Individual Basics

20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?

21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's: and unto God the things that are God's.

Matthew 22:20-21

It seems here's the actual sum of a penny back then just as in our times as well. The thing is really that the penny was much more than a token of good will at some times. Instead, it had as many so often do an individual's faces there on the coin. It's much more of a shifting in focus to think of this image actually being Caesars of course. I'm sure the design of the penny might have changed with the times, but not it's in name nor hardly even the game. Pretty wonderful that such a thing has gone on down through the ages. Remember too how that had looked once before. Caesar was once a pretty powerful man of that time, ruling all the way from Rome, which technically speaking was an isle from way over on the opposite sides of the sea. It was connected to land so it wasn't much of an island there really. Rather, it's a place from which Rome conquered and grew. Ruling in those times came by military right rather than destiny. That's to say fortune had indeed favored the brave at such a time before as it gave. In fact, the Roman empires of Jesus time and possibly later was vast, stretching all across whatever worlds had been known. A penny would've been considered tribute as fitting as this to bring to a king. Consider, he was little more than a military general in his own rights who once worked for his wage. Now though, the people are doing some for him by bringing him these. Well, really they weren't brought but rather sent at request. The better question would've technically been how many of these were required for what sorts of villages, for how many and at which certain few times of the year. Then men such as Matthew would've been involved in the set-up, collection, and passage of stuff. The issue at hand though isn't whether paying taxes were needful. Rather, you're be a lot better to wonder that a penny was all required for a day of upkeep as Jesus had said. Think of it without such a pointed muttering down deep in your breath. It was all money could buy of that day, that much and more. We've gone over the needs once that much already. I'm not in the habit of repeating things over again to be sure. It was something this Caesar would've done well to remember. To a man paying taxes though, it would've been hardship for certain to go about obtaining such for the food. Though, had all men paid taxes, it would've formed a never ending cycle of upkeep for the few. That is to say the little were made into many and so became much.