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Hope

We were looking at the life of Jesus to see who he really was, and we noticed something peculiar: he spent a lot of time around the dinner table. Many of his most frequently quoted messages and standout stories happened while sharing a meal with others. As we looked closer, we noticed that his company around the table was a remarkably diverse cast. He shared meals with outcasts. He spent time with the self-righteous religious elite. He cared for people who had broken every rule and were seen as unclean. He dined at the tables of the wealthy men whose riches were won with lies and corruption. Some of those men gave up comfortable lifestyles to follow him. He crossed racial boundaries to the shock of many around him. He invited everyone to the table. When asked why he did so, he replied, “… I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.&#8221;
It was radical at the time. No one was that inclusive. The religious do-gooders began to whisper behind his back. They called him a friend of sinners. It was supposed to be an insult, but Jesus wore it proudly. He was a friend to everyone. And what do friends do? They eat dinner together and share in each other’s lives.
Strangers eating together and becoming friends. What a simple concept, and yet, we’re pretty sure it would turn our own modern world upside down the same way Jesus turned his around 2,000 years ago. That’s really why we made this video in the first place. We see division and broken relationships everywhere. We see judgment and hypocrisy on the rise. We see people who claim to be followers of Jesus taking his open invite and turning it into an exclusive club.
The name of Jesus has been used to harm and divide, but if you look at how he lived, you see how backward that really is. Jesus was not exclusive. He was radically inclusive. What would our world look like if that were the norm? If strangers became friends over the dinner table as they did around Jesus?
<h2>Scripture References: Mark 2:13-17, Luke 19:1-10, Matthew 9:36-38, Luke 5:31-32 
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Jesus invited everyone to sit at his table

Jesus was no stranger to joy. He went to weddings. He shared lively meals with his friends. He drank with them. He had so much fun and acted so freely around the dinner table that the uptight religious leaders called him a glutton and a drunkard. Jesus was joyful. But what does that mean?
These days it’s very easy to conflate joy and happiness, but Jesus hardly ever used the word happiness (or at least the Aramaic equivalent), and he frequently used the word we translate as joy. That word? In Greek, it’s “chara,” and it means a feeling of inner gladness, delight, or rejoicing. You see, the joy Jesus talked about and lived out isn’t dependent on circumstances, and it isn’t a reactionary feeling — it’s a lasting emotion, a deep-seated assurance, and a way of life.
That gives a different perspective to the picture of Jesus eating and drinking with friends and strangers. It wasn’t the food, drink, or company that brought Jesus joy — he already had it. It’s actually the other way around. It was his joy that gave him the freedom to hang out with people that others thought were shady. It was his joy that allowed him to be uninhibited in his pursuit of compassion. It was his joy that let him throw worry about his reputation to the side as he lived life to the full. And it was that same joy, that deep-seated emotion that works inside out, that allowed him to forgive his captors on the cross.
In good times and bad, Jesus was joyful, and he wanted the same for the people who would listen to him. During his last meal with his disciples, Jesus shared plenty of wisdom. After a good chunk of it, he was sure to explain that he was sharing it all “so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” And then, without pause, he continued: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” If you’re looking for the secret to Jesus’ joy, try starting there. He knew what he was doing.
Scripture References: John 2:1-11, Matthew 11:19, John 15:11-12

Jesus let his hair down, too.

Jesus was radically selfless. The love he showed others sought nothing in return; he gave his time and energy freely to anyone who asked for it and plenty that didn’t; he even humbled himself to the point of washing his friends’ feet — an act reserved for a servant. He was selfless.
But he didn’t run on empty. Over and over again in the Scriptures, we see him leave the crowds and his friends and find time in solitude to pray and recharge. And the timing of when he chose to steal away can give us a little insight into why this practice was so important.
One of the first examples of Jesus finding time alone might not sound like self-care to many of us — he spent 40 days in the wilderness on his own facing a grueling season of temptation. But as soon as he finished his sabbatical in the wild, he began his three-year ministry that included traveling all over the place, making disciples, preaching to large crowds, and the list goes on. It seems then that his 40 days served in some capacity as preparation — filling the tank for what was going to be an exhausting journey, making sure he was ready for it, and getting clarity on what exactly it would look like through prayer. Frequently throughout his ministry, he took little pit stops like this to rest and recharge as well. He even charged his followers to do the same.
Another time Jesus made space to be on his own came when he learned that his cousin and good friend, John the Baptist, had died. He went away to grieve. The result of loving others the way Jesus did — fully, selflessly, unconditionally — is that you end up really invested. That’s ultimately a very good thing, but it can make an already difficult loss even harder. A life lived for other people is one where you share in many more joys than you would otherwise, but it’s also one where you share in more sorrows, and Jesus made space for both. In this instance, he needed time alone to process and grieve before he could continue his ministry.
One last example of Jesus practicing self-care is an easy one to miss. There’s this time when Jesus and his disciples are en route to the next town to continue their ministry, and they’re simply walking on a road. Around noon they stop, and the whole group goes into town to find food for lunch — the whole group except Jesus. Instead, Jesus simply sits down beside a well and takes a break because he was “weary from his journey.” Jesus didn’t just practice self-care emotionally; he practiced it physically. He rested when his body needed it. It’s as simple as that.
The thing I think that connects all of these is the fact that we as humans have limits and capacities. Jesus wasn’t exempt from those — his many decisions to rest, pray, and take time alone are evidence of that. Jesus was aware of his limits and took a step back when he exceeded them. When we talk about self-care, we can take it too far in one of two directions. We can completely ignore it and give and give and give until there’s nothing left of us to give. That’s neither good for us nor the people we’re trying to care for — they don’t get our best because we’re running on empty. Or we can put self-care on a pedestal and use it to justify always putting ourselves first and never truly loving people selflessly. Jesus didn’t err in either direction. His life suggests that the best way to live, the way that is most fulfilled, is one where we give of ourselves right up to our limits and then recharge so we can do it again. We care for ourselves so we can better care for others.
Scripture References: Luke 4:1-15; Matthew 14:1-13; John 4:1-8

Jesus practiced self-care.

