The argument actually is that he was making a religious argument, his kingdom was of the mind.

There is an effort to make that point: “give to the Roman’s that which is theirs”

A lot of the argument was about the tacit acceptance that the theology of the day dictated how you ought to live and it had been twisted.

The power structure that he was upsetting was that of the ruling Jewish political body because it called their theology into question.

The Roman’s were 100% in charge and didn’t give a fuck he could be the king of the space dolphins as long as they paid their taxes too.