God’s coin.

Having pointed out that a painful break must be made from world economies before one can totally commit to the kingdom of God, which is a decision Jesus gave his would-be disciples. I thought I would share some thoughts on what I believe is Christ’s vision of value.

Firstly, God’s identity is intertwined with His economy; what bears His seal ultimately belongs to Him. We see reflections of this in the imprints of monarchs upon our coins. Jesus once used a coin with Caesar’s imprint to show that taxes need to be paid.

“Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

But what is God’s?

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” These are the words Jesus spoke as he called his disciples out of servitude to the economy they had always known, to become trainees in the business of his father. Fish could be exchanged for an imprint of Caesar, but only one thing holds enough value to be exchanged for the imprint of God. And that is mankind.

The God who commanded no graven image to be made of himself has only ever placed his seal upon His word and mankind. This same God would not sit back and watch the oppression of the poor at the hands of those who think their face on a coin holds more value than the life of a man. The gospel fishes for the poor and gives them God’s appraisal in Christ.

This is the appraisal: your life is as valuable to me as my own. Your life is as valuable to me as everyone else’s. Your life is as valuable to me (God) as my entire kingdom. This is the revelation of Christ, the face of God and man in one coin, both holding equal value, and both active at once in acts of redemption.

Though we can use one economy to translate the language of another, when it comes to definition and function, there are vast differences between God’s and the world’s value and appraisal systems.

If Caesar’s coin is divided, its division reveals the ability to put a lesser value on the face. If it is added to this, it reveals a greater value when his face is multiplied. This is not so in God’s system.

God’s seal loses no value in division, nor does it gain value with addition. The value of one is equated with all. This is what redemption teaches us. This is why Jesus is able to retain the entire value of the law (which God equates with himself), and it’s 613 commands in one single law, loving God and neighbour. The law lost no value in his division, for He knew one was made to cover all. Jesus also exposed the vanity of the rabbis’ endless additions to the law, which they supposedly believed increased their merit with God. You can’t add value to something God esteems on the same level as Himself!

So the equation of our redemption in Christ is that one man is as valued as all and all are valued as one man. This is the reasoning behind the parables of the woman with the lost coin and the shepherd who lost one sheep. The value of one is no less than the nine or ninety-nine put together, so a search is made until the lost coin and sheep are found.

Which brings us to another point that must be made about God’s economy: our sin or state of being lost did not take anything away from our original and eternal value. No matter the depths of our darkness and sin, the only thing that is valuable enough to redeem one lost man is God in a man, and everything he owned had to be thrown in, also.

You cost God a new creation, what’s more of a wonder is he esteemed us worthwhile!

So one man’s obedience is equivalent to obedience from all. One man’s death is equivalent to the death of all. One man’s resurrection is equivalent to the rising of all! One seed contains the harvest, and God created the harvest for one seed!

This is one area where resourcing gospel language from our economic slavery to world systems has been detrimental to our theology. We have believed that sin causes us to lose value in God’s eyes. If this were the case, we wouldn’t have been redeemed! Our value was never lost through sin. Function yes, but value no. Jesus Christ revealed the face of God in humanity, and his resurrection is proof of our value!

The Bible says, “Buy the truth and do not sell it.” Why? Once you have the truth, there is nothing valuable enough to divide or sell it for. God esteems truth as himself, so if we can buy truth, what is the price to be paid?

The only other thing God values equally with Himself is you.

Your life, you must give your life for truth. Take up your cross, leave your nets behind, give your life for the one signature coin, the Christ coin.

The fact that death is the price for truth should not stop you. Any life given for truth will be resurrected, for God values life and truth, and will redeem what is his. Truth and resurrection will always be on par with one another. They cannot be separated.

So the economy of God is that his glory and esteem for one is the glory and esteem to be found in all. None of this is related to function; all of it is to grace and love. It’s the way He wants it.

The idea of leaving your fish and nets to become fishers of men may be scary, but not even the quest for gold could be as exciting as the quest to find the ancient face of God, hidden amid fallen men!

Joshua Robbie