Few Are Chosen

Jesus makes this statement in John 6:44 … "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him ..."

I like the way the Amplified puts it … "No one is able to come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me attracts and draws him and gives him the desire to come to Me …"

Jesus said, "no man can come to me" … meaning, on their own ... because in and of themselves they see no need of coming to Christ or anything in Him that is worth coming for. Their hearts are set on the things of the world, and without knowing it they are prejudiced against Him.

If coming to Christ and believing in Christ takes faith, and they do, the faith needed does not come from within man, it is a gift of God.

Ephesians 2:8 … "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God …"

Grace and faith must be given and set in motion to enable the human soul to come and believe in Christ.

Adam Clarke says … "The grace or power to believe, and the act of believing, are two different things. Without the grace or power to believe no man ever did or can believe; but with that power the act of faith is a man’s own. God never believes for any man, no more than he repents for him: the penitent, through this grace enabling him, believes for himself … the power to believe may be present long before it is exercised."

But how is a man drawn?

Augustine answers this question with three simple words … "thru the gospel."

So God, by the Holy Spirit draws a man lost in sin and thru the gospel, shows him the Savior provided for him, and through the desire to escape hell, and get to heaven, he comes to Jesus … because none could, without this drawing, ever feel the need of a Savior.

Although this act of drawing is an act of power, it is not by force; God in drawing the unwilling, makes them willing. He enlightens the understanding, and gives them a heart of flesh for one of stone, drawing them by His grace and mercy, which causes the soul to give itself up to him.

Matthew 22:14 … "For many are called, but few are chosen." This is the final summation of the parable in Matthew 22:1-14, where Jesus tells of the invitations given by the king to attend his sons' marriage feast. Many are called, (invited and summoned) but ... few are chosen? Here the "called" are being emphatically distinguished from the "chosen." The word "called" as it is used here, can only mean those who are "invited."

Honestly … I have never been able to rap my mind around the true meaning of this verse. The sense is, a large portion of those who have been called, those who receive the invitation of the Gospel … God never "chooses" for salvation.

How or why this happens, (if this is the right understanding of this scripture) I do not know. I can only speculate. God has commanded that the gospel should be preached to all men, to allow them the choice to either accept or reject the invitation for salvation given them. If it is their choice … who does the choosing?

With respect to the invitations given in this parable, the purpose of God is to honor His Son by celebrating His marriage. First, the Jews were invited to the marriage feast during Christ's lifetime. They would not come. Afterwards, all things now ready for the marriage feast, the Father sends the messengers again to invite them to come. This was the mission of the apostles to the Jewish nation, after the price of their redemption had been paid for by Jesus. They again reject the message for a second time and kill the messengers. The destruction of Jerusalem is the end result.

With the Jews rejection of the invitation, the lowly, the destitute, the Gentiles, those who were outside all along, are brought in and the wedding feast is now ready with the "chosen" guests.

Another thing is now presented. For this occasion one must also put on a wedding garment if Christ is to be glorified. There may be some that appear ready to enter into the kingdom with … a profession of Christianity … but he who is not clothed with the right garment for the wedding feast will be cast out. We must be clothed in Christ Himself.

On the other hand, nothing is required. The guests are not required to bring anything … all is provided. All you need is the invitation and the proper garment.

Just saying you are invited … a profession of salvation … without being clothed in your wedding garment, the robe of righteousness, will not allow you entrance into the Kingdom of God, which is what this parable is all about.

Matthew 9:13 … "I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance."

This scripture shows who God is now calling to the marriage feast, who the Father is now giving His invitations to. Sinners … that's all of us.

The following scripture, suggests or strongly hints at the thought that not all that hear the invitation of the gospel … not all shall be saved, not all shall find the way, not all shall enter in.

Matthew 7:14 … "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

Of course, here Jesus was speaking to Jewish Israel and history has proven that few followed up on their invitations to the wedding feast.

But ... few are chosen? That sounds a lot like "predestination" doesn't it. That's a whole different subject. I'll leave that for some other time.



Comments welcome.