Matthew 8:12 (KJV)

Passage

But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Nearby Context

Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

Matthew 8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 8:13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

Matthew 8:14 And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "darkness", "children", "kingdom", "shall", "cast", "outer", and "weeping". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "darkness" and "children", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "And I say unto you That many..." into verse 13's "And Jesus said unto the centurion Go...", so "darkness" and "children" 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 "darkness" and "children" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.