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Jesus always did the Father's will and that included who He called to be His disciples. The men who ended up living with Jesus, traveling with Him, learning from Him and commissioned by Him were the men God wanted to do these things. Bypassed in the selection process were multitudes of more outwardly qualified people with higher IQ's and more education or training. Why were these men not called and a group of fishermen, tax collectors and common folks called instead?
When Samuel came to the house of Jesse to anoint the next king of Israel, he bypassed all of the older, bigger and stronger sons and sought out the youngest and least qualified son (David) to anoint. When God needed a man to announce the coming of the Messiah, He chose a "wild man" who ate locusts and was a social misfit (John). When Jesus chose which disciple should be the leader after He ascended He chose Peter who was a lowly fisherman by trade.
A person can attend the finest schools, earn the highest degrees available in their field and have a flawless pedigree but still be rejected by God in favor of someone who has little education, comes from a broken family or has a physical disability. For many, this represents a flaw in God and drives them away from Him. In their opinion, only the finest, brightest, strongest and best looking people should be allowed to lead and teach God's people.
It was Samuel who said that God looks upon the heart and not on the outward appearance of a man. The criteria God uses in calling a person is NOT how perfect they appear in the flesh, but how meek and pure they are in their heart. God is not the least bit interested in how pretty, petite, pious or powerful a person appears outwardly. God is only interested in what lies in a person's heart.
The Apostle Paul was the exception to this rule. Paul had it all; education, pedigree and religious piety. Yet, Philippians states that Paul looked at all his earthly credentials as dung and voluntarily stripped himself of all his worldly accolades in order to "win Christ". This shows what was in Paul's heart and why God called him to do what he did.
It is very difficult for beautiful person from a powerful family who attended all the best schools in the land to accept the calling of Christ and follow Him. It is very difficult for a self-made man whose physical strength and passion to succeed allow him to be prosperous to drop it all and follow Jesus Christ. It is very difficult for a person who has been led to believe they are the very best according to the world standards to lay it all down and follow Jesus.
God has chosen the very people the world despises to be His spokespeople, ambassadors and witnesses. God has chosen the "ignorant and unlearned" to confound the wise. God has chosen those who the world rejects to be His hands, feet and mouths to this generation. God has indeed chosen those whose hearts are pure and humble to do what the outwardly qualified are incapable or unwilling of doing.
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