Stage In The Sky

Recently, the “He Gets Us” producers aired a Jesus Christ commercial during the Super Bowl where we have a montage of different people washing the feet of others. At the end, the slogan is, “Jesus Didn’t Teach Hate.” 

Sounds like a positive message, doesn’t it. What’s wrong with that? I’ve even talked to some Christians who were happy with the Ad, saying, “I’m just glad they’re talking about Jesus during the Super Bowl. It’s a good start.”

Is it, though?

On the surface, it’s an awesome message to say Jesus didn’t teach hate, and if you watch the Ad, I think we can all agree that the main point of the Ad is that we should all love everyone regardless of their creed, race, or lifestyle because that’s what Jesus did.  

First off, if you watched the Ad you’ll find something quite remarkable. In every image of a person washing someone else’s feet, with the exception of a few, you’ll see that it’s someone who has the station of a person who’s in a traditionally superior/moral position washing the feet of someone who’s in a lesser/immoral/or progressive position. 

And when you see them washing their feet, like this image of the pastor washing a black man who appears to be a bit flamboyant…look at the black man’s face. Does that black man appear contrite, or remorseful, or inspired? Take a look. Tell me what you see. Maybe I’m a bit biased. Maybe I’m so jaded that my eyes are seeing something that’s not there. 

What I see is a joyous pastor washing a man’s feet. And the flamboyant black man is looking at the pastor like, “yeah, wash my feet. And do it right.” I don’t sense gratitude. I don’t see how he’s inspired by the pastor’s example to go and do the same for others. 

“So what, Rock? Maybe he’s in his Christian journey and he’s just not there yet! Maybe we should stop focusing on how the other people take our acts of grace and just be graceful.” 

Fair point. And yet, I believe you’re missing the point. Not just my point, but also the point of the Ad. At the end of the commercial, the message is, “Jesus didn’t teach hate.” 

Why do you think they went with that?  

Out of all the messages Jesus Christ taught during his ministry on Earth, out of all the lessons his apostles wrote in the New Testament, why do you think the producers were willing to spend $7 million to air a message of love and tolerance for all lifestyles, regardless of their creed and background? 

“Well, clearly, they want us to be more accepting and loving of others as Jesus was! I don’t understand. Why do you have a problem with this? Jesus ate with sinners. This is why people hate Christians like you! Every time someone presents an image of tolerance and acceptance for all, Christians like you have to come in and belittle the message.” 

Alright…So, I’mma just come out and say it. 

Yes, Jesus ate with Sinners…but to get them to repent. So that THEY would change their ways, not so Jesus could be like one of them or condone their lifestyles. In the Book of Luke, Jesus explains by giving the illustration of a physician. Does the doctor seek out those who are healthy? Or does he seek out the sick ones in need of a physician? That’s what Jesus did.  (Luke 5:29-32)

“But Rock! We’re all sinners! Everyone is sick. We all need physicians.” 

True, but we’re not the same. Keeping with the analogy of a physician, think about a hospital. There are some who need more help than others. There are some who are there with a common cold. And some who are there from a car accident. Who do you think needs help the most? 

And let’s say we’re all there because of a car accident. Some of us are further along on our road to recovery than others. We’ll never be fully healed, sure. But we’re not on the same level as those who just entered the ER and are on the brink of death. 

We are not the same. We are different. And if it bothers you that others are further along in their recovery, if it bothers you that some Christians may be “holier than thou” because they’ve put in a greater effort to draw close to God, put him first, and resist temptation while you haven’t… 

“But Rock! Jesus taught that the greatest will be last, and the last will be the greatest. So, should Christians have this attitude that they’re better than others?”  

That point was made between Jesus’s disciples. Not Jesus’s disciples in comparison to the rest of the world, especially non-believers. On that note, Casey Barker made some strong points about the Ad where he emphasizes that Jesus didn’t wash “everyone’s feet”. He washed his disciple’s feet. His followers.  

Did Jesus Really Not Teach Hate?

Jesus taught that the second greatest commandment was to love your neighbor as you love yourself. So, what’s this stuff about “Jesus Christ teaching hate! What gives, Rock?” 

Alright, so I apologize for the click-baity title. But in my recent church group, we talked about the Ad and the question I raised was, “with everything going on in America right now…is that the most important message to push?” 

My point is, why aren’t we talking about repentance? Why aren’t we talking about forgiveness through grace?  

