Many are called but few are chosen

Everyone likes to be invited to a good party. 

Whether it is a birthday party, a Christmas party or a Super Bowl party, people are usually thrilled to be invited to a gathering of food, fellowship and fun; especially if the cause for celebration promises to be a good one.

In the Bible, God speaks of an invitation to a party, of sorts. 

This party though is probably not best described as a party in the worldly sense, because it is a gathering far greater than anything this world can produce. But it does involve a celebration. A heavenly celebration. A heavenly celebration celebrating the eternal lordship of Jesus Christ.

At different places in Scripture, this heavenly celebration is described in terms and imagery that is easily understood. One description comes to us from Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. 

In this parable, Jesus explains that the kingdom of God can be compared to a wedding banquet that a king held in honor of his son getting married. We have all been to a wedding reception before, so this is something familiar. 

What may not be familiar though is that this was a party for royalty in honor of the king’s son. As one can imagine, this was a high-profile event where no expense was spared, and all of the most prominent people of the land were invited.

When it came time for the party to begin, the king sent out his servants to call those who had been invited. But Jesus explains that those who had been invited refused to come. 

That’s odd, this was a very important party. 

So the king sent his servants back out with a message about the quality of the celebration. The beef was barbecued, the pork was smoked, the lamb was roasted, all the side dishes were prepared, but still they refused to come. 

Jesus says that many paid no attention to the servant’s call because they had fields and farms and businesses to attend to. But others went beyond ignoring the call and responded violently to the messengers. They seized them and mistreated them, eventually killing some of them. 

As you can imagine, the king was outraged to hear that his servants had been mistreated. Therefore, in his wrath, he brought the murderers to justice. But this still left the king in a bind. What was to be done about the wedding feast? 

So he called other servants, saying, “The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore, go to the streets and invite anybody that you see there.” 

The servants went out and invited and gathered everyone they could find who were willing to attend the royal banquet celebrating the son’s wedding. As a result, the place was filled with dinner guests.

As the king surveyed the room full of people, he noticed one individual who was not dressed in wedding clothes. This person stuck out like a sore thumb from the rest of the guests. 

The king decided to find out how he had gotten in without wedding clothes. 

“Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?” he asked. 

Jesus explained that the man was silent; he didn’t have an answer for the king. At that point, the king realized this man was an imposter since those in attendance were required to have the proper wedding clothes. Therefore, the king ordered that he be put out into the darkness; a place where Jesus said there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

At the end of his illustration, Jesus summarizes the point of the parable of the king’s wedding banquet by saying, “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

The application is simple and straightforward. 

Through the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, many have been called to the heavenly celebration of salvation in Jesus Christ. But despite the honor of the event, only a few will be chosen. 

Why is this so? Two reasons are illustrated from the story. First, some will have a complete disregard for the call to attend. Some will ignore the call because they are too busy with the pursuits of this world, such as businesses or farms. Others will respond with violence to the message and its messengers because it challenges their way of living. 

Secondly, many will try to enter the banquet on their own terms. They will reject the clothing of righteousness available only in Christ and still expect to enter the celebration.

Many are called, but few are chosen. 

Have you heard the gospel call to the heavenly celebration? If so, do not refuse him who is speaking but respond by faith in Jesus Christ by confessing him as Lord and Savior. 

You will not be disappointed.

Chad Cummings is pastor at Gospel Open Bible Church on South Grimmell Road.

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