Matthew 22:8 (ASV)

Passage

Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy.

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:6 and the rest laid hold on his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them.

Matthew 22:7 But the king was wroth; and he sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

Matthew 22:8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy.

Matthew 22:9 Go ye therefore unto the partings of the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage feast.

Matthew 22:10 And those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was filled with guests.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saith", "servants", "wedding", "ready", "bidden", and "worthy". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "saith" and "servants", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "But the king was wroth and he..." into verse 9's "Go ye therefore unto the partings of...", so "saith" and "servants" 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 "saith" and "servants" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.