When is foolishness actually the wise thing?

In my last post I wrote of how God loves to use the "nobodys" of this world to accomplish His kingdom's work.  Just looking at who Jesus chose to be the Apostles -- the foundational leadership of the newly formed Church -- should say something quite remarkable about who God uses.

These men, and the message they proclaimed faithfully in the first century A.D., were looked upon by the religious establishment of the day as being nothing more than mere fools.  And yet, that is just exactly how God wanted it.  He despised the sacrimonious hypocricy of Israel's religious leaders and He mocked their spiritual ineptness by choosing men of lowly position to become heroes of the faith. 

In the first chapter of Paul's first letter to the Corinthian church we see how God chose what would appear foolish to those who thumb their noses at Him as the message of His redemption, and He chose those who would be perceived as fools to be His messengers . . .
     "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those wo are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (my emphasis)  For it is written:  'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.'
     Where is the wise man?  Where is the scholar?  Where is the philosopher of this age?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  For since in the widom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.  Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified:  a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."  (I Corinthians 1:18-25)

So why does God do it this way?  John MacArthur, in his book Twelve Ordinary Men says this about God's purpose:  "God chooses the humble, the lowly, the meek, and the weak so that there's never any question about the source of power when their lives change the world.  It's not the man; it's the truth of God and the power of God in the man.  The power is in the Word -- the truth that we preach -- not in us...God's favorite instruments are nobodies, so that no man can boast before God.  In other words, God chooses whom He chooses in order that He might receive the glory."

I have always loved to hear the testimonies of histories great men of God because they all share one common theme - "It has never been about me or my abilities, but it has always been about the power of God and the Gospel message!"  Men such as Billy Graham, W.A. Criswell, Adrian Rogers, Billy Sunday, D.L. Moody and Charles Spurgeon would all say that they could never understand why God chose them to become preachers of His Word because they knew they had nothing of great value to offer, and each would proclaim "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord" (I Corinthians 1:31).

Which would you choose -- the wisdom of the world or the foolishness of God?