@markheybo / CC
CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – Did you see the two Super Bowl ads about Jesus?
The campaign is called ‘Jesus Gets Us’ and the group that produces them is politically liberal.
The two Super Bowl ads were both different. One featured a group of children. It’s message: Jesus wants us to be child-like in our faith. The other showed a violent street riot. It’s message was one of inclusion.
I have no problem with either ad. Actually, I feel obligated to anything that speaks biblical truth and introduces people to Christ. And both ads are simplistic but biblically sound. Christ told his followers that faith is not an intellectual exercise; we must approach God as children approaching the Father. And Christ has many teachings about making peace with those who are different from us. We are to love our enemies, to forgive, to turn the other cheek, to be peacemakers.
There are other ads in the series that didn’t air during the Super Bowl. They point out that Jesus was a refugee. Indeed he was. Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt as Jesus was a child. Another ad tells us that Jesus was a homeless child. Correct, born in a stable when there was no room at the inn.
But I would add this advisory. If these commercials succeed in introducing liberals to Jesus, well, welcome. The Christian faith is made for all people, on the left and right. Liberals will quickly find that Jesus doesn’t neatly fit into a political box. For instance, they’ll quickly see that abortion is incompatible with following Christ. Jesus also said he did not come to change the law; he came to fulfill it. That will be a challenging message for anyone on the political left.
It is not much different for conservative. Christ told us how difficult it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. We are told not to store up our treasures on earth. We are told we must do more for the poor, the widows, and the orphans.
You are wrong if you look at Jesus as a political ally or opponent. A god that is limited to the world of politics is small. Jesus is all encompassing; his teachings are meant to challenge us. And the more you know Christ, the more that is demanded of you. How you are introduced to Him, even though a Super Bowl commercial, doesn’t matter. What happens after that does.
Chris Conley
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