Matthew 22:3 (YLT)

Passage

and he sent forth his servants to call those having been called to the marriage-feasts, and they were not willing to come.

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:1 And Jesus answering, again spake to them in similes, saying,

Matthew 22:2 `The reign of the heavens was likened to a man, a king, who made marriage-feasts for his son,

Matthew 22:3 and he sent forth his servants to call those having been called to the marriage-feasts, and they were not willing to come.

Matthew 22:4 `Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Say to those who have been called: Lo, my dinner I prepared, my oxen and the fatlings have been killed, and all things <FI>are<Fi> ready, come ye to the marriage-feasts;

Matthew 22:5 and they, having disregarded <FI>it<Fi> , went away, the one to his own field, and the other to his merchandise;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "sent", "forth", "servants", "having", "been", and "marriage-feasts". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "sent", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "The reign of the heavens was likened..." into verse 4's "Again he sent forth other servants saying...", so "called" and "sent" 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 "called" and "sent" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.