Matthew 22:8 (KJV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.

Matthew 22:7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

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

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

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.

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 when the king heard thereof he..." 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.