Justice

No matter what we think of Christianity, most people can agree on one thing. During his lifetime, Jesus set a pretty good example of peace and love. And it’s not like he had an easy life.
He faced insurmountable controversy. So often, he was the target of unjustified hate. How did he stifle his outrage?
Sometimes, he didn’t. Jesus channeled his anger in defense of others when it really mattered. When he saw opportunists taking advantage of the poor, he confronted them without hesitation. But he knew how to pick his battles. Once, a group of men spit in Jesus’ face, struck him, and slapped him, and yet, he did nothing to retaliate.
Living today, it’s hard to imagine how he swallowed his rage. We’ve all noticed our blood boiling when politics come up in conversation, and we’ve felt the temptation to lash out on social media. It seems that every day, we’re faced with something new to fight about. Even though our anger is often justified, it’s taken a toll on our ability to engage with one another. And honestly, it doesn’t feel good.
By telling this story, we reminded ourselves that even when we’re tested and trolled, we have the option of rising above.
Scripture References: Matthew 5:38-48, Luke 22:47-53, Mark 12:13-17

How did Jesus deal with injustice?

We were looking at the story of Jesus’ arrest and death and were struck with a simple question: who was responsible? Who put him up on that cross? What a messy question.
The circumstances leading up to Jesus’ death were chaotic. A week prior, he was drawing massive crowds. People pushed in close just to see him and to hear what he had to say. And then suddenly, everything changed. Whether it was because he called out the corrupt money-making methods used in the temple or because he was getting too popular and upsetting the status quo, the people in power decided to take action to get rid of him.
They took a mob with them in the middle of the night to arrest him. They held a hasty trial to make him look like a criminal. It worked, and the public’s perception of him flipped. By morning, a whole mob led by religious leaders called for his death. But there was a problem: according to their laws, they could not kill him. They judged him guilty and wanted the death penalty, but they couldn’t carry it out.
You see, the religious leaders had similar power to what news agencies and media groups have today. They had the ability to sway the court of public opinion — to present just the right information to get everyone on board with the guilty verdict, but they couldn’t deliver the punishment. They needed a third party with authority.
Pontius Pilate was that third party. He was the Roman governor of Judea, where all this chaos was taking place. The Romans had colonized Judea and were not held in high esteem for it, but they did hold all the power. So, the mob took Jesus to Pilate and demanded the death penalty. But Pilate wasn’t buying it. He questioned Jesus himself to try and determine what crimes he might be guilty of. What could he possibly have done that was deserving of death? Pilate found nothing. He declared to the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.”
And this is the pivotal point in the story. The religious leaders and the mob wanted Jesus dead, and Pilate was the only one who could legally have him killed, but Pilate was sure that Jesus was innocent. He had the power to save an innocent man’s life, but an angry mob was at his gates — a mob that would only get more heated and violent if their demands were not met.
Civil unrest reflects pretty poorly on him as a governor, so what did he do? He sentenced Jesus to death. But as he did it, he made one last effort to avoid the guilt of killing an innocent man. He publicly washed his hands in front of the crowd. With it, he signaled to them that Jesus’ blood would be on their hands — they were responsible, not him.
There’s that idea of responsibility again. Who is ultimately responsible? Was it the religious leaders who organized and orchestrated the arrest? The mob who called for Jesus’ death? The bystanders who knew Jesus was innocent but sat silently, trying to stay out of the eye of the mob’s violence? Was it Pilate who was given the authority to kill or save but decided it was easier to shirk that responsibility and let an innocent man die than to face the anger of the mob and the guilt of the decision? The Roman soldiers who carried out the sentence and nailed Jesus to the cross? Or maybe all of the above? It’s a messy question with a lot of moving parts, and it’s just as messy outside the story of Jesus.
When someone is wrongly convicted, who is responsible? The real perpetrator of the crime? The officers who made the wrongful arrest? The prosecutor who used misleading evidence? The jury that determined a guilty verdict? The judge that swings the gavel? The countless others that felt in their heart something wrong was being done but stayed silent?
The way Jesus responded in the face of injustice suggests we’re asking the wrong question when we ask who to blame. When he was nailed up on a cross, he audibly forgave the people that put him there. He didn’t hold anyone responsible. When Jesus was the object of injustice, he chose forgiveness. And he called others to look inward and do the same. In a world of finger-pointing and blame-placing, Jesus’ approach is radical. We think living by it would change everything.
Scripture References: Mark 14:53-65; Matthew 27:23-24; Luke 23:34; John 8:1-11

Who was responsible for Jesus’ death?

