Looking At The Likeness

But He detected their trickery and said to them, "Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?" They said, "Caesar's" And He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they were unable to catch Him in a saying in the presence of the people; and being amazed at His answer, they became silent. (Luke 20:23-26)

Once I heard a story about a military unit in a time of warfare that was consistently frustrated by insurgent forces. The insurgents had a successful strategy of infiltrating the perimeter security. The security forces would set up defensive measures to combat these assaults. One of these measures was to set in place a number of booby traps called Claymore mines. The Claymores were horrific weapons of war. These devices could be safely detonated by people inside the perimeter when they detected infiltration. The explosive charges inside each of the mines would send out a deadly spray of hundreds of bullet-sized projectiles that were designed to decimate an invading force. But the invaders were stealth warriors who were skilled at approaching the mines and turning them around. And when the security forces, who believed themselves to be in a safe position detonated the mines, they often never knew what hit them. The devastation was intense. Their safe place had been destroyed. Their traps had been turned around.
Jesus was an expert at turning the traps around. Those who perceived themselves to be in a safe position often tried to box Him in. Many times they were suddenly boxed in themselves. What was the point of His question-answering question? I believe it's simply this. Rome owned and occupied the Jewish nation. So if people knew they should surrender a portion of their hard earned wages to Caesar, then why were they not concerned with surrendering all of their hardened hearts to God? Humanity, especially those chosen as God's people, has the image of God imprinted upon them and the word of God inscribed within them. Therefore, the message is give yourselves to God. He owns us! We belong to Him. Don't get trapped by the trappings of the world and its systems. The enemy, and he does use religious systems and religious people for his purposes, is consistently setting out traps for God's people. He may think his forces are in a secure position. But remember Who it is that has declared this spiritual war. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Jesus is the Warrior King, assaulting the enemy's positions. And with God's word inscribed upon our hearts, we can turn the enemy's traps around. Temptations to sin are the enemy's traps. But God has set the believer free from sin because it's power is broken at the cross of Christ. Surrender your soul to God. Get in the battle. The Lord Jesus is the Incarnate Insurgent invading enemy ground. And He calls us to engage the strongholds, the fortresses of evil. The devil has occupied this ground far too long. Christ in you can turn the traps around. This morning, when you look at yourself in the mirror, take a good look at who you really are. You bear the image of God...you belong to Him.