Observe how crafty Jesus’ enemies are, the ones he calls “hypocrites.” They go off and plot how they might trap Jesus “in speech.” This sounds like presidential electoral debates in the United States, where opponents study their adversaries’ beliefs ahead of time, regardless of what these might mean in real life. The point is not to understand but to make them utter words that will repulse voters. This was the intent of the Pharisees in our Gospel reading (Matthew 22:34). A political contest. Could this rude upstart be made to utter words that would condemn him? 

Do you see what Jesus’ seemingly slick and yet smart answer means? If you read the entire Matthew 22, you will see that the Pharisees had set up a false opposition between God and the secular world. God and Caesar.  One or the other. But we live in both worlds at the same time. The Pharisees’ question implies that either everything secular must go away because it is not God, or on the other hand that God must go away because science and secularism are so powerful. Truth is, God and Caesar are meant to co-exist. Human beings are created to be containers for God’s presence right in the midst of the warring and secular world.