups: pro-Caesar and anti-Caesar. ¬†That way, people would stop following this Jesus and start debating about coins. ¬†But this was Jesus they were messing with.
Jesus: “Why put me to the test? ¬†Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”
So they brought Jesus one of those coins.  To the pious conservatives looking on, it was a pagan symbol of darkness.  To the progressive liberals it represented a new wave of human enlightenment.  Everyone stood breathless.  No one expected what happened next.
Jesus: “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”
Politicians: “Caesar’s.”
Jesus: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
I often hear this quote around April 15th. ¬†Preachers use it to teach about paying taxes. ¬†Sure that’s part of it, but I don’t think that’s Jesus’ point. ¬†It’s way bigger than that. ¬†Like way bigger. ¬†Jesus wasn’t teaching a lesson about the ethics of taxpaying. ¬†Jesus was drawing attention to the coin. ¬†Specifically, the image on the coin. ¬†It was Caesar’s face. ¬†So give him his coin. ¬†Jesus didn’t care. ¬†Spend them. ¬†Collect them. ¬†Pay taxes with them. ¬†It didn’t matter. ¬†Jesus didn’t buy into the humanistic Caesar agenda for a second. ¬†It’s a coin with a face stamped on it. ¬†Jesus had his own agenda.
Eternity is unpacked for us with that last sentence of his. ¬†Sure, let Caesar have what bears his image. ¬†But infinitely more importantly, let God have what bears His. When we get this straight, the stars shine brighter and the universe falls into place. ¬†All the cool stuff that made the world go around suddenly amounts to the mere flicker of a candle out-shined by the morning sunrise. ¬†Worldliness gives way to worship. ¬†Here is the human project. ¬†We are God’s image bearers. ¬†And he wants us back. ¬†Let’s lead humanity into his possession.
