By the time this newsletter goes to print, the Super Bowl will be over and either the Kansas City Chiefs or the San Francisco Forty-Niners will be the NFL “World Champions” of 2024. Not only will people be talking about the game, but they will also be talking about the commercials and the half-time show. I want to talk about one commercial in particular- the “He Gets Us” commercial or commercials. Did you see them? What did you think? Were you impressed?
They are all part of a $100 million advertising campaign featuring a website, billboards in major cities, a book, and ads that have been viewed more than 300 million times (even before this year’s Super Bowl). This is all done to get skeptics interested in Jesus.
On the surface this sounds like a great idea to promote Christianity. But who is the Jesus that is being promoted? That’s the topic of this reflection.
“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’
Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ ” (Matthew 16:13-16).
On March 31, we celebrate Easter commemorating the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth from the dead. This is the most significant day in human history for it marks the biggest victory ever, far surpassing any Super Bowl victory! It crowns the true world champion of all time, Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God!
But is this the Jesus of the “He Gets Us” campaign? I think not. The Jesus being promoted by this campaign is a very compassionate person and Jesus certainly was and is compassionate. Jesus was fully human and identified with us as the Son of Man. But he was and is also fully God and identifies as the Son of God, our Savior. I believe this is where the “He Gets Us” campaign falls short. I came to this conclusion based on two articles by Natasha Crain. I have attached those two articles below for you to explore for yourself and draw your own conclusion. Her conclusion in the first article, “7 Problems with the He Gets Us Campaign” is “Yes, Jesus was fully human, but He was also fully God. When you remove half of the picture of His identity (as the campaign does), you give people the understanding they want but not the fuller understanding they need. Because of this, “He Gets Us” has the potential to actually harm the public understanding of Jesus. People need to know that Jesus is our Savior, not a compassionate buddy.”
Just before Peter made his confession of who Jesus is, Jesus warns the disciples, “Be careful, be on your guard against the yeast (the teachings) of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Mt. 16:6). We need to be careful and discerning, too. So, who do you say Jesus is?
- natashacrain.com/7-problems-with-the-he-gets-us-campaign/
- natashacrain.com/here-comes-the-he-gets-us-campaign-again-why-its-portrayal-of-jesus-is-still-a-problem/