"And they sought to trap Him with their words... Is it lawful?". Mark12:13-17.
It seemed perfect to those seeking to maintain the status quo. Put before Jesus an issue that will mean He has to upset the authorities in one way or another, then we can rid ourselves of His naked display of something we cannot control.
It seemed perfect, but even as they became staggered, again, at the wisdom of HIs words, they still failed to see what was implicit in His answer to them.
It's not just about throwing a few pieces of metal back to someone who believes he owns them - it's about what that truth actually states.
Men and Woman have an 'image' - a nature and status that isn't meant to be ruined in the furnace that the Caesar's and sanctimonious of the world want to feed us to continually. The very fact that these men and women were inhabiting a realm filled with all manner of inventive splendours, including currency, bountifully conveys the marvel of the inter-action between men and nature the Lord above provides to facilitate our well-being and development. Though marred by our fall, the vital image of our profound worth is clearly expressed in these gifts, and they are not to be taken lightly.
The reading of the law common amongst the religious leaders of that day had made people less than animals, and the imperious bonds of the empire equally demanded allegiance to all manner of errors, but amidst all this, Jesus points us to a far deeper truth - that men are only free when God is allowed to be vitally good amongst them; to restore what we have so readily smeared.
Like the ancients, we still fumble around with our home-spun "virtues", seeking to compress and reduce everything to that image, especially when it comes to our religious and/or social morality.
The blunt truth is only in the beauty and radiance of this Jesus do we inhale the fragrance of true Godliness and true humanity - here is the genuine currency of the transcendent, and the full verification of unspoilt humanity.
Such considerations bring us to the confession that what we need is "not more conferences or programs, or celebrities... but a living communion with this Christ, day by day, helping us escape our momentary 'google' attitudes. A fellowship radiant with crucifixion mercy, which is the touchstone of our actions. Such a gospel is more than enough - it is everything. The church needs this singular gift to be reaffirmed as the power for our day". (Michael Horton and Chad Bird).
We can either live 'under the mark' of laws and requirements that dictate endless repression of the truth, or we can be free to live well before God's abounding grace and care.
The choice is ours.
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