“So, what about Jesus?”
This is a question I’ve heard a few times. It sometimes feels like it’s more of a “check mate” than an actual question.
Rather than a trap, the answer is a gateway to a new, transformational path. Jesus never said, “worship me.” He said, “follow me.” We might interpret this as, “follow my lead.”
Follow my lead, be fully human.
Jesus consistently calls himself the son of man, an indication that he understood himself to be fully human. He was born into poverty in an occupied country, into the lowest level of society. He experienced what it means to be poor, hungry, uneducated, and without stability. He was born of a woman, who was shunned and who shed her blood to bring him into the world. He lived his life at the edge of society, and the edge of religion. He associated with women, and he associated with outcasts. He struggled through every phase of his short life and was criticized by the temple and his people.
Follow my lead, love your shadow.
Yet, he lived into his divine nature. He did not seek security, control, or approval. He fully recognized and reckoned with his shadow self. This is what Jesus struggled with when he was tempted in the desert and again in the Garden of Gethsemane. All he had to do was go along with temple leaders, pick better friends, and keep quiet on controversial topics. But he knew it was his shadow self that wanted the safe and popular path. He embraced his vulnerability and trusted in a higher power.
Follow my lead, make positive choices.
Jesus made choices that aligned with his divine self-expression, who he was created to be, and what we call “positive” choices. He did not adopt a “right” set of beliefs, which never leads to transformation. He made the choice not to turn stones into bread, or to jump from the top of The Temple, or bow to Satan. These are not temptations that are specific to Jesus, these are temptations we deal with every day – the desire to have value, the desire to be right, and the desire to have control. He made the choice to reinterpret God in ways that disempowered temple leaders, and they hated Jesus for it. He made the choice to socialize with people who were not respected in the community. Jesus did not make choices that gave him power or popularity. Jesus had free will to make different choices. He could have chosen to blend in and lived the life everyone expected of him.
Follow my lead, live into your divine nature.
What I see in the life of Jesus is how to recognize and live with my shadow self. I see how to make choices that align with my divine self-expression. I see how making choices that make me popular, or in control, or safe pull me away from who I was created to be. Those choices prohibit my transformation. And I also understand how it is human to make mistakes, to wander around in the desert, and to make bad choices. Because experiencing our human nature, being fully human, is how we learn and how we discover our true self.
Are you ready to discover your true self? Are you ready for transformation? Book a 30-minute free call to start your journey.