Many are Called, Few are Chosen

The other day I was asked about a recent Sunday reading from Matthew. In it Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven is like a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. Those who were originally invited “made light of it” and refused to come, so the king had his servants go out into the streets and bring passersby in. Someone showed up without the proper attire, however, and the king threw him out. Jesus ends with, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Mt 22:14) That’s the verse that bothered my friend. Why does God call many but only choose a few?

My response was that God does indeed call many. In fact, I would say that God calls everyone, that God desires the reconciliation of everyone to himself and to one another. What is also necessary, however, is our response to that call. Only if we respond will we be chosen.

I believe that it is God who makes the first move. We cannot save ourselves through our own self-will. Yet we do have a choice. We can choose what leads to life, or what leads to death. We can respond to the call, or we can make light of it. God’s grace helps us with that decision, but grace is not irresistible, in the Reformed sense that the elect will be chosen by God no matter what. I would dearly love to believe in universal salvation, that our choices ultimately have no effect on whether or not we enter the kingdom of heaven. Unfortunately, I can’t reconcile that with what I read in the Bible. It is clear, however, that it’s none of our business to try to figure out who is allowed into the wedding feast and who gets thrown out. That’s for God to decide.