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So, M, just to be clear : the entire lesson you glean from this passage is that Jesus knew how to engage in tricky wordplay? No example of his philosophy? No guidance for his followers? Just clever verbal gamesmanship?

I rest my case.

You are not interested in hearing Jesus' teachings, let alone following them.


q/q

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q/q, begging your pardon, but I'm afraid you really do not know what you are talking about here.

Jesus was saying that the things of Caesar belong to Caesar, and the things of God belong to God--and that mankind should respect that distinction and render all things in their appropriate places.

Jesus was not condemning taxation, nor was he endorsing it: rather, he rhetorically asked if coin was in the realm of Caesar, and stated that the things of Caesar's should be rendered unto him.

One might also suggest he was implying several things:

1) that Jesus himself would not resist taxation or tribute to Caesar

2) that money and taxation are not of God's realm, but are rather of the worldly realm.

I would gently suggest that you do a bit more reading on this before being so certain of your interpretation. I have read in numerous places of this matter, and all readings point to an explanation rather similar to what I am describing to you, rather than your interpretation. Also, if you simply take HIS words literally, there is no direct mention of taxation. The Sadducee is the one who mentioned taxation: Jesus only stated that the things of Caesar should be rendered to Caesar.

You are also taking Jesus' words out of context, and moreover you are taking them as an explicit endorsement or advocation of taxation or tribute, which is not accurate. Rather, Jesus was emphasizing the difference between the wordly and the spiritual, and saying: to each belongs, and and should go, its own.

This is a lot deeper concept than merely being wordplay. Actually, it goes even deeper than what is described above (in the much larger spiritual sense), but that aspect is not really germane to this discussion.