We were musing about how Jesus and his disciples were viewed in his day. If the authorities or religious leaders saw them walking down the street or hanging out on the corner, what would they have thought of them? It suddenly hit us. They would’ve been seen as troublemakers. And Jesus was their ringleader. Matthew, one of his followers, was a Jew who formerly collected taxes for the Romans. In essence, he was seen as a lowlife traitor. Some disciples violently opposed Herod, the King. Others were seen as uneducated dropouts. They were labeled and called many harsh things. But more importantly, they were seen as a threat to the establishment, which meant the people in power and the upper classes didn’t want them in their neighborhoods or synagogues.
It’s no different today. If we see youths of a different race or culture dressed a certain way or wearing their hair differently, we often make immediate judgments about them. Usually negative ones. It might make us uncomfortable or even unfriendly toward them. It’s an unconscious bias we all have towards people who are different from us. We don’t know the individual, yet we’ve already labeled them.
Jesus didn’t judge others by their looks. He looked at their hearts. That meant reaching out to people who were outside his circle or society’s mainstream to get to know them individually. He was criticized, even mocked, for doing so, but he didn’t care because he loved all, even if it meant he would be wrongly judged for the friends he made and the company he kept.
One of the interesting things that happened while we were producing this was the casting. We wanted to use people that we thought would immediately elicit judgment from others. You’ll see that nobody is doing anything wrong or illegal. Maybe they’re running down an alley, skateboarding, hanging out on a corner, or hopping a fence, but viewers have been conditioned by society to make assumptions that they’re up to no good. Probably doing something illegal or criminal.
It was very intentional to point out the unconscious bias we all have and that we need to overcome if we’re going to build trust, love, and peace with each other.
<h2>Scripture References: Matthew 11:19, Luke 5:29-32, Luke 6:6-11</h2>

How would Jesus be judged today?

Love

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Artificial intelligence has captured much of the world’s attention in recent months. ChatGPT, DALL-E, Midjourney—these tools have all made quite the splash. Some of us have adopted them with open arms looking for ways to make things more efficient, some of us have kept them at an arm’s length, weary of the ethicality of it all.
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We’re personally still trying to make sense of where AI fits and how it can and should be used, but we figured we’d try to take some cues from Jesus. It struck us, Jesus used the tools available to him in redemptive ways. Roman roads were built by occupiers to move armies—Jesus used them to travel far and wide sharing his message. A simple boat built for fishing—Jesus used it as a platform from which to speak. Twelve ragtag, ordinary people with messy pasts—Jesus placed them at the center of the work he was doing. Jesus was less interested in what the world said about a person or thing and more about how it could show the kind of love he was interested in. So this video was our attempt to do the same. Whether AI is messy, confusing, harmless, or not, how could we use it to talk about the kind of love Jesus talked about?
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We started by asking an artificial intelligence image generator to show us pictures of “love.” Just a one-word prompt. The results were very abstract, flowery, and fake. At first, we were disappointed in the AI, but then we realized the AI is trained on real images out in the real world — if the AI’s depiction of love feels fake, it’s because fake love is what we’ve shown it. So, we regrouped and tried something else. We gave the AI text prompts that were simply Jesus’ own words describing love. We were floored by the results. Not because they’re perfect—some of the images are admittedly haunting, others a bit surreal, but they are all reflective of a deeper, more real love than what we got out of the AI before—a love that is active, selfless, and difficult.
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You see Jesus didn’t just love his friends and family. He loved the sick, the poor, the people he knew wouldn’t love him back, he even loved the people who tortured and killed him. He loved them all at their best and at their worst. That kind of love is complex and hard to fathom, impossible to fully capture in 1 picture or 1000, but still he lived it out.
We’re still not sure what to think of all this new AI stuff, but for us, visualizing Jesus’ love in comparison to the commercialized, fluffy, romantic love we’re inundated with was a confirmation that what Jesus spoke about and lived out is worth emulating.
*All the images shown were created using Midjourney. All text prompts shown are the real text prompts used for each corresponding image.
Scripture References for image prompts: John 21:15-17; Matthew 25:34-40; Mark 2:13-17; Luke 10:25-37; John 15:13

How does artificial intelligence imagine Jesus’ love?

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The commercial you just saw describes a theme we noticed in Jesus’ teachings. Jesus didn’t want us to act like adults. It’s a simple line that is loaded with misdirection — just like Jesus’ teachings often were. On multiple occasions, Jesus used the term “childlike” to refer to a humble and trusting attitude. In one instance, he told a group of followers, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” — the Christian notion of ultimate eternal life and fulfillment. This was a very countercultural message that challenged the values of those who heard him. In his culture, children were not regarded the same way they are today. They were loved by their family, to be certain, but according to many scholars, about a third of children didn’t survive to age 14. Consequently, society treated children more like property than people. So what did he mean? 
Christians often refer to their faith as childlike, being humble enough to place one’s trust in a power greater than self. And Jesus’ example of humility and trust taught us something about relationships — something we believe has the power to change our culture. 
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Jesus loved people fully and wanted them to accept his love void of the cynicism that creeps into just about every human relationship over time. And in turn, he was never cynical about people. He always loved, always forgave, and, like a child who’d never experienced the disappointments, betrayals, and selfish ambitions present in just about every human relationship, he always believed that other people would be capable of loving each other the same way. He even forgave the people who killed him as they were in the process of killing him. 
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That idea got us thinking about the difference between childishness and being childlike. In other parts of Scripture, the Bible seems to call into contrast these two notions — being childlike is good, but being childish is not. In a culture that values children highly, we often think of acting childishly as being thoughtless or even selfish. On the other hand, children’s innocence makes them capable of demonstrating the kind of compassion, love, and forgiveness that many of us cannot experience ourselves anymore. And when you look at the current climate of our cultural conflict through that lens, we see an unflattering observation. 
When it comes to conflict, there are two directions most of us choose from. Some of us just try to avoid conflict at all costs. We keep our opinions to ourselves, and we stay silent when it comes to our convictions. No politics. No religion. Let’s not talk about anything controversial. That’s often considered to be very adult. And some of us act childishly. From angry or snarky social media posts to political differences causing family estrangement to treating those who disagree with us with loud public contempt — participating in cultural conflict has a tendency to bring out the worst in many of us. But if we’re honest, most of us do both of these things in different moments. 
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Jesus didn’t choose either of these paths. Jesus chose a third way. He was very vocal about what he believed. He spoke truth to power, defended the poor and the marginalized, and represented his identity to others consistently. But he also did something confounding. He approached everyone with unending grace, unconditional love, and that seemingly irrational capacity for compassion, generosity, and forgiveness.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-694" src="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Image-2-2.png" alt="" width="1800" height="953" srcset="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Image-2-2.png 1800w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Image-2-2-300x159.png 300w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Image-2-2-935x495.png 935w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Image-2-2-768x407.png 768w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Image-2-2-1536x813.png 1536w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Image-2-2-1200x635.png 1200w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Image-2-2-1400x741.png 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" />
His story demonstrates that we are capable of rediscovering that childlike way — to embrace the qualities of innocence, openness, and trust and to let go of our egos and pride. Jesus taught that fulfillment belongs to people who can trust God with childlike faith and also represent their convictions and beliefs without ever losing their confounding love and respect for another person’s dignity. And we are fascinated by this third way. If you’d like to learn more about what Jesus taught, explore the links below to find a few places to start.

