Imago Dei - Jesus Has Paid for the Price for What Belongs to God to be Repaid

The Roman coin with the image of Caesar on belonged to Caesar. So, it was used to pay tax to Caesar. Then, what about the beings with the image of God (צֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים /b'tzelem Elohim – imago Dei)? Namely, whom do we belong to, having been created in the image and light of God?

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“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” (Matthew 22:21) .

This was the response of Jesus to the Pharisees and the Herodians, whom he called hypocrites, when they asked him if it is lawful for the Jews to pay census tax to Caesar.

Whether to pay census tax for the ruler of the land seems like a no brainer question. If you were a Roman official or a collaborator to the Roman imperial government, this is not even a question as it is non-negotiable and not even an option. Jesus was asked with this Roman tax question not to be tested his civic knowledge for an insult. As Matthew indicates (22:18), the question was given with malicious intent to trap Jesus in his answer so that those who find Jesus to be nuisance would have a legitimate reason to have Jesus either with the Roman authorities or in Jewish religious authorities. The question was meant to force Jesus either to his “yes” or “no” response.

If Jesus had answered “yes”, then, he would be regarded as unfaithful to God. Why so?

Because Caesar represented the pagan foreign power, the Roman Empire, which ruled Judea, the last remaining Jewish nation. To the Jews in Judea, Caesar means the invincible powerful foreign pagan power, ruling them and their nation. In the Roman imperial cult, Caesar was regarded as “divus” (the divine).  Thus, to the Jews who observe the Torah, Caesar could be regarded as a foreign god. Therefore, by paying tax to this foreign pagan power, it would be considered as a violation of Deuteronomy 6:13, which Jesus cited in his response to Satan’s temptation attack, “It is written: the Lord, your God, shall you worship and Him alone shall you serve” (Matthew 4:10). The Jews were prohibited from serving Caesar, though he was divus ruler to the Romans. Paying a census tax would mean to serve this foreign pagan divinized object, Caesar.

Then, what if Jesus had answered “no” to the Roman tax question?

By answering “no”, the Herodians, who enjoys the benefits from their collaboration to the Roman authorities, would report Jesus to their Roman boss, the Roman governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate.  They would report Jesus as a dangerous preacher to the Roman Empire by opposing to pay tax to Caesar, as if he would commit treason against Caesar. Remember, this tax question was given to Jesus with an evil intent to portray Jesus either as an enemy to God or as an enemy to Caesar.

Of course, Jesus did not answer in anyway the Pharisees and the Herodians would have wanted to trap. Rather, he first asked them to show him the coin they use to pay the census tax. And, he asked them whose image and inscriptions on that Roman coin. They answered, Caesar’s.  So, Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God”, as if he were telling, “Duah! Why do you guys make things so complicated just because you want me to get in trouble? Back off!”

The above is what you have probably heard from a homily given by your priest or deacon at Mass on the 30^th Sunday on Cycle A as its Gospel Reading is drawn from Matthew 22:15-21. Now, let’s go a bit further from here.

When my brother in Christ and coworker in God’s vineyard, Dr. Leo Jaboni and I were co-teaching on the Gospel text, Bro. Leo reminded that Roman coins had an image of Caesar but each of us, as God’s most beloved Creation, has the imago Dei (צֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים /b'tzelem Elohim - the image of God), as it is written in Genesis 1:27.  According to Jesus, the Roman coin belongs to Caesar for having his image on it. Therefore, it was used to pay the census tax to Caesar. Now what Jesus would say to us for having the imago Dei in us with the inscription of His love? To whom do we belong, for having the imago Dei with the inscription of His love?

This is a no-rocket-scientist question to reflect and humbly reminds us of our true identity.

In the Filipino Tagalog culture, self-identity, known as “kapwa”, is understood only in its object relation to another being.  As the beings with the imago Dei with His inscription of love, our true identity is found only in relation to God, to whom we belong for His image in us. Our “kapwa” as Christians is rooted in our relation to God – in our belonging to God, for the imago Dei in us.

Before Original Sin, committed by Eve and Adam, we, the humans, were with God in Eden, as His most beloved Creation, given His life through נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים (nishmat chayyim), breath of life (Genesis 2:7). As a man and a woman in love kiss, God put His mouth  and breathed on אֲדָמָה (adamah) (dirt from the ground) molded in His image, infusing His נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים (nishmat chayyim) נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים (nishmat chayyim)(breath of life) into אֲדָמָה (adamah) (dirt from the ground) molded in His image to form us, as אָדָם (adam)(human), as נפש חיה (nephesh chayyah)(living being with soul) because of the צֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים /b'tzelem Elohim (imago Dei )(Genesis 1:27, 2:6).

Imagine Genesis 2:7 in juxtaposition to a husband kissing his most beloved wife, infusing his love into her. And, in return, what does the wife to her most beloved husband?

This is another no-brainer, non-rocket-scientist question. Of course, the wife will infuse her love to him, in return.

What the imago Dei in us remind us is this intimate relationship that we are blessed to have with God, the Creator, to whom we belong to.

The sin of Eve and Adam has separated us from God, as symbolized with the loss of Eden. However, our core identity  - our belonging to God – the imago Dei with God’s inscription of His love is not erased from us.

We have been like circulating coins in market places in the world. But, we do not belong to these markets. We do not belong to the world, either – unless we willfully erase the imago Dei in us.

As we circulate through the world, we collect dirt and we become dirty. And this may make us forget the צֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים /b'tzelem Elohim (imago Dei ) in us.

God wants all of his “coins” that belong to Him back. It means God wants all of His most beloved Creations back to him as He is one with the Son through the Son (John  14:20;17:21; cf. John 10:30), as guided by the Holy Spirit (John 16:13-15).

Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.

So, the Roman coins with the image of Caesar were repaid to Caesar as they were due through taxes. On the other hand, we, bearing the imago Dei in us, are to be repaid to God. And, the Son has paid for this repayment through his blood on the Cross.

By tempting Eve and Adam to Original Sin, Satan had snatched God’s “coins” from Eden, and Eden was lost.

God had tried and tried to recover these stolen “coins” with His image and inscription, by sending prophets. But, those who had erased the imago Dei killed these prophets, who made the efforts to bring God’s “coins” back to Him on His behalf.

So, God sent His only begotten Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit through Mary the Immaculate, and the Son paid for this redemption of all God’s “coins”.

So, we are fully repaid by the blood of Jesus. Where are we now? Do we find ourselves in God’s coffer or still circulating somewhere in the world? If the latter is the case, do you hear God’s calling, “Turn to me with all your heart…”(Joel 2:12) , “Return to me…”(Zechariah 1:3; Malachi 3:7)? All we have to do is to make a turn from where we are in the world and go back to God, to whom we belong to, from whom we have received the breath of life (נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים /nishmat chayyim). And, as we return to God, we shall be with Him as Jesus the Son is one with Him.  Otherwise, life would be meaningless as reflected in Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 ( cf. James 4:14).

Being in unity with God, whom we belong to, is what our identity – kapwa , as defined in our relation with God, is about and what the צֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים /b'tzelem Elohim (imago Dei ) in us reminds us.