HeLovesUs

Perhaps you, like me, have been touched by the series of excellent television commercials produced under the banner of “HeGetsUs”. The 100-million-dollar campaign, culminating in a February 12, 2023, Super Bowl TV ad, is aimed at getting the viewer to see how Jesus understands us. Problems like stress, criticism, and family discord are felt not only by us but were suffered by Jesus as well. “He gets us”.

Certainly, Jesus came to Earth as a man to experience all that we do so that He might identify with us and us with Him. But if that is all Jesus did, aren’t there many other people we could say the same thing about? For instance, Franklin Graham has experienced stress, criticism, and family discord. Yes, these are all common human experiences.

The difference between Graham and Jesus is that Christ is the Son of God. Only He could come to save us from sin. He did not come to just empathize with us. That is why He not only “gets us”, HeLovesUs as only God can.

Jesus loves us enough to tell us the truth.

Many people think Jesus’ message was only soft and cuddly, but an accurate study of His words shows He had much to say about sin and hell (Luke 16:19-31; Mark 9:43-48; Matthew 7:13-14, 10:28, 13:41-42, 25:30). Those same people assert that anyone who repeats Christ’s teachings on these subjects is guilty of narrow-mindedness and hate speech. However, a true survey of Jesus’ words reveals He had twice as much to say about hell as He did heaven. He loves us enough to tell us the truth about it.

Jesus loves us enough to die for us.

The Bible says, “God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Paul wrote: “…Christ also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God” (Ephesians 5:2). In other words, Jesus loved us enough to die for us in our sinful state (John 3:16). That’s what makes the gospel good news. Good news isn’t good news until you know the bad news. Jesus loved us enough to take our place on the cross.

Jesus loves us enough to return for us.

Before the day of floatation devices, a father and his young son were in a boat on a lake. They got caught in a violent storm and their boat capsized. Knowing the boy was not strong enough to swim to shore through the tumultuous waves, the dad said, “Hang on to the boat, Son, I love you, and I’ll be back for you.”

The father then swam to shore for help and returned to the boat where he found the lad, clinging to the side of the swamped vessel. He said, “Son, how were you able to hold on so long?” The boy said, “I remembered you told me you loved me, and you would come back for me.”

That’s the same assurance the believer has in Christ. See John 14:1-6 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Jesus loves us enough to return for us. Hang on, He’s coming back for you.

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