CHAPTER XIV
IS IT SECOND RATE FOR GOOD PEOPLE TO BE SUCCESSFUL?
Of course the most stupendous success that has ever been made—the world's most successful undertaking from a technical point of view as an adaptation of means to ends was the attempt that was made by a man in Galilee years and years ago to get not only the attention of a whole world, but to get the attention of a whole world for two thousand years.
This purpose of arresting the attention of a world and of holding it for two thousand years was accomplished by the use of success and of failure alternately.
Christ tried success or failure according to which method (time and place considered) would seem to work best.
His first success was with the doctors.
His next success was based on His instinct for psychology, His power of divining people's minds, which made possible to Him those extraordinary feats in the way of telling short stories that would arrest and hold the attention of crowds so that they would think and live with them for weeks to come.
His next success was a success based on the power of His personality, and His knowledge of the human spirit and his victory over His own spirit—his success in curing people's diseases and His extraordinary roll of miracles.
He finally tried failure at the end, or what looked like failure, because the Cross completed what he had had to say.
It made His success seem greater.