What Does Jesus Mean When He Says “Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen”?

Jesus’s famous declaration that many are called but few are chosen comes at the end of the parable of the wedding banquet (see Mt 22:1-14). A gracious king puts on a grand marriage feast for his son, sending out invitations via his servants. These invitations are ignored by many, shunned by others, and in some cases, the messengers are even abused and killed!

Suitably enraged, the king sends an army to destroy the murderers and burn their city. Then he directs his servants out onto the streets to invite to the wedding “all whom they found, both bad and good” (v. 1). Thus the wedding hall quickly fills up with guests.

There’s only one problem: one of the attendees lacks a wedding garment. When challenged about it, the ill-dressed guest is speechless; so the king orders him to be bound and thrown out into the darkness. And then, finally, comes that famous line from Our Lord: “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Mt 22:14).

We should therefore understand that verse 14 ought to be read in light of the whole parable. First and foremost, the parable speaks to God’s experience with ungrateful Israel. Israel was the elect of God, the chosen nation destined to carry out His purposes and extend His kingdom to the world. But when God sent His prophets—and, eventually, His Only Son—to Israel, they were met with scorn, rejection, and death.

In response to Israel’s sin, God sometimes allowed human forces to operate as instruments of divine justice. Thus in the Old Testament, the city of Jerusalem was reduced to ruin by the Babylonians in B.C. 587 on account of the Israelites repeatedly ignoring the exhortations of the prophets. Similarly, in the new covenant era, Jesus warns that the divine wrath will once again be visited on the nation of Israel due to its opposition to the Messiah. This time that wrath will be realized in the Roman armies who assault Jerusalem and reduce the Second Temple to rubble in the year A.D. 70.

Significantly, the extension of the wedding invitation to everyone gathered on the streets reflects the reality that the sphere of “the elect” has now been extended from beyond Israel to include the whole world. None of the people on the streets, not even the bad, will be denied an invitation. There are those, however, who choose not to participate in the wedding feast—or if they do participate, it is only on their own terms. This egocentric approach is represented by the man who lacks the appropriate attire. He was given the same invitation as everybody else, but he can’t be bothered to dress the part.

In the parable, the wedding garment symbolizes repentance. The man who decides not to wear the garment has shown disdain for the magnificent offer which he has received. Despite being a random “nobody” on the street, he was invited to attend a royal wedding. Taking advantage of the invitation, he is happy enough to show up for the festivities, yet he is unwilling to meet the basic entry requirements. When challenged on account of his poor dress code, he has nothing to say in his defense, which leads to his being cast out.

This sequence of events reveals the way in which God has called all men and women. Nevertheless, it is only those who repent of their sin and cooperate with God’s grace who will be chosen to have a seat at the eternal wedding feast. For while God extends the wedding invitation to all people (see 1 Tim 2:4), sadly not everyone will respond to that invitation.