He Gets Us: A Confusing Message

Last week during the Superbowl, the world watched as the first of two ads by the He Gets Us campaign released their annual Superbowl commercial shortly after the game started. While the spot aired, I was in the kitchen getting a snack. Before I took my seat back in front of the television, my phone started blowing up on Facebook. Friends that were with me who watched it, said something didn’t seem right. I went on YouTube and watched it, and again, and a third time, just to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Here is the Superbowl TV spot:

In the past I used to jump to conclusions and just follow the speech of those with whom I agree with wholeheartedly, respect, and wear my jersey. But within this past year, my prayer to God was that everything I comment on and post would be filtered through God’s Word. I question myself daily about the things I write. I would think that I try to get it right most of the time; but even with the post I made about the pagan statue at the Iowa Capitol, or the one in which I thought it was a bad idea to rip the head off of it, I still struggle within my heart if that was good advice. While Jeff Durbin visited my church on behalf of End Abortion Now, I so desperately wanted to ask him if he thought my articles were correct or not. But in the end, he would just be another talking head in the mix of other talking heads and I think it would have confused the situation even more. I have been wrong before, and every time someone challenges me on an article, I take a step back and consider it in view of Scripture and the truth. So, this article may be the same type of flavor, and why it took this long to write about it.

Foot-washing is an act of humility

When it comes to foot-washing, Jesus washed His twelve disciples’ feet — including Judas, the one received thirty pieces of silver to turn over Jesus to the Sanhedrin. This was His inner circle of believers, the ones who will take the gospel to the ends of the earth in His name. But why wash Judas’ feet also?

First, I believe that Jesus was showing Judas love and compassion reaching out one last time to him, even though the devil put it in the heart of Judas to betray Jesus (John 13:2). After the foot-washing, Jesus said that not every one of them are clean (John 13:10-11) or chosen (John 13:18), but calls out Judas just a few verses later. It is true that Judas wasn’t chosen by Jesus specifically, but just showed up and came on his own accord. Satan enters Judas, and he is fully consumed by the power of darkness to fork-over his Master.

Second, foot-washing was an act of humility, to show the disciples how to serve one another; but also, aren’t we to humbly serve those who hate us as well? How are we to treat our enemies? Multiple times Jesus said we are to love our enemies and to do good to them.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? “And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? “Therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Matthew 5:43-48 NKJV

Luke 6:35-36 also solidifies this to show how the Father is kind to the unthankful and evil. He is a merciful Father.

After Judas leaves the group to fetch the Sanhedrin, Jesus spends even more intimate time with His faithful disciples and shares with them detailed insight into what is about to happen. This is a lesson that the disciples would not fully understand until much later, looking back on this moment of Jesus washing the feet of the one who would betray Him and be sentenced to death on the cross. Surely, this was to impact the 11 other disciples, not Judas.

Showing love is not agreeing with sin

When did we ever get the idea that loving someone is agreeing with them, and condoning sinful behavior? Why do sinners force people to affirm their sinful behavior somehow equates to a condition of love? That’s not love. That’s what narcissists do? Have you ever heard someone say:

‘If you love me, you will___.’

‘If we are friends, then you need to___.’

Not to mention, ‘You’re being irrational.’ ‘You’re taking this Christianity thing too seriously.’ ‘You look stupid saying those things.’

Why does “He Gets Us” make Christians cringe?

This leads into why “He Gets Us” really makes us cringe? It has two parts written for two different audiences. To the unbeliever it says, ‘What you see Christians doing is not Christlike because Jesus would wash feet and accept you no matter what.’ To the believer it says, ‘Jesus would not be a judgmental bigot like you. He washed feet; He didn’t hate people like you are doing. It makes believers cringe because we are being scolded and chastised by the world in a narcisistic tone.

Take the clip of the woman washing the feet of the girl outside the Family Planning Clinic. She could have already gone into the building to get an abortion or not; that’s debatable. But it’s those who in the background are holding signs that say, “save the unborn,” “choose life,” “choice or child.” They are not with the woman washing feet. They are the judgmental ones holding signs. They aren’t really helping, just pointing fingers.

But what are the ones with signs actually doing? Trying to save the baby’s life! Isn’t that loving? Isn’t that what Jesus would want? Watch the following video of an actual woman who held signs to save the life of a child in the womb:

Not only that, but there are thousands if not millions of women who regret murdering their children. The pain they face every day, every time they look in the mirror, knowing what they did deep down inside was wrong. Those are also the lives these sign-carrying Christians want to save too. But what’s yelled at us in the end of the He Gets Us video?

JESUS DIDN’T TEACH HATE.

JESUS WASHED FEET.

How can you look at the above video and look into this woman’s eyes as she holds this squirming child, and say she hates anyone? I used this example, but I could use every frame of the He Gets Us video to make the same point. Christians don’t hate illegal immigrants, but love their family, friends, neighborhood and want them to be protected enough to want to keep those who do evil, out. Walls are designed to protect the innocent from the guilty. We have locks on the doors of our house to protect those inside; and those inside are given a key to get them inside. Why is that unloving? Christians don’t hate homosexuals, but want to see them saved, cleansed, and in a right relationship with God through belief in the gospel. This doesn’t stop at this group, but also fornicators, drunkards, idolaters, adulterers, thieves, and every sinner too (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). But there is hope in the gospel:

And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:11 NKJV

The gospel was completely missing.

But that message of forgiveness, sanctification, and lasting change through belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ was completely missing. Not only that, but it all starts with repentance. Those who repent have to see that what they are doing is wrong. Those who don’t believe they are doing anything wrong, will not repent. Repentance is changing one’s mind about what they have done, making amends as best as possible, and running in the other direction. It is turning from your old ways into the arms of Christ.

The gospel, or “good news,” is that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, He was buried, and rose again on the third day, defeating death, according to the Scriptures. That God loved the world so much, He gave His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, as punnishment for the sins of those who believe in Him and put their faith and trust in Christ as that payment for sin. For there is no salvation in any other person or thing, but only by the spotless blood of Christ. God must punnish sin, and He will not let sin go unpunnished (Nahum 1:3). Jesus is that punnishment if you put your trust and faith in Him today. That is the gospel.

Another option…

The following is the Superbowl ad they SHOULD have shown to millions of people:

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