NOTES for Mat 22:1-14

A person who lives in this world and believes in God usually faces a difficult and important question: Why are there people who, like him, see the meaning of their lives in faith and in God and are already trying to live in His Kingdom, while others turn away indifferently and find other meanings and other values for themselves? This question also confronted the evangelist, who lived at a turning point when many among his people discovered Christ while many preferred not to notice Him. He found his answer in the words Jesus spoke to the elders in Jerusalem shortly before His execution. “Many are called, but few are chosen”—access to the Kingdom is open to everyone who desires it, regardless of language, nationality, culture, or occupation; but those who enter are those who truly want it, for whom this reality matters more than even the most important things—work, business, or family—and who are ready to answer the King’s invitation. Conversely, everyone who does not need or value any of this has the right and freedom to refuse, even when a personal invitation has been sent. This bears little resemblance either to compulsory “universal happiness” or to a club “for insiders.” But everyone is called. And everyone who desires it will be “chosen.”