I think there's a lot going on there, but it's interesting...  The Denarius had the inscription, “Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of the Divine Augustus.”  Jesus was the son of God, not Tiberius.  Augustus wasn't God, and the Jews weren't to have images of any foreign god, which a Denarius was.  

I don't think the Jews were prepared for the answer, they were expecting Jesus to endorse paying taxes or stand against it.  Instead, He called into question whether or not they should even have them in their possession.   One way to look at it...  It sure shut them up quick.

It is one of the scriptures that like you --- I have always wanted to be able to interpret properly for myself, so I can live life the way God would like me to, and also be able to answer these types of questions.

I have studies the bible and related languages to some extent at a seminary and bible college type level.

Hermeneutics / Interpretation are courses taught at such place just for those reasons....

I wish I could always answer people correctly.   But a lot of the time,  I don't feel I can and I do not want to lead anyone in the wrong direction.... so I have always been mindful of that since I got saved in 2003.  

I try to honour God with all parts of my life, since the NT does not discuss tithing as far as finances go.  It says to "give" --- it does not say WHAT to give.

I also used to be a statist and very indoctrinated til my wake up really started geopolitically in 2008 or so.   

-  so things changed for me then big time, seeing govt's and police and all related agencies, doing anything BUT honouring God - freedom and liberty.  

Wasting our money (not biblical) -- stealing civil liberties (not biblical) -- being unkind to taxpayers (residents) -- not biblical.  

-  so you see my points.   I think many of us feel this way as a result.

Followed you awhile ago, I just wanted to say thanks again for the comments here HE.

The questioner was trying to set Jesus up.  If he had answered the question directly, he would have condemned himself as one inciting rebellion against Rome, or as one opposed to the law of God.  By distinguishing between that which belongs to God and Caeser, he disarmed the question.  At the same time, he didn't evade it because the point was made that if one is going to live under the protection of governing authority, then they are to render to the power the support it claims to do its job as long as it doesn't interfere with following higher duty.

The western church has managed to focus on the illustration of the denarius and miss the message. The point being made had nothing to do with the denarius and everything to do with man being created in God's image. The religious elite who were trying to trap Jesus would have recognized this immediately.
Whose image does the coin bear?
The silent question in light of Jesus' response: "Whose image do you bear?"
Render unto God what is God's.
Bam, they found themselves guilty before God, especially in light of the fact that they were abdicating to Rome, with no possibility of rebuttal.