Few Are Chosen (Matthew 22:1-14)

I typically hate the idea of choosing. When I was younger, I remember seeing kids picking on the playground. It was a depressing thing. Somebody has to be picked last, and most of the time a few people would go unpicked. I remember not being picked a few times, and I remember the sadness of it all.

Throughout scriptures, we hear the phrase chosen a lot. What does it mean? Who is chosen? Does God choose arbitrarily as some believe? Is there a rationale to his choosing? If you have been studying the book of Matthew, you already know the answer to this question. God chooses the humble and despised. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, etc.” God has made his criteria evident. But that still becomes difficult. How do we know that we can meet those qualifications?

Today we are going to learn a parable that deals with this idea of God calling and choosing. This is a topic we keep coming back to because it is a topic that Jesus keeps coming back to. There is tremendous grace available but also tremendous judgment. Not all who are called are chosen. Let's read the parable.

Matthew 22:1--14 (ESV) --- 1 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.” ’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Two weeks ago, we saw that Jesus told them a parable about a vineyard where the tenants refused to give the master his fruit. He has been trying to show us that God is not finding any glory in Jerusalem. The people are too busy seeking glory for themselves to give God what he deserves.

Another Parable

Now, we see Jesus comparing the kingdom of heaven to a king throwing a wedding party.

A wedding feast would typically be a seven-day event full of joy, but this is no ordinary feast. The king is throwing a feast to celebrate the wedding of his son. This is sure to be the most fantastic wedding feast they have ever seen. This is why the Jews were excited about the kingdom of heaven. They knew that God had promised great blessings when the new kingdom is established. Everyone wanted to be a part of that. But in the last parable, we learned that the kingdom would be taken away from the Jews and given to someone else. As a result, they would not enjoy the blessings that they were looking forward to. Why? Jesus will explain in further detail.

People Won't Come

In an odd turn of events, those who are invited to this great feast refuse to come. There is no reason given at first. It just says that they won't come. So the king has his servants go out and command them to come. He tells those invited that all the preparations have been made to come and enjoy the feast. Yet, they still won't come. This time, we find out why. First, he tells us that they completely ignore the servants. They pay no attention to the servants. They don't care anything about the marriage feast that they have been invited to. Then, they say, "I have a farm to get to, or I have a business to get to." Their focus is on the wrong things. They are invited to the most incredible feast of their lives, and all they care about is work and themselves. So they are not ready to go to the feast. They seized the servants, treated them shamefully, and they killed them. That is totally uncalled for. Why would anyone do that when they are being invited to a great feast?

This killing of the servants is likely referring to the typical Jewish response to the prophets of God. The prophets condemned the practice of the people while inviting them to enjoy God's blessings, but they didn't listen. Instead, they were so focused on what they wanted to do that they refused to hear what God wanted them to do. They were trying to get for themselves the very thing that God was trying to give them, and they killed God's messengers so they could keep working for what was already theirs.

Can you imagine someone doing this to the servants of a king? This seems like a terrible idea. It reminds us of the last parable where the vineyard tenants killed the servants of the master. It didn't go over well for them. Notice that it won't go well for these people either.

What Will The King Do?

The king musters his army and sends them out to destroy those who have committed murder. Then, he burns down their cities. The king is not going to let the guilty go free of punishments. All of their work that they are so focused on with be for nothing. They cannot stand against an army of the king. What foolish decisions they have made.

But then, he has his servants go out into the city and find all who will come to the feast. He doesn't care if they are good or bad. All are invited to enjoy the feast he has prepared. This is a tremendous blessing to people who do not deserve it. This king is willing to help those who were not invited in the first place to come to his incredible feast.

Then, we read in verse 10 that many were gathered to the feast. It says that the wedding hall was filled with guests. These people had no idea that they would receive this opportunity, but they jumped on it when available. They could see the tremendous opportunity that has been afforded to them, and they were hoping to enjoy it. This king has plenty of food for all to eat.

An Uninvited Guest

Then, something very odd happens. It's odd to us, but probably not odd for those days. One man shows up without wearing the proper attire. The king sees him and asks him why he isn't wearing a wedding garment. The man has nothing to say for himself. So he is thrown out into the outer darkness. He says, "In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Can you imagine being in a sumptuous feast like that and being called out for failing to wear the proper clothing? How embarrassing would that be? That's like our worst nightmare.

