(OSV News) — A feature of every Super Bowl is a panoply of commercials that air during the game touting the latest Budweiser beer, Doritos, laundry detergent and celebrities.
This year will be no different when the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs face off Feb. 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, a Phoenix suburb.
But one surprising ad theme creating buzz ahead of the Big Game is Jesus. A group of 50 Christian individuals and companies, including craft retailer Hobby Lobby, is purchasing air time on FOX, which is broadcasting the game, for two “He Gets Us” commercials. The 30-second and 60-second spots cost roughly $20 million.
The commercials, which are part of a broader ad campaign that began in March and utilizes billboards around the country and YouTube channels, are meant to send “a message that Jesus understands the human condition and a message of the uniting love of Jesus that will set us on a better path as a country,” said a spokesman for the campaign.
One spot using black-and-white photos focuses on a Central American migrant family — a mother, father and child — who have to flee persecution in their home country. The ad closes with the revelation that it’s the story of the child Jesus, Mary and Joseph, who had to flee to Egypt.
“So what could possibly be louder and more powerful than hate? Love can. But not just any love. Confounding love. Unconditional love. Sacrificial love. The love we see in Jesus,” says the website of the “He Gets Us” campaign,” https://hegetsus.com. “Jesus showed us the path to human flourishing and fulfillment was to love others as oneself, even if it costs you your life. What if we tried to love our enemies the way Jesus loved us? How would it change the tenor of our conflicts and our conversations?”
Aside from Hobby Lobby being identified as a major funder of the ad campaign, “most of the people driving ‘He Gets Us,’ including our donors, choose to remain anonymous,” the website says, adding that funding “comes from a diverse group of individuals and entities with a common goal of sharing Jesus’ story authentically.”
David Green, co-founder of Hobby Lobby, told talk show host Glenn Beck recently that the “He Gets Us” campaign is sponsored by “a lot of people” who want to say that Jesus “gets us. He understands us. He loves who we hate. I think we have to let the public know and create a movement.”