Today’s scripture: Mark 12:13-17 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message)
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.
My thoughts (Melody Merida):
I remember reading this passage of Scripture when I was a child. At the time I know I thought, “What does that even mean? Does that mean that everything that has someone’s picture on it should be given to that person?” If so, then every Elvis stamp must be sent back to the King, every Farrah poster given back to her, and every stuffed Elmo delivered right back to Sesame Street. That just didn’t make any sense to me because I knew that wasn’t the way things worked.
In an attempt to explain the story to me, I was told that money belonged to the government through taxes and everything else belonged to God. Then I got even more confused when the offering plate would come my way at church. I thought “If the money was supposed to go to the government, then why are we putting it in the offering at church? Aren’t the church and government supposed to be separate?” (I heard that a lot in my rural community church.) Things just didn’t add up for me.
It has taken me many years and many different interpretations, but I finally found something that makes sense to me. When Jesus sees the image of Caesar in the coin, he deduces, for the sake of that argument that the coin should go to Caesar for taxes due. If I apply that same logic to that which is God’s I must ask “Where is the image of God seen?” According to Genesis 1:27, all of humankind was made in the image of God — that means me and you!
What I hear Jesus saying to me is that I am God’s; therefore, as a bearer of the image of God, I must give my whole being, my entire self back to God. If God is calling us to give ourselves to God the same way we commit ourselves to following the laws which govern our taxes, then we have to be all in. Most of us wouldn’t dream of cheating on our taxes, cutting corners, or simply not paying. But yet we often cheat God out of time, cut corners in our relational encounters, or don’t pay any attention to the call of service upon our lives.
Jesus is calling us to something different, something better. We are indeed the image of God. Let’s be sure to give back to God what we owe — our whole beings!
Thought for the day: Am I giving to God what belongs to God or am I holding back? Jesus, teach me to be all in when it comes to giving myself to God!
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.