Matthew 22:11 (WEB)

Passage

But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing,

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:9 Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the marriage feast.’

Matthew 22:10 Those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests.

Matthew 22:11 But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing,

Matthew 22:12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless.

Matthew 22:13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "king", "came", "guests", "didn", "wedding", and "clothing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "king" and "came", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Those servants went out into the highways..." into verse 12's "and he said to him Friend how...", so "king" and "came" 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 "king" and "came" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.