Many Called; Few Chosen

Jesus’ parable of the wedding feast in Matthew ends with a surprisingly harsh judgment. The host of the feast tells his servants to tie up one of the guests and toss him out. Jesus’ commentary is the well-known statement: “Many are called, but few are chosen.” It is obvious that Jesus was using this parable to explain some aspect of the Kingdom of Heaven. His cryptic statement in conclusion may hold a key to understanding how God’s sovereignty and man’s free will work in concert.

To understand what all this means for us today, a lesson in Jewish customs of the first century is required. The meaning of Jesus’ parable of the king’s wedding feast for his son turns on an important detail of Jewish marriage custom. According to Word in Life Study Bible, “wedding hosts sent out two invitations for a wedding. The first was sent far in advance to let people know that a wedding was being prepared and they were invited. This was necessary because weddings were major events that could last as long as a week. Furthermore, it took time for the replies to come back.

“When all the preparations were complete, messengers were sent out with a second invitation telling the guests that the feast was ready, and it was time for the celebration to begin. To turn down that second invitation was not merely bad manners; it was considered a rejection of the host family’s hospitality and a complete insult to their dignity.” One more thing is important to know: It was customary for the wedding host to provide the garments for the wedding feast. So, in Jesus’ parable, the guest who refused the wedding garments was insulting the host twice.

Let’s see how this translates to the Kingdom of Heaven and the wedding feast to which we are invited. From the Old Testament point of view, the first invitation was to Israel; they rejected God’s call to the feast, otherwise known as the Messiah’s first coming in the first century. Because they refused the invitation and the Messiah’s “garments,” they were “cast into outer darkness” or set aside. Then the King, God the Father, invited anyone and everyone (Gentiles) to the wedding feast where the bridegroom (Christ the Messiah) was waiting.

In the New Testament era, everyone knows there is a God out there somewhere, and it is up to them to respond to what they know, according to Romans 1:18-20. This is the “first” wedding invitation in the church age. The second invitation is the specific call of those individuals God chooses. They have the opportunity to accept the wedding garments the King (Father) has provided. Those “garments” are the righteousness of Christ provided by His atoning sacrifice on the Cross which paid for every sin ever committed. Anyone who realizes God is calling can respond and accept Christ’s wedding garments: righteousness. Those who refuse the wedding garments are unacceptably attired and cast into outer darkness.

Outer darkness seems like a stiff penalty for simply refusing a gift. John MacArthur explains why it is so: “All without exception were invited to the banquet, so [the man in Jesus’ parable] is not to be viewed as a common party-crasher. In fact, all the guests were rounded up hastily from ‘the streets’ and therefore none could be expected to come with proper attire. That means the wedding garments were supplied by the king himself. So this man’s lack of a proper garment indicates he had purposely rejected the king’s own gracious provision. His affront to the king was actually a greater insult than those who refused to come at all, because he committed his impertinence in the very presence of the king.

“The imagery seems to represent those who identify with the kingdom externally, profess to be Christians, belong to the church in a visible sense, yet spurn the garment of righteousness Christ offers…  by seeking to establish a righteousness of their own…. Ashamed to admit their own spiritual poverty… they refuse the better garment the King graciously offers, and thus they are guilty of a horrible sin against His [grace].”

The Heavenly Father, as the gracious wedding host, provides the necessary garments to all who come with the correct attitude. Those like the one man in Jesus’ parable, the one MacArthur refers to who want to attend on their own terms are denied entrance. Someone has said there may be a sign on Heaven’s gate that reads from the outside, “Whosoever will may come,” but on the inside it says, “Only the elect may enter.” The election is based on the attendees’ garments.

So, it appears that God’s sovereign election is from among those who come of their own free will. Said another way, according to Jesus in John 6:44, God draws people to Himself. Unless you hold to the concept of irresistible grace (hyper-Calvinism), everyone has the choice to respond to God’s sovereign drawing or not by exercising their free will. If we believe that God is not willing that any should perish, and He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, the drawing must be universal. Many are called, but few are chosen.

In 1 Corinthians 2:14 Paul says that the carnal man, the soulish man, the unspiritual man cannot hear the wedding invitation [my paraphrase]. Could it be that the invitation is already in everyone’s spiritual mailbox? The person who denies God’s existence won’t ever go to the mailbox; he will deny any such mailbox exists. The person who doesn’t care what God wants might visit the mailbox, but he won’t open the envelope; he will toss it in the trash unopened like so many credit card offers and sale fliers. Some people will open and read the invitation, but decide they are too busy with their own lives to bother with a stranger’s wedding feast. But some sensitive souls will feel a tug on their heart when they see the invitation; they think the wedding feast sounds like a great idea. Many are called, but few are chosen.

I hope to see you at the Feast. Be sure you have the proper attire.