"Enlightened at baptism as to His divine Sonship, His unique commission, He did not at once rush off 'in the power of the Spirit' to preach the good news. ... the spirit of wisdom drove him into the wilderness, to come to terms with His own human nature. More than one path lay open before Him. He might claim the privileges of an exceptional spirit, in the midst of a world which is not exceptional at all: turn the material world to His own purpose, transcend the common laws of nature, assume the position of the Father's pet child. He might follow the path disclosed by spiritual ambition, leading to obvious power and success: the most insidious of the three temptations, because it suggested that His mission of redemption and enlightenment could be fulfilled on a great scale, by entering into alliance with the spirit and methods of the world. People who think in numbers always mistake this for a call from God. Love, choosing what helped, rejected all these opportunities, and elected the humble career of a local prophet and evangelist: a limited scope, unrewarded service, an unappreciative public, a narrow path leading to the Cross." ---Evelyn Underhill, The House of the Soul.
(italics mine)
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