Jesus didn’t want us to act like adults.

<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-839" src="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexHeadlines-01.png" alt="" width="3750" height="261" srcset="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexHeadlines-01.png 3750w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexHeadlines-01-300x21.png 300w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexHeadlines-01-1200x84.png 1200w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexHeadlines-01-768x53.png 768w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexHeadlines-01-1536x107.png 1536w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexHeadlines-01-2048x143.png 2048w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexHeadlines-01-1400x97.png 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 3750px) 100vw, 3750px" />We’d venture to say that love carries as many shades of meaning as there are shades of color — 18 decillion by some estimates. That’s 18 followed by 33 zeros. From the feelings we as children have for a parent to the first spark of romance as an adolescent to the deep respect and admiration for a lifelong friend or partner, love is understood on some level by all of us, and misunderstood by all of us, too.
Is there a word to describe the shade or color of Jesus’ love? The word that comes closest is probably “agape” — an ancient Greek word that represents the highest form of charity or the love of God for humankind and vice versa. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-841" src="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexQuote1.png" alt="" width="3750" height="2366" srcset="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexQuote1.png 3750w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexQuote1-300x189.png 300w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexQuote1-785x495.png 785w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexQuote1-768x485.png 768w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexQuote1-1536x969.png 1536w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexQuote1-2048x1292.png 2048w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexQuote1-1200x757.png 1200w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexQuote1-1400x883.png 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 3750px) 100vw, 3750px" />
Jesus showed this kind of love through acts of selflessness and kindness, not only toward family and friends but also toward strangers and enemies. He commanded his disciples to “love one another, as I have loved you.” In essence, Jesus asked his closest followers to mimic the love he’d demonstrated to them toward others. Shortly before his death, he washed the feet of his disciples, including Judas Iscariot, who would betray him, to show that those who are willing to sacrifice and serve others are considered the greatest in the eyes of God. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-840" src="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexHeadlines-03.png" alt="" width="3750" height="261" srcset="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexHeadlines-03.png 3750w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexHeadlines-03-300x21.png 300w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexHeadlines-03-1200x84.png 1200w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexHeadlines-03-768x53.png 768w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexHeadlines-03-1536x107.png 1536w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexHeadlines-03-2048x143.png 2048w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ComplexHeadlines-03-1400x97.png 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 3750px) 100vw, 3750px" />
As we considered the love of Jesus and this word agape, it struck us that the closest we, as humans, come to understand this love of God is probably through our family experiences — parent to child and child to parent. And this was the inspiration behind our commercial, “Unconditional.” What parent hasn’t stayed up all night with a sick child or spent hours helping with homework? We thought about parents who raise and care for a child with disabilities and special needs long into their adult years. Or adult children who change jobs and move thousands of miles to care for their aging parents.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-842" src="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Quote-2.png" alt="" width="1800" height="750" srcset="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Quote-2.png 1800w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Quote-2-300x125.png 300w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Quote-2-1188x495.png 1188w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Quote-2-768x320.png 768w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Quote-2-1536x640.png 1536w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Quote-2-1200x500.png 1200w, https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Quote-2-1400x583.png 1400w" sizes="(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px" />This is the love Jesus taught. Selfless love that doesn’t come with any conditions nor require anything in return. Hopefully, this commercial will honor those who sacrificed tirelessly for us and inspire each of us to “go and do likewise.”
Scripture References: John 15:17; John 13:1-17, Romans 5:8

Love is a complex word.

