What does Luke 20:25 mean?

This is Jesus' response to a trick question posed on behalf of His enemies. They hope to force Jesus into one of two mistakes: to alienate the common people by endorsing the hated Roman empire, or to violate Roman law and subject Himself to arrest. The man who asked the question (Luke 20:20–21) followed either the Pharisees or the Herodians (Matthew 22:15–16; Mark 12:13). The Pharisees resent the Roman occupation, although not to the point of violence like the Zealots. The Herodians support Herod Antipas and have little problem with the Romans. The nominal question is whether Jesus supports "tribute to Caesar:" the census tax (Luke 20:22). It's a fitting time for the question because it's nearing Passover, when male Jews must pay the half-shekel temple tax.

Jesus says the tribute belongs to Caesar; the Jews owe money to the literal and symbolic government. Then Jesus effectively tells the people they should meet both obligations. The Jewish people need to obey Rome as their civil authority, put in place by God (Romans 13:1–7), as long Rome's commands do not directly contradict God's laws (Acts 5:29). Paying taxes and allegiance to the Lord are not either-or issues.

Many people today find this hard to accept. Obviously, we'd prefer Jesus to say, "no, you should not pay taxes." But that's not the only challenging aspect of His response. The implication of His comment distinguishes between real religious persecution and simply being asked to follow policies we don't like. In most cases, secular rules and regulations don't contradict faith, either blatantly or by implication. But when those don't align with preferences, we bristle and want to resist under the pretext of "faith."

We should resist the temptation to claim "faith" as a blanket excuse for ignoring secular authority. At the same time, the opposite error is condemned: to ignore God's expectations because of worldly concerns. Rather, we are to give God His due. We fail that obligation when we disobey God due to secular concerns: that obeying God would be too controversial, unconventional, uncomfortable, inconvenient, unprofitable, and so forth.

Both mistakes inappropriately blend distinct issues, which Jesus gently separates here. Properly worshipping God does not require using every nuance we prefer. When laws complicate preferences regarding faith or worship, that is not the same thing as religious persecution. The fact that law or culture might cause problems for those who obey God is not good reason to set aside spiritual truth. Insisting that these two sides must be in contradiction is often the result of a lack of creativity, a lack of perspective, or a desire for power and authority.

God never says that following Him will not come with a cost (Luke 14:25–33). For the Jewish people alive during Jesus' earthly ministry, it included the need to pay two taxes.