Is this a term that is still used only in the religious sense?
Or can the modern use of this term be used on subjects that are not necessarily religious. As in: *"…It is better to render unto Cesar rather than fight your boss tooth and nail…"
Or am I completely misunderstanding what “Render unto Caeser” means?
Although I don’t think the term is exclusively religious, I do think it implies a sort of split loyalty or split responsibility between a governmental or authoritative entity and some other entity to which one has allegiance or devotion.
I think it might be construed as being similar to “give the Devil his due” and “you can’t fight City Hall.”
The full story, for those who don’t know:
Jesus was asked whether it was right for Jews to pay taxes to the Romans. He answered by holding up a Roman coin and asking, “Whose face is on this coin?” The questioner replied “Caesar’s.” Jesus then said “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and Render unto God the things that are God’s.”
There are two major implications from this story" (1) Jesus was a bit of a smart-ass; (2) God doesn’t want your money, he wants what he created – your life, your soul, the sweat of your brow, your obedience, whatever – so, yes, it’s okay to pay taxes to the Romans.
Yes, it makes sense in other contexts, but the farther you get from the religious context, the more strained it becomes. In the context you named, it makes no sense. However, if we’re talking about, say, whether your employers have a right to cap your paid time off, and your argument is that they’re taking away time with your family, then… Render unto Caesar, dude.
IMHO it’s not religious. It means “pay your taxes, etc.” or “keep up with/take care of business in the secular world.”
Actually, the question was a trap by his enemies. Saying yes to paying taxes to the oppressors meant angering the populace who saw the oppression unjust and so any cooperation with the Romans as forbidden.
Saying no would have meant they could turn him in to the Romans for advocating boycott and resistance.
So he took a third option.
Actually, it means that you pay your dues to the society you live in and get along as long as it’s not against your conscience or morals. The question of whether Christians should withdraw from sinful society and live in the desert or stay in society and try to reform it without being corrupted by the compromises of daily life was not only a hot topic in Israel during 30 AD, but also in Rome and other places in 90-120 AD when the gospels were written.
You obey the outward rules of society and pay your dues and do what you think right in private, so it can be used outside religious context to other personal beliefs and convictions.
Render the salad unto Caesar
I thought that was about gambling at Caesar’s Palace here in Las Vegas and how it was okay to skip out on church on Sundays so you could place bets on football.
Possible, but I have the theory that with all his connections with the local tax collectors of the day he knew or stumbled upon a way to subvert the collection of taxes for his group of early “commies”, that is that while on the open he said what amounted to a white lie, on the background he was organizing his communities in a way that it would confuse the publicans and minimize the payment of taxes to the empire, I would not be surprised that this was a huge reason why the Romans did crucify him.