Matthew 22:22 (DRB)

Passage

And hearing this, they wondered and, leaving him, went their ways.

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:20 And Jesus saith to them: Whose image and inscription is this?

Matthew 22:21 They say to him: Caesar's. Then he saith to them: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God, the things that are God's.

Matthew 22:22 And hearing this, they wondered and, leaving him, went their ways.

Matthew 22:23 That day there came to him the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; and asked him,

Matthew 22:24 Saying: Master, Moses said: If a man die having no son, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up issue to his brother.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hearing", "wondered", "leaving", "went", and "ways". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hearing" and "wondered", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "They say to him Caesar's Then he..." into verse 23's "That day there came to him the...", so "hearing" and "wondered" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "hearing" and "wondered" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.