Matthew 22:14 (DRB)

Passage

For many are called, but few are chosen.

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:12 And he saith to him: Friend, how camest thou in hither not having on a wedding garment? But he was silent.

Matthew 22:13 Then the king said to the waiters: Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the exterior darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

Matthew 22:15 Then the Pharisees going, consulted among themselves how to insnare him in his speech.

Matthew 22:16 And they sent to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying: Master, we know that thou art a true speaker and teachest the way of God in truth. Neither carest thou for any man: for thou dost not regard the person of men.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called" and "chosen". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "chosen", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Then the king said to the waiters..." into verse 15's "Then the Pharisees going consulted among themselves...", so "called" and "chosen" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "called" and "chosen" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.