What Jesus Really Meant By “Render Unto Caesar”
Proper context reveals a misunderstood passage as a critique of power
The phrase is famous enough that it rarely gets the introduction it deserves. “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.” Most are quick to interpret it as an endorsement of the separation of powers. As with all things biblical, though, the truth is more complicated than anyone could ever imagine. It’s a verse that serves as the culmination of a running ideological current found throughout the gospels. Few pick up on this current, though; in fact, perhaps its most illuminating analysis comes from anarchist Christian writer Jacques Ellul, in his 1988 book Jesus and Marx: From Gospel to Ideology.
The immediate context of the verse (Matthew 22:21) sees Jesus confronted by a few of the Pharisees, a Jewish sect with great influence and many criticisms of the Christian perspective. They explicitly try to trick him by asking if it’s morally right to pay their taxes to Caesar, though it isn’t made exactly clear what they’re trying to trick him into saying. Likely, they’re trying to get him to admit Caesar’s overlordship after calling himself king and declaring God’s sole authority. All the same, the rest reads as follows:
But Jesus, knowing their evil intent…
