Matthew 22:9 (KJV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

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:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "highways", "shall", "find", and "marriage". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "highways", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Then saith he to his servants The..." into verse 10's "So those servants went out into the...", so "therefore" and "highways" 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 "therefore" and "highways" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.