Matthew 22:8 (DRB)

Passage

Then he saith to his servants: The marriage indeed is ready; but they that were invited were not worthy.

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:6 And the rest laid hands on his servants and, having treated them contumeliously, put them to death.

Matthew 22:7 But when the king had heard of it, he was angry: and sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers and burnt their city.

Matthew 22:8 Then he saith to his servants: The marriage indeed is ready; but they that were invited were not worthy.

Matthew 22:9 Go ye therefore into the highways; and as many as you shall find, call to the marriage.

Matthew 22:10 And his servants going forth into the ways, gathered together all that they found, both bad and good: and the marriage was filled with guests.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saith", "servants", "marriage", "indeed", "ready", "invited", 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 when the king had heard of..." into verse 9's "Go ye therefore into the highways and...", 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.