Jesus ‘Gets Us’ But Do We Get Him?
By Matthew Maher
Despite the Super Bowl’s crowded frenzy of commercials, the "He Gets Us" campaign gained much traction and accumulated its fair share of controversy.
Producers of the two-year-old ad series say they want to foster understanding and empathy among individuals of diverse backgrounds. We applaud the commercial makers’ desire to share the Gospel to people who do not know Jesus.
On the ‘About’ page of the campaign’s website, producers ask and state:
How did the story of Jesus, the world’s greatest love story, get twisted into a tool to judge, harm, and divide? How do we remind people that the story of Jesus belongs to everyone? These questions are the beating heart of He Gets Us.
We hope to remind everyone, including ourselves, that Jesus’ teachings are a warm embrace, not a cold shoulder. That he didn’t let pro-this or anti-that opinions prohibit him from seeing the value in all people. He Gets Us invites you to explore Jesus’ story on your own terms and at your own pace. Our message isn’t from a particular church nor is it affiliated with any one denomination.
PHOTO: ‘He Gets Us’/YouTube/screen grab
In the current landscape of social discourse, if you are listening to the wrong voices, such content can subtly become nothing more than spiritual discord.
Pastor John L. Groves: ‘He Gets Us’ Super Bowl Commercials Have Youth Asking Questions
‘Jesus Didn’t Teach Hate. He Washed Feet.’
The “He Gets Us” campaign appears to be a Christian attempt to build bridges of love to a world drowning in hate. The use of contrasting “people types” within the same staged scenes in the newest ad, “Foot Washing,” certainly has cultural appeal.
But is the presentation biblical? It sounds good, but is it sound to God? These should always be the questions every true believer asks.
The statement that ended the commercial is true. Jesus did not teach hate (more on that later). And He did wash His disciple’s feet. However, when the culture at large believes that calling out sin is hateful and affirming righteousness over unrighteousness is bigotry, then how the world receives “Jesus didn’t teach hate” is completely different than how the Bible records the teachings of Jesus. Mind you, those who hate the truth will label the truth as hate. Now we have a problem.
Again, at first glance, the campaign appears noble, emphasizing empathy and connection. Yet, a closer examination reveals Scriptural flaws and pitfalls. The campaign's focus on external validation, devoid of genuine transformation, is not the full Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel is not about Him getting us, it is about us getting Him.
And this is why He washed feet. The physical washing of feet was not a touchpoint to affirm the sin of the disciples. It was a symbolic and spiritual act demonstrating that He is the only one with the authority to forgive and cleanse us of our sins.
Let’s read directly from the passage in John 13:8-11, where Jesus washed feet. Jesus answered and said to him,
“What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”
“You are not all clean.” How mean of Jesus to say that. But that’s the point. The act of washing their feet was a precursor of those that would have a “part with Him.” And those that would have a part with Him, because of repentance from their sin and obedience to His Word, would also be those that would have to have a love for Him that was greater than their love for anything else in this world.
Or as Jesus put it, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26).
Wait a second, I thought “Jesus didn’t teach hate.” Now do you see the deception of the ad line? Yes, Jesus did not teach us to hate in the sense of loathing people, but His Word teaches us to abhor evil and to hate sin. Ideally, Christian’s are called to hate what God hates and love what God loves. Therefore, we must never affirm sinful lifestyles, nor should we ever conform to woke and progressive evils. Who cares that we wash feet if the Gospel doesn’t wash the heart of sin.
The whole campaign may seem harmless, but when you pull back the veil, you see that it is a woke masterpiece that will keep sinners far from experiencing the Master’s peace. Pandering to the sinful narratives of our day (“love is love", "my body my choice”, “no justice, no peace,” and the list goes on) is the opposite of the Gospel and the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.
What good is it to virtue-signal to a dying world without pointing to the virtue of the living Lord, whose message is, “the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” (Mark 1:15)
Matthew Maher is a contributing writer for Think Eternity. Go to www.TruthOverTrend.com to navigate his ministry and messaging.