[Mark 12:17 NKJV] (17) And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they marveled at Him.
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2A cursory reading of the text reveals that Jesus was encouraging the paying of taxes. Non-Roman citizens were obligated by law to pay the "temple" tax (i.e., the Imperial tax). If you know of a "sacrifice" other than paying taxes (which is a sacrifice of sorts, I suppose), I think you need to inform your audience what that "other" sacrifice was. Your question needs a litle more meat on its bones. Don– rhetoricianMay 29, 2021 at 15:57
1 Answer
Obligatory sacrifices to the Roman Emperor started with Decian in 250 AD and some Christians refused the edict and died because of it.
Matthew 4:10
Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
In Mark 12:17, was Jesus referring to obligatory sacrifices to the Emperor?
No.