Images 

   “Show me a denarius; whose image does it bear?’  They said to him, ‘Caesar’s’.  So he said to them, ‘Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.’” (Luke 20: 24 – 25) 

   Who do we pay tribute to?  Whose image is on our coin?  When we stand before Christ, what image will He see in us?

   Will He see our own ego?  Is our own self-importance the ruler to whom we give tribute?  Many spend their time trying to improve their image in the world rather than taking on the image of our Lord, sharing His love and mercy.

   Will He see our trophies, our awards?  Most of us will never receive an Oscar, an Emmy, or any other high-profile award in our lives.  But how many of us have an “I love me” wall replete with photos of our worldly success.  Are there shelves with trophies and awards we have won?  Do we think Jesus will be concerned with our earthly fame or success?

   The image He will see in many is the dollar sign.  We are urged from our youngest days to strive for worldly success, especially financial success.  It doesn’t matter if family, friends or even God take a back seat to the bank account.  Working extra hours is fine, Sundays included, God will understand, After all, we donate to the church.  Our name is on many plaques for donating money for paintings, stained glass windows, and such.  Do we really think Jesus cares about our bank account?  Are not the plaques with our name on them our reward?

   Our Lord isn’t concerned with our earthly success, the house we lived in, the car we drove, or the size of our bank account.  He cares about how we lived our life.  Did we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick?  Did we see Him in all of these and care for them as His children?

   What image will He see when He looks into your soul at judgement? 

We are so enamored by worldly things.

Things that don’t last, of little importance.

Help us to concern ourselves only with You. 

Amen