Matthew 22:21 (YLT)

Passage

they say to him, `Caesar's;' then saith he to them, `Render therefore the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God;'

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:19 show me the tribute-coin?' and they brought to him a denary;

Matthew 22:20 and he saith to them, `Whose <FI>is<Fi> this image and the inscription?'

Matthew 22:21 they say to him, `Caesar's;' then saith he to them, `Render therefore the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God;'

Matthew 22:22 and having heard they wondered, and having left him they went away.

Matthew 22:23 In that day there came near to him Sadducees, who are saying there is not a rising again, and they questioned him, saying,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "caesar's", "saith", "render", "therefore", and "things". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "caesar's" and "saith", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "and he saith to them Whose FI..." into verse 22's "and having heard they wondered and having...", so "caesar's" and "saith" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "caesar's" and "saith" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.