With all of this talk about the Super Bowl commercial, “He Gets Us,” I thought I would share my take on the subject. If you haven’t seen the commercial, I will do my best to summarize. The commercial is filled with pictures of people washing other people’s feet. It is clear that the people washing the feet are “Christians.” There is a picture of a cop washing the feet of a criminal, a priest washing the feet of a prominent homosexual man, a woman washing the feet of another woman outside of an abortion clinic, and many other controversial pictures. The commercial ends with, “Jesus didn’t teach hate. He washed feet.”
There are a lot of different viewpoints that have been shared about this commercial or campaign. Because if we were honest, “He Gets Us” is a religious campaign. I have heard people speak in support of the commercial, and I have heard people speak out against the commercial. Of course, the ones who are the most boisterous about the commercial are from the “Christian” faith.
I have heard people express their support for the commercial in that it teaches that Jesus is love, and we need to love more. I have also heard people share their approval, claiming that Jesus wants us to serve others, so we should wash each other’s feet. Ultimately, the people who support the commercial express their approval of showing love and that we are called to love and serve others.
Those who speak out against the video have shared how it is a false gospel and does not at all portray the real Jesus or His teachings. They quickly point out that Jesus only washed His disciple’s feet and commanded them to wash each other’s feet. People against the ad have also stated that Jesus doesn’t tolerate or approve of sin but calls us all to repentance – something the commercial did not communicate. Overall, those against the commercial speak against the false doctrine and lack of a call to repentance found in the true Gospel.
And then there’s the Christian community who eat their own by bashing each other for their statements, opinions, and beliefs, which is quite ironic when both sides state that we are called to love and serve. Here’s the bottom line: no one is perfect; we all fall short every day, which is why we ALL need Jesus. But what, then, does that mean for the Gospel and what Jesus teaches?
I didn’t know what to think when I watched the commercial. I didn’t know what to make of the pictures and what was being portrayed. A part of me liked the idea of serving others, as we are called to serve. However, I also struggled to see how washing the feet of someone living and choosing to live in sin was a good representation of the whole Gospel. Jesus teaches us to love others; the old adage, “Love the sinner but hate the sin.” However, He never calls us to tolerate or accept sin. He calls us to repent, be baptized, and turn from our wicked ways. This message is not being shared in this religious campaign.
I am reminded of a time when a man and a woman lived in a beautiful garden and were told not to eat from a certain tree in the middle of the garden. They were told that if they ate the fruit from the forbidden tree, they “would die” (Genesis 3:3). However, a serpent came and tempted the woman by telling her, “You will not certainly die. For God knows that when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). From there, the doom of the world was established.
I have found that the Devil does an excellent job of watering down or twisting the words of God to make it make sense but still be a false ideology. Our society, and even the Church today, has watered down the Gospel to the point of “Love everyone!” I’m sorry, but this is not the Gospel. The Gospel calls sinners to repentance and to turn from their wicked ways. The Gospel is clear that those who live in sin have no inheritance in the Kingdom. The Gospel does not tolerate sin nor allow excuses to be made for sin. No, the Gospel calls out the deeds of darkness and shines light on sin.
“But didn’t Jesus say, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you?'” He sure did. He also said, “Many will say to me on that day (Day of Judgement), ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers” (Matthew 7:22-23). And again, Christ says:
“Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Luke 13:1-5).
The Gospel is about love, mercy, and grace, but there is more to it. The Gospel is also about changing one’s heart to obedience to Christ and His word. Many quote John 3:16 and say, “See, all you have to do is believe.” However, this is only part of the whole truth. Again, this watered-down truth sounds really nice but is a false ideology. If you keep reading John chapter 3, you will find that the last verse holds the truth to it all: “He that believes in the Son has everlasting life, but he that does not OBEY the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).
The Devil does an excellent job taking the Word of God and subverting it to fit his agenda. If we, the believers and followers of Christ, think that we are doing the world a favor by sharing only part of the Gospel, what might come of us when we stand before Christ in the last days? If the Gospel is to repent, turn from our wicked ways, and obey God, then why isn’t that the Gospel that we are sharing?
Jesus said, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil” (John 7:6). Again, He says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26). Jesus lived a life full of love and compassion, but He never hesitated to speak truth to a world filled with sin. He didn’t cater to sin; instead, He called it out.
If we want to say that all it takes is love, then why did Jesus call the rich man to sell all that he had and follow Him?
“A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'” “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:18-30).
The Gospel is not merely to give love, even though this is very important. The Gospel is about submission and obedience to God and His will. Jesus said He did not come to write a new commandment but that the old might be fulfilled. What, then, is the old commandment? In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses commanded the Israelites: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Fear the Lord your God and serve Him only. Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you. The Lord commanded us to OBEY all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, 13, 18, 24-25). The Gospel is not just love but also obedience.
If all we preach is to love and serve one another, we only give part of the Gospel story. We are saying that all you need to do is love others, and Jesus will accept you, but that’s not what scripture says. As Samuel stated in 1 Samuel 15:22, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice.” Micah says, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). You see, it doesn’t stop with love and mercy, it is summed up with obedience and walking with God.
When Jesus stood on the mountain with his disciples before he ascended into heaven, he gave this final command, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to OBEY (my emphasis) everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20a).
So, what is missing in today’s Gospel message? Obedience to God. Serving others and giving love represents our heart toward God, as he has commanded us to love and serve others. However, if all we do is teach that all we need to do is love and serve others and neglect to share the most critical piece, obedience, we are saying, “You will certainly not die. God will accept you no matter what. All you need to do is love others.”
Selfless Leadership Is Purposeful Leadership 