Sunday, 23 August 2026 “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matthew  “Many, also, they are invitees, and few, elect.” (CG) In the previous verse, Jesus finished His words to the leaders of Israel concerning the parable of the wedding feast, where the king told his servants to bind the man without garments, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, where there is weeping and the gnash of the teeth. With that stated, He repeats words from Matthew  Most translations say “called.” But that is a past participle forming the passive verb phrase “are called.” That is not the intent. The word means invited (as in the state of being invited), but saying invited makes it a predicate adjective. To make the intent unmistakable, it should read “invitees.” In other words, it is the state in which people are. The gospel is spoken. All who hear it are invitees. However, only those who respond become a part of the next category, where Jesus says, “and few, elect.” The word elektos, elect, can carry some theological baggage in people’s minds, because of the debate of what it means, especially the wrongly considered idea of election claimed by Calvinists. The most literal way of saying this would be “and few, selectees.” But that sounds like people on a county commission. The intent is the state in which the people exist. They are the elect because of what was done and what they accepted in relation to that. The call for the wedding went out, people responded (free will), and they became elect because of their assent to attend. Paul uses the word in Romans  “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect [elektos]? It is God who justifies.” Romans  God sent His Son, delivering Him up for us. We heard the message, believed it, and became elect. The process is grace. One cannot merit grace. A banquet was prepared based on the completed work of God’s Son. After that, people were called to attend (invitees). Those who were called rejected the offer. From there, others outside of the first group were called (invitees). They did nothing to merit the call. Instead, it was God’s grace being directed toward them. Those who heard and responded from the invitees became elect. HELPS Word Studies says, “Typically, eklektós (‘select, chosen’) describes people who choose to follow the Lord, i.e. become God’s choice by freely receiving faith (pístis) from Him. Accordingly, these two terms are directly connected (see Tit  Life application: Entering the kingdom only comes through faith, and it only comes apart from the law, even if those under the law have faith. For those of Israel who were invitees, it was based not on what they did, but on what Jesus did. However, most rejected the premise, feeling that because of the law, they merited God’s favor already. Gentiles, never having the law, hear the message and become elect by believing it. Where was law (other than Jesus’ fulfillment of it) ever a part of the process? It was not to be found! And yet, as soon as people hear that Christ died for their sins and they believe, someone comes along and tells them they must observe the law! How can we be so dull as to believe such an unscriptural thing? The gospel of our salvation does not say a word about law – “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” 1 Corinthians  That is it. That is the gospel. Once one believes, Paul then says – “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, y