"For many are called, but few are chosen" in the Parable of the Workers

Matthew 20

“But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me for a denarius?  Take that which is yours, and go your way. It is my desire to give to this last just as much as to you.  Isn’t it lawful for me to do what I want to with what I own? Or is your eye evil, because I am good?’  So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Matthew 20:13‭-‬16

I'm very familiar with the parable of the workers in the vineyard. I have usually thought of this parable as an encouragement to people who are old, like my parents, and have not yet come to Christ.

So this parable is to reassure them that they can still come to Christ, and Christ will still give them the same reward of salvation as those of us who came to Christ while children.

However, suddenly, he ends the parable with "For many are called, but few are chosen" which is surprising because of the context.

He says "For many are called, but few are chosen" at the end of the Parable of the Wedding Guests (Matthew 22:14) as well, and in that context, it makes total sense, but in this context it seemed very odd to me.

Why did Jesus say this in this context?

I mean, it is a true statement - "Many are called, but few are chosen" - God calls everyone to come to Christ, but not everyone does. And God foreknew those who would come, so He has chosen us from the beginning of time - even though He desires for all to come to Him.

This is the great Mystery which has caused parts of Christendom to split into Calvinist and Arminian camps arguing over predestination vs free will.

But why did Jesus say that here, at the end of a parable that is asking people to come to Him no matter what their age?

I found this explanation at https://redeeminggod.com/many-are-called-but-few-are-chosen-matthew-20_16/

But the parable of the workers in the vineyard does not speak only to the equality we all share before God in the afterlife. The parable also speaks to the way we participate with God in this life.

Yes, all are on equal footing before God. And yet, inexplicably, some seem to have a greater role and purpose than others in God’s plan for this world. If the unspoken objection to the parable was “But that’s not fair!” then the unspoken objection to this statement is, “But that’s not how God works!”

God isn’t equal to all, even in His own Kingdom. Some are given greater blessings and honors than others. To this second objection, Jesus says, “Many are called, but few are chosen.”

He goes on to say:

But in God’s way of working, He often selects and chooses a few individuals for special purposes and tasks.

And what are these special purposes and tasks for which God chooses some? To serve, suffer, and die.

God’s “choosing” is not a choice to honor, position, and power, but to suffering and service. There is no teaching here about an election until eternal life of some. Instead, Jesus is teaching that God is generous to all, and while all are called to serve Him, true service to God is not an easy thing to bear, which is why most don’t want it. Yet God does choose some to serve Him in these difficult ways.

He also says that this idea in Matthew 20:16 is reinforced in the following passage where James and John jostle for position:

Though lots of people interpret Jesus’ words to mean that if someone wants to be great they must begin by serving others and then God will raise them up and make them great, this is not what Jesus is saying at all. That’s how “greatness” works in the human world. Those who are respected and revered started at the bottom and worked their way to the top. But in God’s economy, those who are great either go in the opposite direction, or simply stay at the bottom their entire lives.

He concludes:

1.  God values generosity more than fairness.
2.  Those who are chosen for “greatness” in God’s Kingdom are chosen for service, suffering, and death, which is why not all are chosen.

I'm not sure I agree fully with this guy, but what he has to say about this seems to make sense to me.

Father, You are trustworthy and You love me. I trust You to choose what Your plan is for my life. I commit to doing Your will for my life. When I stumble and fall, may I quickly repent and get back up and keep going. In Jesus' name, amen.