The Super Bowl, The Ad, and The Misconstrued Message of Acceptance
First things first:
I am on away on leave for the next week. So you won’t receive any new devos until I get back. I will be back around Easter. In the meantime enjoy the most popular posts from the last few months!
Welcome to my bonus email! From time to time, I will pop in to comment on something significant happening in the Christian world to help provide a perspective. While these will primarily be about Australian Christian issues, sometimes I will write about something happening more broadly in the world. This bonus email is about one of the global issues.
As you may know this Monday was the Super Bowl in America. That’s not interesting unless you really love American football. What is interesting is that during the Super Bowl, a company called “He Gets Us” paid for and ran an add during the Super Bowl. The one minute clip features several scenes of people washing the feet of someone else as an act of love and service. The scenes of foot washing are set against the backdrop of many contemporary issues. A police officer washing the feet of a black man, an old rancher washing the feet of a Native American, a woman washing the feet of another woman in front of an abortion clinic, an oil rig worker washing the feet of a young woman next to a sign “Clean air now”, there is foot washing against the backdrop of illegal migrants, Islamic neighbours, freedom of speech rallies and same sex couples. The ad ends with the words “Jesus didn’t teach hate. He washed feet. He gets us. All of us.
You can watch the full ad here:
This ad has sparked significant controversy within the Christian circles. On the one hand the ad, under the slogan “He gets us,” seems to suggest that Jesus accepts and even endorses all kinds of acts and lifestyles – many of which are clearly condemned by the Bible. On the other hand, the ad rightly points out that Jesus did accept everyone wherever they were at. He did hang out with sinners, tax collectors and women of ill repute. In fact he does “get us”, “all of us”.
But do we get him?
The issue is that because we increasing buy into a left vs. right, woke vs. traditional, progressive vs. conservative narrative. It is time for us to turn to what the Bible has to say about the difference between understanding and approval, between acceptance and endorsement.
Woke Jesus and Right Wing Jesus aren’t the Biblical Jesus
We live in a world that is increasingly split down the middle and we are continually asked to align ourselves with one or the other end of a spectrum. This is as true of Christianity as it is of politics. On one end, a “woke” and progressive Christianity that preaches a Jesus who loves unconditionally. This Jesus not only loves everyone and accepts everyone, but rather he actively endorses every action under the guise of love. This kind of Jesus wants you to be who you are, and affirms all your life choices because you know best who your authentic self is.
On the other hand, the there is the “far right” Christianity. Those on this side are rigid, law abiding, focussed on right behaviours, living a life pleasing to God, but without the warmth of love. Jesus on this side seems to care only that you obey God’s laws, and that you shape society to do the same thing. This Jesus judges everyone who does not conform to the Biblical standard God set for us, and hates and condemns everything contrary to God’s revealed will in the Bible.
The problem is that both sides have something right. But because both side only have Jesus somewhat right, they both have Jesus completely wrong. When you reduce Jesus to someone who only ever shows love (and by love we mean someone who accepts and affirms people wherever they are at), we have totally recast Jesus into our own image. We have made him the divine rubber stamper, who endorses every identity we subscribe to, but we have moved away from Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus who lived a perfectly righteous life, who himself would never do even half the things we do today in the name of love. The Jesus who only affirms us, especially in the sin Scripture condemns, is nothing other than the anti-Christ. The “Jesus” who only loves you where you are at in life is none other than Satan. The real Biblical Jesus meets the woman caught in adultery (John 8), but once she comes into a relationship with Jesus, he tells her “Go and sin no more”. Similarly, after meeting the poor destitute invalid in John 5:1-15, after healing the man, Jesus tells him to “stop sinning”. Jesus always met people where they are, but he always challenged them to live a holy life, according to God’s word.
BUT Jesus is also someone who meets people wherever they are. This is something the ad gets spectacularly correctly. He absolutely would show love and care to drug addict, the Islamic neighbour, the illegal migrant and the young woman coming out of an abortion clinic. He would absolutely wash their feet as it were. But let’s not forget that Jesus washed Judas’ feet, knowing full well that in a few hours Judas would betray him. He washed Judas’ feet, but when Judas died Jesus is the one who judged him, and sent him to hell. Just because Jesus washes someone’s feet doesn’t mean he approves of their life. The story pushed by the Super Bowl ad, while touching, overlooks this essential aspect of Jesus’ ministry—the call to transformation. It is a disservice to the Gospel to suggest that Jesus’ understanding equates to an unconditional endorsement of all actions. The Biblical Jesus is one who loves us too much to leave us in our sin. His love is transformative, not merely affirming.
The Jesus we follow is neither a figure of unconditional affirmation and so called love, but nor is he a distant, judgmental authority. He is the embodiment of grace and truth, meeting us in our brokenness with open arms but calling us to a life that reflects His holiness and love.
This is the true Jesus. Let us not be swayed by polarizing stories and pictures that distort His teachings. We need to embrace the fullness of His love—a love that understands, forgives, and transforms. At the same time we need to recognise that those who are in a relationship with him are called to die to their old self and live instead for him. He really is the One who truly gets us, but in getting us, calls us to a higher standard out of who we once were, and into who we authentically are.
He gets us, but do we get him?
Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts below!