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Going Deeper into Jesus’ Baptism

Treasure Hunter

Well-Known Member
As social beings, our first source of judgment comes through family and other people around us. The same was true for young Jesus.

However, in order to level up in life, you have to take the risk of leveling up your judge. The father is always with the son. This can be a comforting idea but also scary since God the father is the judge who sees both good and evil. Do you really want to take the risk of standing in front of his righteous judgment? It’s a door that, once opened, cannot be fully closed ever again.

Jesus felt this same worry about leveling up his judge. Much like we all do, he played tricks on himself, fabricating an imagined version of the father instead of exposing himself in vulnerability. This way, he could make sure of the outcome - deeming himself ‘good’ through the eyes of the fabricated father.

When Jesus is finally willing to truthfully expose himself to the judgment of the father, it is at his baptism. Why? It’s because getting baptized can be compared to a trust fall. You have to give up control and expose yourself to risk.

As the story goes, the faith of young Jesus is rewarded when the father gives his righteous judgment:

“This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Christ claims he is within you. To believe this is to believe he has already cleared the path for leveling up your life. It then becomes a question of whether or not you want to experience what he experienced and take the risks he did.
 

Treasure Hunter

Well-Known Member
Only once you’ve truly exposed yourself to being judged by the father as evil and instead were judged as good - only then do you have the self confidence to identify with aspects of yourself which you have previously been ashamed or afraid. This will allow you to move forward in the story by affirming and identifying with the one locked in the basement, associated with the sinner, the lion, and the monster.

After you understand what it’s like to fear the righteous judge but then come out the other side stronger, you want that for others, including the one within who you’ve kept marginalized and oppressed. This will compel you to summon the monster from below and help reunite the brothers who together can move mountains.
 
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