Matthew 22:12 (KJV)

Passage

And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

Nearby Context

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

Matthew 22:11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

Matthew 22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

Matthew 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saith", "friend", "camest", "thou", "hither", "having", "wedding", and "garment". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "saith" and "friend", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "And when the king came in to..." into verse 13's "Then said the king to the servants...", so "saith" and "friend" 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 "friend" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.