Struggle

What if we told you that if Jesus had been born today, he would be from the sticks? The so-called boonies? A remote area that has a reputation of producing no one of prestige or education? The wrong side of the tracks? It may seem odd to think of Jesus this way, but it’s true. In Scripture, a conversation between two brothers, Phillip and Nathanial, provides context. One day Phillip met Jesus, heard his teachings, and felt his love. He was excited and went to share the good news with his brother, who replied, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
At the time of his birth, Jesus’ family was forced to flee Nazareth for Egypt after King Herod decreed that all children under the age of two be killed. Yes, Jesus was a refugee, and the people of his hometown were not wealthy or elite by any means. No one expected anything positive or prominent to come from there, let alone someone who would change the world forever.
Over two thousand years later, not much has changed. All we need do is turn on our televisions and observe how the media describes immigrants and refugees. They are often branded as invasive and disruptive, with their reasons for migrating and positive contributions muted. But why?
The answer lies, in part, within the concept of unconscious bias &#8211; we may not know an individual, but because of where they are from, the color of their skin, or what they are wearing,  we make judgments about them.
I was drawn to write this piece because I intimately understand the feeling of being dismissed because of where you come from. Unlike Jesus, I am not from the sticks, yet I, too, have judged because of where I came from. You see, back in middle school, I was the new black kid who moved from the looming city to the developing suburb. That gave the other kids a false narrative of how they thought I should be. Faster. Aggressive. Disruptive. Bold. In their minds, I wasn’t allowed to exist as I was because I looked a certain way and came from a side of town that mandated otherwise.
Jesus too faced stereotypes based on society’s ideas about who he should be. That’s why his persecutors inscribed “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” on the cross at his crucifixion. This was their attempt to mock him because how could a mere man from a small, forgettable town ever hold any power or authority? Perhaps others’ perception of him would have been different had he been born into a wealthy family in an area of prestige.
Jesus made a point to reach out to those who were judged because of their birthplace or circumstance. He spoke to Samaritans, the ethnic enemies of the Jewish people. He went out of his way to uplift lepers, who had been outcast by their communities. He conversed with women, who had little to no political power or social authority. He did so out of love, but he was able to do it so well because he had experienced similar dismissal.
Jesus provided an example of the powerful change that comes when we choose to overlook shallow demographics and focus our intent on truly understanding someone. How can we be more like Phillip, ignoring social hierarchy and judging not based on where someone comes from but solely on the content of their heart?
Scripture Reference: John 1:45-46

Jesus overcame bias, too.

The video “The Struggle” drew me in with its imagery and then presented me with the idea that Jesus struggled financially. And he’s just like us. Huh. It stops even someone like me in my tracks thinking about it. No request for money. No expectation for me to change. No expectation to do anything except consider that Jesus struggled just like me. Just like most of us.
It’s not the typical message, and it is anything but ordinary. The idea that Jesus is just like me, as opposed to the message that I need to change to become more like him, is extraordinary to me. It completely transforms my thought process around Jesus. It allows me to separate the idea of Jesus from the idea of religion. I’m immediately skeptical of any religious message. But this message doesn’t come with a request or any action item.
As someone who instantly becomes defensive and skeptical when religion is introduced into any conversation, I think that the whole notion that Jesus is like me, and therefore meets me where I am — has been where I am — without any expectation of reciprocity (or paying) to meet him, is a completely different message than any other I have heard before. It was the first time that I can recall knowingly receiving a religious message where I did not immediately tune it out.
If there is any hope in our world right now, it is that people will act with compassion, mercy, and love — all attributes that are often associated with Jesus, even by those who may not believe.
Scripture References: Matthew 8:20

Did Jesus really struggle as I do?

As we studied the life of Jesus, we noticed a trend — Jesus displayed immense empathy for the poor and the needy. But why? Then it struck us. Jesus was homeless himself. He noted that birds had nests and foxes had holes, but he didn’t have a place to rest his head each night. His life was one of simplicity and deprivation.
The man who prayed to God, “Give us this day our daily bread,” experienced hunger. The man who offered “living water,” ironically, knew thirst.
His life was not luxurious or easy. He labored with his hands. He didn’t have a closet full of clothes or a pantry filled with food. He was a nomad relying on the kindness and generosity of others.
This was the Jesus that we knew so many could relate to. People struggling to pay the rent. Parents facing the dilemma of either going to an hourly wage job or staying home with a sick child. Hard workers holding two and three jobs just to fill gas tanks and refrigerators.
The exhaustion, the uncertainty, and the struggle are all things we today and the Jesus of 2,000 years ago have in common.

Did Jesus live in poverty?

Activist

In Jesus’ time, communities were deeply divided by bitter differences in religious beliefs, political positions, income inequality, legal status, and ethnic differences. Sound familiar?
Jesus lived in the middle of a culture war, too. And though the political systems were different (not exactly a representative democracy), the greed, hypocrisy, and oppression different groups used to get their way were very similar.
Let’s set the scene.
Jesus was born at the height of the Roman Empire’s power. They’d conquered most of the known world, and Israel was no exception. Unlike previous empires that would try to destroy cultures by displacing conquered peoples’ leaders, the Romans didn’t force people to change their religion or customs as long as they kept their obligations to the empire. Rome would install a client king (a puppet government) and exact tribute (cash) in lots of different ways. Families were charged taxes per person—farmers on crops, fishermen on catches, and travelers were charged fees to use the roads. This was in addition to local business and religious taxes charged by priests.
In Israel, political and religious factions were one and the same. Back then, it was Pharisees and Sadducees. Today, we have conservatives and liberals.
The Pharisees were the most religiously conservative leaders. They had the most influence among the common working poor, who were the majority. They believed that a king would come one day to conquer Rome with violence and free their nation. Some preyed upon a mostly illiterate population by adding extra rules and requirements that were designed to force the working poor into a posture of subjugation.
The Sadducees were wealthy aristocrats who had a vested financial interest in Roman rule. They were in charge of the temple, and they didn’t believe any savior king was coming. They made themselves wealthy by exacting unfair taxes and fees from the labor of their own people and by contriving money-making schemes that forced the poor to pay exorbitant prices to participate in temple sacrifice—a critical part of their religion.
There were Zealot groups who hid in the hills and violently resisted Roman occupation, and then there were the Samaritans, often oppressed and marginalized because of their racial and ethnic identities.
And so, the common farmer, fisherman, or craftsman’s family lived through a highly volatile political period. Overbearing religious leaders who despised and oppressed them, wealthy elites who ripped them off, racial and ethnic tension with neighbors, and sporadic violent outbreaks between an oppressive occupying army.
So where was Jesus in all of this? Did he align with the religious elites? With the wealthy and powerful? Or did he start an uprising to overthrow them?
None of the above.
He went from town to town, offering hope, new life, and modeling a different way to live and to change the world. Instead of pursuing power, money, or religious authority, he shared a loving and sacrificially generous way of living. He chose not to go along with the schemes others used to impact the world. Instead, he championed a better way.
And so, each of these political groups saw him as a threat. The Pharisees recognized his movement as an affront to their authority—exposing the hypocrisy of their practices. The Sadducees saw Jesus as a threat to their power and wealth because he exposed their money-making schemes. The Zealots violently rejected one of the essential themes of Jesus’ movement: love your enemy.
In the end, it took all three of these groups to have him killed. A Zealot (Judas) betrayed his location to those seeking to arrest him, the Sadducees brought him before the Romans to be executed, and when the Romans couldn’t find a crime committed, the Pharisees rallied the people to force Rome’s hand.
Isn’t it funny how political foes can come together to destroy a common enemy that threatens their designs? But in spite of their best efforts, his execution was only the beginning of a movement that continues to impact the world thousands of years later. Jesus’ movement was so impactful because he actively resisted and rejected participating in culture-war politics.
<h2>Scripture Reference: Matthew 9:35-38; Luke 19:10</h2>

