By Dr. James Spencer for CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING NETWORK
ANALYSIS – After the recent Super Bowl ad by the He Gets Us campaign, a number of Christians have raised questions about whether He Gets Us presents a truthful picture of Jesus. Based on various online posts and comments following the commercial, it would seem that Christians are concerned with the public presentation and the “simplification” of Jesus. Jesus carries a theological significance for Christians that moves beyond that of any other historical figure. Jesus is the Son of God, Savior, and Lord. At the same time, Jesus, who has always been, entered into history and walked among us as “one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15). Like any historical figure, we should take care to present Jesus in a manner that aligns with the Bible. Yet, we should not forget that there were many who experienced Jesus for the first time in real time.
Christians have the luxury of seeing the bigger picture about Jesus. Looking back at Jesus’ life after the resurrection and ascension and through the inspired lens of the scriptures, Christians have been given a framework to understand who Jesus is, what Jesus has done, and how who he is and what he has done fundamentally changes the way we understand God, ourselves, others, and the world. We look back on Jesus’ various acts of kindness, generosity, and love through the lens of his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. Because we believe Christ and his way of life were vindicated in the resurrection, we understand that Christ’s way of life wasn’t simply “a good way to live” but the only way to live now and into eternity.
