He Gets Us. Jesus Gets Us.
Okay. So what? Why is that important?
“He Gets Us” is an ad campaign designed to remind people that the story of Jesus belongs to everybody. The ads have certainly stirred a lot of debate. Their most recent efforts included ads during the Super Bowl game. The ads featured several versions of a single theme. Each one depicts someone washing the feet of another person.
The idea of foot-washing comes from an incident in Jesus’ life which is recorded in the Gospel of John. The night before he was crucified, Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples in an upper room in Jerusalem. Walking on dusty roads made people’s feet dirty. Once indoors, a servant usually washed those dusty feet. On this night, the job was undone. So, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. He did the humble work of a lowly servant, even though he was their Teacher, their Master.
Surely the room was filled with silence by the time Jesus finished this menial task. Once he was back at the table with his disciples, he explained his act of kindness. It was symbolic of his servanthood, an attitude he wanted his disciples to adopt. If he was willing to serve them in such a humble manner, then they should serve one another in the same way, which includes far more than foot-washing.
On one occasion, Jesus said that he came not to be served, but to serve. His service was not limited to his close friends. Not only did Jesus wash his disciples’ feet, but he also reached out to people who were marginalized by the dominant cultural group at that time. Jesus courageously and lovingly crossed cultural barriers. The recent “He Gets Us” ads focus on this attractive aspect of Jesus’ life and teaching.
So, why have the “He Gets Us” ads been criticized? Simple: The ads present only a fragment of Jesus. True, it is a lovely fragment, but it is far less than the real Jesus. The foot-washing ads reduce Jesus to a super nice guy who encourages acts of kindness.
Yes, Jesus engaged in acts of kindness. Jesus has nothing against acts of kindness. I would certainly agree that Jesus is an advocate of acts of kindness. But is that all? Is that what has made Jesus the most important person who walked the face of the earth in the past two thousand years? his acts of kindness?
Jesus said that he came not to serve but be served. But that’s not all. He also said that he came to give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus not only gets us. He saves us. He transforms us. He makes us right with God.
The story of Jesus does belong to everybody, but not in the sense that anybody can rework and reinvent Jesus for their own purposes. The Jesus of history belongs to everybody in the sense that everybody needs the truth about Jesus, the real Jesus, the complete Jesus. Everybody needs the truth about Jesus because Jesus is God’s one and only Savior.
The reason we still discuss Jesus is not because he was a nice inclusive guy who advocated for random acts of kindness. The reason we still talk and write about Jesus is because his claims are off the chart.
He is sent by God. He is God’s one and only Son. He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. He is Lord of creation. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Jesus. He has power over death. He is coming back to take his followers to be with God in heaven forever. Wow!
Not only are Jesus’ claims of cosmic proportion. They are true. Jesus still has a commanding place in culture not simply because his story is compelling, but because Jesus is alive and he is Lord!
May the Risen Lord Jesus Christ reign in our hearts.
Brother Richard
brotherrichardsblog.com 