Here is what I see…
Those who are beaten with many stripes are the 'many called.' They know God’s will but do not do it. For example, most of Churchianity knows that Jesus said:
Matt 5:44 Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use
you, and persecute you.
Yet, these same people have no qualms about loving their enemies by picking up a gun and blowing them away to the glory of God. They would just as soon see their enemies punished and put through exactly what their enemies put them through rather than doing good to them and forgiving them. These are the people that will be beaten with many stripes. They know what the Scriptures say; they’re just unwilling to believe them and live them. These are the people, the servants of God, that Jesus speaks about in verses 45-56:
Luke 12:45-46 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and
maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not
for [him], and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the
unbelievers.
Those who are beaten with few stripes are those who have never heard the truth. That was what the whole paper Ray sent to D. James Kennedy was about: “What About Those Who Have Never Heard?”
http://bible-truths.com/kendy2.htm Kennedy believed (at least at that time) that those who have never heard the truth will end up in hell for all eternity because their ‘ignorance defense’ will not be enough to save them. The truth - which Kennedy did not see - is that yes, they will be chastised because they did sin…
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
…but because there was no opportunity given to them to know that their sin was against God and His law, God will not chastise them as severely as He will those who knew His law and went ahead and broke it anyway.
In contrast, the 'few chosen' are spoken of a few verses earlier in verses 42 - 44.
Luke 12:43-44 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom [his] lord shall make ruler over his household, to
give [them their] portion of meat in due season? Blessed [is] that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find
so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.
They have already been through the fiery chastening of God and have been counted worthy to stand alongside their elder brother and high priest Jesus to rule over as well as administer the stripes to the ‘many’ until those same 'many' come to see the truth. They have been given much and used it wisely.
These verses in Luke perhaps can parallel somewhat nicely with the parable of the talents (Matt 25). Though all three servants were given different amounts of talents, two used them wisely and gained much for the Lord, while the third believed his lord to be a hard man, reaping where he hadn't sown, so he hid his talent. And what happened? The first two were rewarded when the lord returned, while the third was judged by the very words that came out of his mouth, and he was "apportion[ed]...his portion with the unbelievers."
Does that help? Any other thoughts?
Eric