Jesus was fed up with politics, too.

We’ve created a lot of ads and messages about Jesus and women’s equality. Mostly because research has uncovered a lot of misconceptions out there regarding Jesus and how he thought about and treated women. It seems some cultural and religious traditions and norms have been conflated with the actual story of Jesus from the Bible (the most comprehensive record of Jesus’ life we have). So let’s explore four ways Jesus promoted women’s equality.
1.) GENEALOGY. Before he was even born. 
The Gospels are four different accounts of Jesus’ life written by four of his followers. The first one that appears in most Bibles is written by Matthew. He starts his story the same way many biographical books began back then — by tracing Jesus’ genealogy.
If you’ve ever read the Bible or other ancient Near Eastern texts, you’ll see this pattern of tracing family trees: “so-and-so begat so-and-so, who begat so-and-so, etc.” We often skip these dry and boring sections of the text. But the genealogies in the Bible and similar ancient texts were less about historical records and more about proving a point about a person’s heritage or their claims to royalty or fortune.
Matthew includes a few clues in the genealogy that help us understand how Jesus thought about gender equality. He includes five women. That would have been very strange for the time. Stranger still are the women he chose to include as Jesus’ ancestors.
Tamar: A woman who pretended to be a sex worker to trick her father-in-law into getting her pregnant so she could keep her place in the family after her husband died. We know, it’s a crazy story. But it was really important in their culture at the time that she received justice according to their law. And justice for her was to have a family if she so desired. In fact, her father-in-law, upon realizing what happened, called her “more righteous than I.”
Rahab: A sex worker/brothel owner who hid spies from Israel and helped them gather intelligence on the defenses of her city, so they could be successful in conquering it.
Ruth: A widow whose love and loyalty were so confounding, she chose not to pursue the certainty of well-being she could have had by going back to her childhood family home after the death of her husband. Instead, she followed her mother-in-law to a strange land and married a close relative of her husband’s family to secure their welfare (again, it was culturally necessary at the time to ensure survival).
Bathsheba: A woman who was raped by the king. He saw her bathing and decided he wanted her. So he sent her husband to the front of a bloody war where he was all but guaranteed to die (he did), so he could rationalize his forcing himself on her. She became the king’s wife and experienced the loss of an infant child.
Mary: An unwed teen mom who, according to the law at the time, could have been stoned to death in the streets. She would no doubt have been gossiped about and ridiculed.
Of the dozens of women mentioned in Hebrew Scriptures, why were these five women chosen? Is it because they had to do desperate things to survive? Is it because each of them demonstrates different aspects of the plight of gender inequality in most cultures? Is it because they persevered in spite of seemingly impossible circumstances? We don’t know. But the story is certainly trying to tell us something about how we think about and judge women and the role they played in shaping Jesus’ identity.
2.) TALKING. Talking to women you didn’t know was a no-no.
He didn’t care. Jesus addressed women directly and publicly, something that was culturally confounding at the time. It even confused his own followers and closest friends. And he seemed to do it all the time with all kinds of women. Foreigners, enemies, widows, and sex workers, and in every recorded case, he connected with them personally with kindness and grace. In one often-cited case, he spoke to (1.) a Samaritan who was (2.) a woman and who was (3.) collecting water at a well in the heat of the day. Those three details tell us how culturally inappropriate it would have been for him to initiate a conversation. Samaritans were considered almost subhuman by most Jewish people at the time because of their racial impurity. Unknown women were never spoken to because they were traditionally considered property to the men in their lives. And if she’s collecting water by herself in the middle of the day, it likely means she was an outcast even among her own people, as women would generally collect water in the morning to stay cool and together to stay safe. We find out later she was likely an outcast because she’d been with so many men. But Jesus didn’t just speak to her; he asked her for a drink of water! To take water from her, from a vessel that she touched, and to drink it would have been unthinkable. But it demonstrated to his followers and all who heard the story that his movement would require people to think differently.
3.) EQUALITY. Jesus didn’t tolerate double standards.
During his ministry, some men brought a woman before Jesus. They accused her of adultery and then quoted the laws that said she should be killed. He successfully defended a woman from being executed publicly for committing adultery. They were looking for Jesus to condemn her as well. But he didn’t. You see, adultery is one of those things that requires two participants. But they didn’t bring the man caught in adultery before Jesus, just the woman. The whole situation reeked of hypocrisy, and Jesus had very little patience for hypocritical men when it came to sexual infractions of his day. So, he stepped in and protected the woman. He wouldn’t stand for the double standards.
4.) FOLLOWERS. Some of his first and most important followers were women.
Mary Magdalene is mentioned in the stories of Jesus more often than just about any other follower, including the other men in his inner circle known as the apostles. She is a central figure in just about every significant moment in his story.
Mary the sister of Martha (a different Mary than Mary Magdalene) is depicted sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to his teachings. While that might seem very insignificant, that posture is reserved for disciples listening to their Rabbis. In that time, Rabbis didn’t take on women as disciples. It just didn’t happen. Jesus didn’t just allow it, he encouraged it.
Joanna was another loyal follower. She was married to a wealthy official named Chuza, whom the Bible identifies as a critical member of the government that would eventually have Jesus delivered to the occupying Roman forces for execution. Joanna and other wealthy women bankrolled Jesus’ mission. That’s right. Jesus’ love movement was funded by women.
Though some have tried to minimize their critical role in the creation of Jesus’ radical love movement, there’s no question women were essential.
Genealogy: Matthew 1:1-17
Talking: John 4:1-29
Equality: John 8:1-11
Followers: Matthew 27:56 (Mary Magdalene); Luke 8:1-3 (Mary Magdalene and Joanna); Luke 10:38-42 (Mary sister of Martha)

