Called and chosen - Calling not choosing

Matthew 22: Parable of the Marriage Feast

 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, ² “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. ³ And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come. ⁴ Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’ ⁵ But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, ⁶ and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. ⁷ But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire. ⁸ Then he *said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. ⁹ Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’ ¹⁰ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.

¹¹ “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, ¹² and he *said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. ¹³ Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw 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.”

There is obviously a lot that can be learned and discerned by a deep study of this parable. There is the implication that the first invited guests were the nation of Israel and it was after they rejected God's invitation that He invited the other nations in. While we can see that in this parable I believe that God's plan was to redeem all mankind from the beginning. Jesus spoke in parables so there would be an application to the common people. Rather than getting deeply theological, He spoke in common familiar terms.

The parable begins by saying "the kingdom of heaven may be compared to".  Obviously the king in the parable represents God and Jesus is the Son for whom the wedding feast is given. While we will be invited to partake of that feast as believers, the "Bride of Christ" , I want to look at where we are and who we are  currently in the timeline of this parable. We are the ones who were sent out to invite the guests. Paul frequently refers to followers of Christ as slaves to Him and His purpose.
Romans 6:22
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

  Jesus commission to His disciples in Mark 16:15 is  "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. God sent them/us out to the highways to call them all to the feast. Our responsibility at this time is to preach the gospel, to share the good news and the invitation to come. It is not our job or responsibility to judge or determine who should come. The parable says they gathered them "all", the evil and the good, and the wedding hall was filled.

There is a balance the church today needs to find in proclaiming the truth of the gospel, not compromising that truth, while continuing to invite all to come, knowing it is God alone who will determine who shall partake of the feast.

The parable says the king will look over the guests and when He finds one without the proper wedding clothes He will have them put out. This seems harsh and unfair to many people, that God would put some one out. Here is where it is important to understand the culture and tradition of the time. When a king would hold a wedding feast, he would not only provide all the food, he also provided the proper wedding clothes for each guest. In the same way God has invited all to attend the feast. He has provided the proper clothes. Each person must put on the righteousness of Christ in order to partake of the feast. God alone is able to judge and determine who has truly put on Christ's righteousness.

We are simply to go out and invite them in by telling them the truth, the good news.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, I am thankful that you have called me to your feast and that in this time you have sent me out to invite all the others I find telling them the good news of Your kingdom. I am also thankful that I am not the judge. Only You can truly know men's hearts and see if they have put on the clothes you provided, the righteousness of Christ. Help me daily to find the balance telling the truth, while inviting all. Let my speech always be seasoned with grace that I might respond properly to each person.