What it Really Means to Give to Caesar What Belongs to Caesar

There are a number of things Jesus said that have been subjected to diverse interpretations and use in public domain.

Mark 12: 13-17 contains one of such.

In this instance, the Pharisees and the Herodians who were usually at loggerheads, united in an attempt to trap Jesus and get him to say something they can use to nail him.

After deploying the weapon of flattery for a moment to put him off guard, they asked him, “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” In responding, Jesus requested for a denarius, and asked them whose portrait and inscription was on the coin. “Caesar’s”, they replied. He then concluded, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God” (NLT)

Over time, Christians and non-christians alike, have made reference to this statement severally such that one is left to wonder what Jesus actually meant.