Four ways Jesus supported women’s equality.

We live in an era of social trends and influencers who mold the culture around us. Considerations about the impact of influencer voices greased the cogs in our minds and shifted our attention to one of the most famous influencers to ever live.
Jesus had a following, to say the least. People came to him from every quarter to hear about his extreme views on love. This is no different from the thousands of subscribers or followers that influencers boast on today’s social platforms, and just like those influencers, his message was not without its detractors. They wanted him canceled.
Studies indicate that 64% of respondents believe that cancel culture is a direct threat to their freedom. For Jesus, cancel culture did not put his freedom at risk. It put his life at risk. However, such threats did not deter him from delivering his radical truth. This willingness to take a stand is a conviction that we wanted to permeate into the visuals for this topic. We selected imagery that reflected the strain of standing up for your beliefs even when the masses aim to vanquish your voice. A feeling that Jesus knew all too well.
<h2>Scripture References: Matthew 23:1-34, Luke 11:37-52</h2>

Did Jesus face criticism? 

No.
He Gets Us simply invites all to consider the story of a man who created a radical love movement that continues to impact the world thousands of years later. There are many churches and Christian groups that can help people who are spiritually open to understand more about who Jesus was and why his words and life are relevant today.
Whether you consider yourself a Christian, a believer in another faith, a spiritual explorer, or not religious or spiritual in any way, we invite you to hear about Jesus and be inspired by his example.
For some people, that inspiration might evoke curiosity about what Jesus taught. Some might even want to <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/connect">have a conversation</a> with someone about spirituality or<a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/connect"> join a local class</a> about the Christian faith at a local church. And so, we offer those options, but that’s not our mission.
Some people will want to <a href="https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/28926-jesus-he-gets-us?_branch_match_id=1073350575304477221&amp;utm_campaign=JesusHeGetsUs1&amp;utm_medium=HeGetsUs&amp;_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXTywo0EvKTMpJ1UvOz9X3SHVPLSkOLTYEAOXfpTYfAAAA">read accounts of Jesus’s life from the Bible</a> at their own pace and on their own terms. We have reading plans that make that possible too. But there are never any strings attached.
We hope to be the voice of a movement — of people who have considered his story and found it deeply and personally transformational. For some, it has been a religious experience, and for others, it’s simply a call to strive to love others better.
No matter what your response is to his story, we encourage you to explore it from a new perspective.

Is this a campaign to get me to go to church?

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How did the story of a man who taught and practiced unconditional love, peace, and kindness; who spent his life defending the poor and the marginalized; a man who even forgave his killers while they executed him unjustly — whose life inspired a radical movement that is still impacting the world thousands of years later — how did this man’s story become associated with hatred and oppression for so many people? And how might we all rediscover the promise of the love his story represents? Those are the questions at the heart of He Gets Us. 
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We’ve done a lot of homework on our culture. We researched how people feel about each other and what they think about Jesus and Christianity. We’ve connected with thousands of people of various faith traditions and those who claim no religion. We spoke to all kinds of people — different backgrounds, beliefs, and, yes, political affiliations. And this is what we’ve learned: From politics to sexuality and religion, so many of us feel like our values, beliefs, and identities are under attack by the ideological “others” around us. Many perceive those who differ with them on issues of justice, dignity, and humanity as not just wrong or misguided but also as evil. As enemies. We often see these “others” as close-minded, selfish, hypocritical — and if we’re honest, many of us respond in kind. 
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The more ideologically defensive we become, the more we are willing to sacrifice things like kindness, patience, and the respect and dignity of others for the sake of victory — the righteous ends justifying the dehumanizing means. And it’s tearing us apart. We experience it in politics, in the workplace, in schools, and even in churches. And at the heart of the conflicts is a fundamental disagreement about what it means to be good. 
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Throughout our shared history, Jesus has represented the ultimate good that humankind is capable of aspiring to. And though some no longer believe in God, most are still compelled by the idea of a person capable of unconditional love for others despite their differences. But many of us simply cannot reconcile the idea of that person with the way our culture experiences religion today. Whether it’s hypocrisy and discrimination in the church, or scandals both real and perceived among religious leaders, or the polarization of our politics, many have relegated Jesus from the world’s greatest love story to just another tactic used to intensify our deep cultural divisions. 
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How did we get here? And what might we learn from the example of Jesus to help move beyond the  animosity we feel for one another? How can we rediscover the life and teachings of Jesus, the world’s most radical love activist? That is our agenda at He Gets Us: to move beyond the mess of our current cultural moment to a place where all of us are invited to rediscover the love story of Jesus. Christians, non-Christians, and everybody in between. All of us.
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He Gets Us is a diverse group of Jesus followers with a wide variety of faith journeys and lived experiences. Our work represents the input from Christians who believe that Jesus is the son of God as well as many others who, though not Christians, share a deep admiration for the man that Jesus was, and we are deeply inspired and curious to explore his story. We look at the biography of Jesus through a modern lens to find new relevance in often overlooked moments and themes from his life. If you’d like to join us, you’re invited. Below you’ll find several resources to explore the story of Jesus for yourself.

