There is a lot of buzz around the “He Gets Us” Super Bowl commercials. Some people are concern with the amount of money that was spent while others are worried about “He Gets Us” and their doctrinal stance. But what if their purpose transcends fund usage and doctrinal issues? What if they – whoever they are – are trying to help the church as a whole? What if they are attempting to show how Jesus loves everyone in the world so it opens a door for the rest of us to share with people how He has shown His love? Wouldn’t that be a good thing for “All of Us”? Couldn’t this be meant to be an amazing launching point for a positive message the church/believers could proclaim? Maybe there is Someone else behind this proclamation other than the owners of HeGetsUs.com.
I just searched YouTube for He Gets Us. The top 4 results are as follows…
“The ‘He Gets Us’ Commercial Does More Harm than Good.”
“He Gets Us… But Do We Get Him? (What are they thinking?)”
“We Still Can’t Trust Them.”
“What ‘He Gets Us’ Gets Wrong.”
Now I haven’t watched any of the videos above, just read the titles. So when I make this next observation you need to understand that fact. So here it is – these are negative… why do we do this to ourselves? Why is the first reaction to something that proclaims a positive image of Jesus negative from some believers? Is there a requirement I missed that said we have to give approval from everyone and a perfect line up in our doctrinal beliefs before something like this happens on a national level? Is there a requirement I missed that said anytime someone spends money to proclaim the name of Jesus they must get approval for that expenditure?
NO! to all the approval questions above…
and I for one am thankful for these commercials and the message they have sent to our nation during the most viewed TV event of the year!
First – I am thankful that He Gets Us! – Jesus was fully God and fully human. It is the human part of Him that personally connects with our struggles, our temptations and our limitations. It is His human side that experientially understands our Joys, what makes us excited about life and love. He Gets Us because He attended weddings as well as storms. He Gets Us because He attended national celebrations and funerals. He Gets Us because He ministered to every person in every social level from rich to poor, religious to scoundrel, from self proclaimed holy people to the ones who were holy and didn’t really think about it. He Gets Us Because He took on our flesh and walked in all of our shoes. The phrase ‘He Gets Us’ is a fundamental truth of the Gospel. ’He Gets Us” because He understands our strengths and is well aquatinted with our weaknesses.
Second. These commercials open doors for us to have Gospel conversations. ’He Gets Us’ so He understands what we really need. We need someone to save us from our sins – our wrong doings. ’He Gets Us’ so He has done something about it. He took our punishment that we deserved for the sins we have done, all the miss steps, all the wrongs. He was beaten for US! He was nailed to a cross for US! He took our place so we could be forgiven and saved! He knew we could not do anything to save ourselves so He did it for Us because ‘He Gets Us!’ And this means…
…’ He Gets Us’ so We Can Get Him!
That is the Gospel message…
“For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:16-18
So instead of expending your energy on why “He Gets Us” is wrong, use it on sharing the Gospel with someone today. Which BTW – will not cost you any money.
Oh and BTW – I saw a post today that said that Jesus only washed His disciples feet and that is why the washing of the feet commercial was wrong. Well… He did wash the disciples feet but don’t forget one of those disciples was Judas…
John 13 – “It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from Godand was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
18 “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’
19 “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. 20 Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”
22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”
25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.” (NIV)
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