And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Jesus 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.
Mark 12:13-17.

The Pharisees and the Herodians were political enemies. The Pharisees wanted a king from the lineage of David. The Herodians were sellouts to Rome. But there was one thing they agreed on: Jesus, bad. Both parties sought worldly power, but Jesus was otherworldly.  He could not be harnessed by one side or the other. Soon He would testify, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” (John 18:36).

If you are a follower of Jesus, you must be prepared to lose the world. "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36). Our temporal battles for political power are meaningless. "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise." (Proverbs 11:30, ESV).