He Gets Us has an agenda.

If you’re here, chances are you’re on a journey to know more about Jesus. Some of us consider Jesus to be God. Some of us are just inspired by the man he was and the life he led. No matter where you are (or aren’t) when it comes to faith, if you find his story compelling, we invite you to join us. He Gets Us wants to reclaim the story of his radical love movement. Here are a few simple ways to do that:
1.) Get gear. You can have a shirt, or a hat, or all sorts of other cool stuff. It isn’t free, but it doesn’t cost money. You’ll notice our prices are “forgive someone,” or “love your neighbor,” or “welcome a stranger.” If you can do that, we can cover the cost — even the shipping.
2.) Pay for it. He Gets Us wants to show a Jesus who would never want his name used to judge, harm, and divide. But we aren’t here to argue or fight with anyone. We believe your radical and confounding love for others is far more powerful. So once you’ve ordered your swag, share the love in whatever form you choose to pay for it. Forgive someone. Welcome a stranger in your community or neighborhood. Show your enemy some love. And whatever you do, tell us about it.
3.) Share it. Once you’ve received your gear, post an image on Instagram or Twitter, and tell us the story of your payment. We hope to curate thousands of stories of love shared through this movement. Those simple acts are worth every penny to us. Don’t forget to add #HeGetsUs so we can see you.
4.) Watch this space. We plan to turn this site into a place where you can discover lots of new ways to connect with us and help us share the radical love story of Jesus with others. We promise to keep the content fresh and worthy of your time. If you have any suggestions or content ideas, send them to us at <a href="mailto:info@hegetsus.com">info@hegetsus.com</a>.
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How to rep the movement

Judgment

There’s this scripture that kind of trips us up. Whether you’re a Bible reader or not, you’re probably familiar with it. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” Matthew 7:1. Jesus says this toward the end of one of his most famous sermons. He was calling out the hypocrisy of pointing out the faults in others when we have our own faults we should be working on.
But is it realistic to never judge anyone? Truthfully, we must make judgments about people almost every day. When applying for a job, do I want to work for this person? When meeting someone I’m attracted to, should I ask them out on a date? When I need to confide in someone, who do I trust as a friend? Just spend a couple of minutes online, and we realize our entire world is now based on reviews. From doctors to hotels, restaurants to dog walkers, many businesses live or die by the number of stars by their name.
Honest evaluation, however, is different from the judgment Jesus was speaking of. Honest evaluation of others is necessary for a safe and functioning society. The judging Jesus refers to comes from a different place. It comes from our ego. We’re often seeking to elevate ourselves by belittling someone else. Or we try to justify our own bad behavior by labeling somebody else’s behavior as worse. Sometimes, biases and grudges affect how we view and treat others.
With that in mind, Jesus asked us to stop pinpointing the shortcomings of others and to look inwardly and deeply examine our own hearts and motives. It’s not comfortable. But here’s why it’s so important. Jesus knew that if we focused on our own faults and weaknesses, we could become more empathetic toward others. We’d recognize that, like us, every person has challenges and struggles that we can relate to. And that’s how Jesus’ radical love is demonstrated today. By recognizing our own flaws, we can all become a little more merciful, a little more patient, and a little more loving toward one another.
Scripture Reference: Matthew 7:1; Luke 6:37; John 7:24

Can I judge without being judgmental?

As we were looking at ways to talk about Jesus’ unexplainable forgiveness, we kept coming back to one moment — when Jesus forgave the people who put him on the cross. It’s a moment that almost becomes more difficult to comprehend the more you think about it. He said, “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” How could he, an innocent man, possibly forgive the people responsible for his death as it was happening? How could he forgive the people who jeered and showed no remorse? It feels impossible, but it’s what he did.
As he hung on the cross, he didn’t lash out — he asked a friend to take care of his mother, he comforted the man being crucified alongside him, and he prayed to God to forgive the people who put him on the cross. He came to preach forgiveness, to give forgiveness, and, in that moment on the cross, to model it.
His earlier teachings — in the Sermon on the Mount and elsewhere — point us toward forgiving one another, and there’s a reason why. Jesus knew that seeking revenge or getting even doesn’t fulfill, and holding on to hatred and resentment only breeds more of the same. Forgiveness is a two-way street. It is a powerful display of love for the one being forgiven, but that’s not all. It is also a release of resentment for the one doing the forgiving. The choice to forgive — though incredibly difficult at times — is a choice that stops the cycle of hurt and pain, turns the page, and brings with it real peace. It is a choice that is good for us.
Even when rejecting hatred and resentment was hard, Jesus chose forgiveness. He offered that forgiveness freely, and his call is for us to do the same.
Scripture references: Luke 23:34, Luke 23:40-43, John 19:26-27, Matthew 5:38-42

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