A Parábola das Bodas de Mateus 22

In the Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22), Jesus addresses the theme of election. There we find the teaching that the Jews, who refused the invitation, received more than one opportunity, such was the King's desire that they participate in the feast (Matthew 22:4). This refusal was not due to predestination, lack of opportunity, or incapacity, but simply because they "did not want to" (Matthew 22:3). This theme is recurrent in the Bible. John said that Jesus "came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:11-12). Jesus wept over Jerusalem and lamented the fact that its inhabitants had rejected the offer of salvation (Luke 13:34). And Paul's words to the Jews who rejected the Gospel are in perfect harmony with this parable, which says that the invitation was then extended to all without distinction: "Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: 'It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles'" (Acts 13:46). Jesus concludes the parable with the following statement: "Many are called, but few are chosen." All were called. The King's desire was to have the participation of each one of them. No one needed to be left out! All were called, but in the end, only those who willingly accepted the invitation were chosen. These did not act this way because they had been previously chosen, but were chosen because they exercised faith to the point of appropriately accepting the invitation on the terms established by the King. Therefore, Jesus is emphasizing that election has a conditional character. This is why Peter says that we are “chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” (1 Peter 1:2). The faith of each individual is not a false decision where everything has already been decided beforehand by the supreme being (Matthew 22:3; Romans 9:33; 10:4, 8, 11, 16-21).