For many are called, but few are chosen.
Matthew 22:14 (NASB1995)
Today’s verse looks back to the parable of the wedding feast at the beginning of the chapter, where we see both called and the chosen mentioned in this short verse. Those who were invited first (called) ignored their invitation. Thus, the King chose to invite strangers from the streets in their place. In my meditation on this, it occurred to me that the wedding guests of Christ who ignore the invitation are originally the Jewish people, but the chosen are all who are chosen and accept Him – Jew or Gentile.
Certainly, in our world, not all invitations are accepted, whether it be for a birthday party, a wedding, or even a funeral. Various reasons are offered for not attending. Some are unavoidable while others are mere excuses. It would be a nice problem to have if everyone who was invited to church turned up, but sadly, many people choose not to meet our Lord in His house.
Paul writes to Roman Christians, addressing them as “all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints” (Romans 1:7). He elaborates on this greeting in his letter to the Corinthian Church, “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2).
Dear Reader, Are you amongst God’s chosen ones, invited by His Son’s redeeming work at Calvary? Or have you delayed in accepting His invite? His invitation is time sensitive. A day is coming when the door to the wedding feast in Heaven will be closed – be sure to be there before it is too late.
Alan Kearns is a Christian father and grandfather from Scotland. He was raised in the mining villages of Fife and came to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior in 1984. A major influence that leads Alan to Jesus was his Christian mum, grandparents and an aunt. Alan writes regular devotionals in his blog Devotional Treasures
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