Do you know what it’s like to be passed over? It stings.
You had the perfect qualifications and didn’t get the job. “The one they chose was a friend of a friend of the personnel director,” someone whispered to you later. Or you were every bit as good as the player the coach put in the starting lineup. “His father was an All-Stater — the coach wanted to keep the alumni happy,” you told yourself. Maybe you didn’t make the cheerleading squad, or you were the last kid picked for sandlot football, standing there while both teams quietly wished you’d go home.
Being passed over has a long history.
I’ve wondered how Matthias felt when Jesus didn’t choose him as one of the Twelve. Church tradition holds that he was among the 72 disciples Jesus sent out to proclaim the Kingdom of God — just months before the crucifixion. He had walked with Jesus through his entire ministry and had witnessed the resurrection. So had another follower, Justus — also called Joseph Barsabbas.
When Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus and took his own life, someone had to fill the vacancy. The early church nominated these two men, both faithful, both tested, both quietly devoted. Then they cast lots — an ancient practice that strips away human favoritism and leaves the outcome to God. The lot fell to Matthias.
What became of either man after that moment? Scripture doesn’t say. Both had served in the shadows, away from the limelight. Both knew what it meant to labor without public recognition. And both simply continued as they had always lived — without fanfare, without a platform, without demanding one.
The casting of lots, incidentally, was never recorded in Scripture again. Not long after, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church, and a new era of discernment began.
But the Spirit had always been at work. When God sent the prophet Samuel to anoint a new king — after Saul’s failure — Samuel surveyed the tall, impressive sons of Jesse and prepared to choose the obvious candidate. God stopped him short: “Don’t judge by his appearance or height. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
So Samuel anointed the youngest son, the one minding the sheep in the field — David, who would become the greatest king Israel ever knew.
Are you feeling invisible? Outpaced by the ones who know how to promote themselves, who always seem to have someone in their corner? Losing faith in the judgment of the people who hold the power?
Take heart. Jesus knows exactly where you are — and he knows you better than you know yourself.
You are not forgotten. And if you don’t believe me, just ask the shepherd boy nobody thought to invite inside.