Matthew 22:14 “Many are called, but few are chosen.” (Both bad and good?) - What does this mean?!

Note: An except from this parable is printed at the bottom of this post for context.

It seems to me that in this parable, God first called his servants, but they were unworthy and didn’t want to come. His servants would appear to be the Jewish people (see Romans 11:25, “a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” and John 1:11-13 “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”) So, then he extended the invitation to everyone (the Gentile nations), including even people of various moral (and social) standing (both “bad” and “good”) with the only requirement that they were clothed with a wedding garment (true belief/faith). So after eliminating those who didn’t want to attend, and those who did want to attend but did not come wearing a wedding garment, there were few left; relative to the original amount that were called. This minority flies in the face of current popular culture. (According to our modern concept of salvation, one would conclude that “narrow is the path that leads to DESTRUCTION, and few will find it” rather than the converse in Matthew 7:13-14).

In any case, these few left would have been foreknown to the Lord and would now be revealed as his “chosen.” Although it is not explicitly stated, the wedding garment must be true faith. Jesus describes three categories of people: 1) There are those who hate the Lord and don’t even show up. 2) Then, there are those who pretend to love him and show up, but don’t truly believe/have sincere faith. 3) Finally, there are those who show up and also have sincere faith.

There are other related examples of this in Jesus’ own life on earth. In the context of his disciples, he said “follow me” and those who decided to follow were his “chosen” except one, namely Judas, who betrayed him and was a pretender. This seems an unmistakeable parallel to the second category above. If you compare this with the rich young ruler, Jesus said to sell all he had, then “come follow me” but he went away sad. He was not “chosen” so he would fall into the first category. Judas presumably was called as were Jesus’ other disciples (though I’m not aware of the story of his calling). We assume he accepted the call and we know he became a disciple (even one of the twelve!). But he was a “devil.” (see John 6:70-71). So, here you have both categories represented in Jesus’ own experience during his life on earth (the overt rejecters, and the covert pretenders) and Jesus is saying after eliminating these two categories, the minority left will enter the Kingdom (which is synonymous for salvation). Among those who are left, there are various levels of moral “good,” but they all wear the wedding garment. Remember, we cannot be good enough to enter heaven on our own. Thus, the wedding garment is required. Jesus minces no words for pretenders. Judas walked with Jesus and shared meals with him, but he was a crook and a liar (see John 12:6), and his fate was, as Jesus said, to be “cast into outer darkness” with those who pretend, but do not possess true faith.

Conclusion: Jesus’ blood paid for all our sins, whether many, or few. True faith is all that is required to be saved. Yet, after eliminating those who overtly reject this gift and those who covertly pretend to accept it, there are relatively few left with humble and sincere faith to enter the Kingdom. Once these people are revealed, they are then known to be “chosen.” This is a hard teaching in our current world, but it is what Jesus said.

“9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast 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.”