Why are we so focused on humbling the Christians and getting Christians to change for the sake of the world? Instead of getting the world to change for the sake of Christ? 

Because as much as the media would have you believe that Christians are all conservative, Godfearing, and stuck on their traditions, I’m willing to bet all my money that there are more people who call themselves Christians and they are already tolerant, they are on the side of the world. They love the world more than they love God.

Meaning, there are more Christians in America who are cool with sex before marriage. They’re cool with shacking up with their boyfriends and girlfriends. They’re cool with abortion. They’re care more about appeasing their gay friends than telling them what the Bible says on the matter. They don’t care about your sinful lifestyle and think it’s more important that you feel accepted and are happy no matter what you do, than actually doing as Jesus did and eating with sinner to teach them to repent. 

So, why are they spending $7 million dollars to encourage “Christians” to be more tolerating and accepting than they already are? 

Here’s my theory. When you have an Ad that aired during the most watched program in history, teaching the world that Jesus loved and accepted everyone, it puts pressure on true God fearing Christians to stay silent about how God calls us to live, which emboldens more people to indulge in the sinful lifestyles that have no place in the Kingdom of Heaven. (1 Corinthian 6:9-11) 

I also think it encourages non-believers and lukewarm Christians to slight those who aren’t as accepting of everyone’s lifestyle. This pressure isn’t just when it comes to our faith, but as I wrote about in my essay about whether my “standards are too high”…it can be extremely detrimental when it comes to finding a God-fearing mate. 

If you’re a Christian who lives by the Bible in this society where most “Christians” are cool with everyone’s lifestyles and having sex before marriage and feminism…you’re likely going to be rejected and passed over for the more flexible and open-minded Christians. I.E…the message sent it: Abandon your principles and get with the world or die alone. 

These are all Satanic tactics…all aligned with his agenda to take down as many as he can with him. Good is bad, and bad is good. Which is why, I encourage everyone…EVERYONE to go straight to the Bible and read it for yourself. Don’t just rely on pastors, or even Instagram reels, commercials like this, or even me…Go and read the Word for yourself! 

“Alright, Rock…here’s the problem. Here’s what you don’t get. By airing a commercial of Jesus washing people’s feet, they’re promoting leadership by example. Meaning, if you present a humble, loving, and accepting attitude towards everyone regardless of their lifestyle or life choices, you can inspire the non-believer to follow your footsteps and draw closer to God.”  

Yes…that is definitely possible. 

I also think it’s a bit naive, ignorant, and intellectually dishonest. This is coming from a black man who grew up in the 90s and watched as black culture embraced a degrading hip hop culture while shaking off the values, respect, and decency promoted by black TV families like the Winslows, the Banks, and even the Cosbys.  

I saw as black kids abandoned those kind “treat everyone with love and respect” attitudes and adopted the “I don’t give a f***,” I’ll do whatever I want attitudes promulgated by the likes of Tupac, West Coast, East Coast Rappers. Acting like a thug, player, or drug dealer was seen as cool while doing the right thing and being decent person was seen as lame and sorry. That was the late 90s and early 2000s. 

Now? We live in the age of influencers. Everyone’s on social media. The ones who are super popular aren’t Christians preaching about chastity, repentance and commitment to Christ…it’s the wicked who are promote sex, money, drugs, fame, and the pursuit of pleasure.  

My point is, trying to influence young people by presenting ourselves as servants and washing the feet of others may not be the best tactic to encourage them to do the same…and deep down, I think we all know this, which is why I think people are lying when they make that argument. 

The lesson of washing people’s feet works better on those who are already firmly in their Christian faith and need to humble themselves for other Christians…not the world. 

It reminds me of this Instagram meme where someone said “HOW CAN WE convince people to come to God if it feels like the church doesn’t accept them?” 

Even Jesus himself had some strong language about the people and his generation. At Matt 12:39 he called the people a “wicked and adulterous generation.” Does that sound “accepting”? Does it sound like he likes that generation? 

In John 8:44, Jesus said this about the pharisees who didn’t believe in him, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” 

My point is, sometimes love looks like hate. Leadership isn’t always timid, cozy and soft-spoken. And I’d argue that young people need to see that strength when it comes to being inspired. 