The king was willing to invite anyone and everyone to the feast, but that does not mean that he will allow people who choose to dress inappropriately. The king has not loosened all etiquette. Those who come to a wedding feast knew what the proper attire was. There should be gratitude that provokes them to change clothes before they come. They should care about honoring the king and his son. That's like knowing that you are going to meet the president of the united states at a formal banquet and showing up in your pajamas. It is disrespectful, and the man knows it. That's why he is speechless when he is confronted. He knows he is without excuse.

The Point

The last words of the parable are the words that are probably the most difficult for many people. But they make perfect sense in this context. Jesus says, "For many are called, but few are chosen." What does this mean? In the parable, those who were invited were called to come to the feast. But the king did not choose them because they rejected the king. They did not value the king and his son enough to glorify him.

Then, we read about someone who accepted the invite but showed up wearing the wrong clothing. Again, this person was called but not chosen. The king rejected them because they failed to honor the king and change clothes as they were supposed to.

So many are called, but few are chosen because few give the king the honor and glory that he deserves. Many seek their own glory, and many don't care enough about honoring the king to change. They also fail to see the tremendous opportunity they have been given, and they fail to take advantage of it. So they aren't chosen by the king. They have been invited, and they have accepted the invitation. But they just show up for the food. They don't care about the king. They don't want to be a part of the festivities. They just want to be served.

What's The Message For Us?

As we read through this parable, there are several essential ideas in it. First, we see that the king is God, and the kingdom of heaven is a kingdom of rejoicing and joy. It's like a king's wedding feast. But it is only for those who are chosen. So, the question is, "Who is chosen?" Is it the ones initially invited? Many of them are called, but most refuse to come. Is it the righteous and good? They are invited, but the bad are as well. The interesting thing is that not all will come even though they are invited, and even those who come may not get to stay. It all depends on their willingness to honor the king and glorify him by changing clothes.

The Invitation Remains

His son is Jesus. There should be praise and rejoicing over Jesus in Jerusalem, but instead, the leaders are trying to find something wrong with him so that everyone will reject him. They don't want him to be who he says he is. If Jesus is the son, they don't want anything to do with the marriage feast that God is throwing for him. They don't care about that. They are focused on their work and their glory. Jesus' exaltation doesn't fit into their plans or schedules. So they are invited, but they reject the invitation.

Have you ever known anyone who heard that life is found in Jesus, and it just didn't fit into what they wanted in their lives? That's probably one of the most common responses today. People just have too much going on in their lives to consider making Jesus and a relationship with God a big deal. They can't be expected to drop everything and come to the wedding feast. Who has time for that? If you were to remind them that they are missing out on a great opportunity, they wouldn't care. They don't even care when they hear about the terrible judgment that waits for them if they refuse to submit. They are too busy doing their own thing.

What about those who are here today? Is there anyone here that is hearing this and couldn't care less? God is calling you in this message to come and enjoy the feast, and will you reject him? I hope you understand that he doesn't call you because you are so awesome. He calls you because he is so gracious. He wants people to enjoy his feast. He wants to have a relationship with people and save them from a life of meaninglessness. Your farm or your work is nothing. In one hundred years, it will all be gone, and no one will remember you, but those who accept this invitation will still be feasting with God. He doesn't force you to come, and he won't call you forever. So listen to the call and accept the invitation. This is the most meaningful and satisfying thing you will ever do.

He invites all to come right now. You don't have to be a part of the original Jewish people. They rejected God, and now the doors are open for you to come to the feast. Don't give God an excuse. Don't wait. Clothe yourself with Christ and enjoy the feast.

God Expects A Change

The second big application point in this text is that those who think they can enjoy God's blessings without becoming more like him are mistaken. God's grace toward us should create gratitude and a willingness to change.

There has been a lot of speculation about what is meant by the man wearing the wrong clothing, but I think the answer is obvious. Those who accept the invitation were good and bad, but you have to fit the part to be a part of the feast. You have to become worthy of entering the wedding hall and sharing the company of the king. Now, I know that this sounds like a tall order. We might wonder how we could dress ourselves in the proper garments to enter a feast with God. What could we put on that would make us worthy? We need to somehow put on righteousness and holiness so that we are worthy to come into fellowship with God. Where would we ever find a righteousness that's not our own? The point of the New Testament is that God clothes us in righteousness through the sacrifice of Jesus. Will we accept his gift of sanctification?