The Latin term ‘imago Dei’ — meaning “the image of God” — is a fundamental Judeo-Christian theological concept taken from the Genesis account of the creation story (Genesis 1):
26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings[b] in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth,[c] and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
27 So God created human beings[d] in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
So what does this mean to be created in the “image of God”? To put it in more understandable terms, anyone who has children understands having “created” human beings in their own image. It’s far more intimate than simply saying “he looks like me.” It’s far more than that. There’s a personal investment. Part of us is in that child. Saying “that’s my child” isn’t just a statement of ownership, it’s a statement of identity.
We often tell others that when they insult or attack our children, they are insulting or attacking us. In truth, we probably defend our children more intensely than we defend ourselves. So when you consider the relationship of humankind to God in this light, then Jesus comments in Matthew 25 make much more sense:
41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.[g] 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’
45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
It’s the “Imago Dei” that makes every human being a diamond in the rough. It’s what gives us our value. Humans may not be created equal in the sense that we are carbon copies — we have different looks, different talents, different circumstances, etc. — but every human being is born of equal worth because of the inherent “image of God” in his/her DNA that can never be removed.
Human beings tend to think we are more important if we have wealth, position, power, looks, intelligence, and so on. Jesus clearly stated that is a fantasy. We think our self-importance makes us superior. We justify denying assistance to the poor by saying “they are lazy freeloaders” not proud self-made men like me. I shouldn’t have to help them. We can oppress and deny justice to blacks because they were slaves and an inferior class of people. Mexicans, Asians, immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, disabled, elderly, and on and on.
But Jesus says that if you neglect that poor man, you neglect me. If you oppress that black man, you oppress me. If you shoot tear gas in the face of an asylum seeker, you are shooting tear gas in my face. If you deny healthcare to the poor and elderly, you deny healthcare to me.
This makes sense of Jesus “greatest commandment” statement in Matthew 22:
36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’[e] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[f] 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Note the “second is equally important.” Jesus is saying these go together. They are inseparable. The entire law and prophets is built on these two commandments — not one of the two, but both together. You can’t love God without also loving your neighbor. “Whatever you do to your neighbor, you do to me.”
This is why Jesus said, “By their fruits you will know them.” A lot of people call themselves Christians, but the true disciples are easy to tell apart from the fakes. Anyone who does not fervently defend the rights and needs of the poor, the disabled and the marginalized, is not a Christian. By supporting policies that neglect and oppress these people, they are actively oppressing and attacking Jesus Christ. That, by very definition, is anti-Christ.
The Vindication of Verbosity 