They need to see courage, boldness, and defiance! They need to see a power that comes from the spirit of God, not our money, fame, or a show of arms which all come from humans. They need to see there’s something incredible behind our faith. Washing feet is nice…but maybe not the best example of that. 

Jesus called the pharisees a brood of vipers. He called King Herod a fox. He went into the temple and violently overthrew the money changers. At one point, when Peter was urging Jesus not to go to Jerusalem because Jesus prophesied that he’d be killed, Jesus told Peter “get behind me, Satan!” He called Peter, Satan. 

He wasn’t saying that Peter was literally Satan. And no, I’m not advocating for name-calling. But I’m illustrating that sometimes…love looks like hate. Sometimes strong language is needed to get an important point across. We’re encouraged to use grace and patience…we’re also encouraged to be Christ-like. I think it takes maturity and biblical knowledge to know which situation calls for what.

What Does Hate Look Like? 

The Super Bowl Ad ended their commercial with, “Jesus didn’t teach hate.” 

But what are they talking about? Seriously, you gotta ask, “What do they think hate is and what does that look like to them?” 

I’d argue, and feel free to drop a comment to let me know what you think…but I’d argue that their interpretation of “hate” in the context of Christians, is simply disapproval or a lack of acceptance from others.

…that’s not hate. 

First off, the Apostle Paul warns us about godless behavior in the last days in 2 Timothy 3: 1-5. Just to name a few, he says that people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. At the end of verse 5, Paul tells us to, “avoid such people.”  

Alright, but let’s say you’re one of the Christians who don’t care what the apostles wrote and you  only care about what Jesus said. Because, trust me, I have run into them, especially Feminists who don’t want to hear what the apostles say about marriage and the roles of men and women. 

Jesus Christ said in John 15:19 – “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”  

In Luke 14:26, Jesus goes on to say, “26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” 

Now, if you read that in the full context. Jesus wasn’t saying that you should literally hate your family. Because at 1 John 4:20 it says, “if anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar.” 

In it’s context at Luke, Jesus was giving an illustration to the Pharisees, where a man laid out an elaborate feast for all his friends and they all had lame excuses as to why they couldn’t come. That’s when Jesus followed up with the semantics that those who demonstrate a greater love of other people than him, they aren’t fit to be his disciples.  

So, by “hate,” he’s talking about having a lesser love for other things. Not hate as in, having an intense dislike for the person. 

Lastly, At Matt 6:24, Jesus said, “24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” 

So, sounds to me like Jesus was teaching a great deal about hate. 

“Nah-uh, Rock! Here, he’s talking about money and how people shouldn’t serve money!” 

Ladies and gents…IT’S ALL ABOUT MONEY.

Corporations don’t care about your lifestyle or your happiness or your salvation. They’re beholden to shareholders. It’s their fiduciary duty to make money for investors. Thus, they will back anything, any cause if it means making more money. 

And here, you’ll have people say, “No. That’s not true. Because once you go woke, you go broke!” 

Look at the marriage rates! People aren’t starting families. If they aren’t investing in their children, saving to buy a home or saving for their family’s future…what do you think they’re doing with all their money? Rent and student loans? Credit cards? Traveling the world? Concerts? 

Corporations will push any agenda that supports the breakdown of families and the turning away from God. Because if you aren’t dependent on God or family, you’re more than likely going to follow someone else, like celebrities and the government. All…for what? You guessed it. Money! 

“So what are you saying, Christians don’t spend money?”  

Lol, we do…but it isn’t our everything. If you ever a Christian talking about how she needs a man who makes 6-figures, run. Because the moment you lose that, you only have yourself to blame when she divorces you because she’s no longer happy. 

I’ll wrap it up with this…I’m of the opinion that all these traditionally negative emotions like hate, envy, jealousy…God gave us these things for a reason. Our hatred of the world comes from our love of God. At Proverbs 8:13, it says that the “fear of the Lord is hatred of evil”.  

So, hate does indeed have its proper place. And if we call ourselves Christians, going forth to preach the good news and encouraging others to repent to have the hope of everlasting life…sure, wash their feet. By all means.  

But while you’re washing that man’s feet, tell them how God feels about the behavior their indulging in. With love, explain that you don’t want to see him destroyed. That you want them to live forever in paradise. And to do that, we must repent.  

Are you willing to do that? Or are you content with “it’s not my place to judge, so I’m not going to say anything as they march headlong off the cliff.”