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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.

Jesus practiced self-care.

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2352" src="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/LovedLouderHeadlines-01.png" alt="" width="3750" height="261" />Listening to the world around us, we couldn’t help but come to the conclusion that the volume is rising day by day. If you listen to the news, you hear louder voices, stronger opinions, and harsher disagreements. If you scroll through your social feeds, you see arguments in the comment section of the most benign posts. Everyone wants to be heard, and collectively, we seem to be going to greater and greater lengths to be the one voice loud enough to be made out above the din.
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But as we listened, we noticed that most of what gets amplified — most of the stuff loud enough to be heard — is rife with hate, anger, and discontentment. And when hate gets amplified, too often, we try to drown it out with even louder hate from a different perspective. It’s a vicious cycle, and it’s one Jesus dealt with 2,000 years ago.
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Everywhere he went, he was met with dissenting opinions, trap questions, and directed hatred. People were constantly trying to silence him, discredit him, or hijack his platform to amplify their own voices. It must have been infuriating, but he didn’t give in and add to the noise. Jesus used his voice, but he didn’t shout. He not only stayed on the path of preaching patience, selflessness, and love but more importantly, he also demonstrated them. He responded to the ever-increasing volume of hate with quiet and deliberate acts of love. And the result is evident in the fact that we’re still talking about it 2,000 years later: his love was louder, and it still is.

Jesus loved louder.

With two spots in this year’s biggest professional football game, we wanted to ensure that our 15-second commercial, “Who Is My Neighbor,” built on the concept presented in the 60-second commercial, “Foot Washing.” We felt that if we were going to encourage others to love their neighbors, then we should provide some insight into whom that word includes, and while there are some surface-level observations as to who those people might be, we thought it would be best to explore how Jesus defined neighbors through his actions.
His belief was simple and unfiltered — <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/who-is-my-neighbor">everyone is a neighbor</a>. Everyone in every sense of the word, not just the people in our orbit whom we have something in common with but also the ones we don’t notice, the people we don’t value, and those we don’t welcome. Admittedly, noticing people who aren’t loved ones or a part of our day-to-day life isn’t always top of mind. In a world that often feels more digital than tangible, it’s no secret that our ability to connect with each other is duller than it used to be. Not to mention, our attention at any given moment is being pulled into what feels like infinite directions. 
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In a very different way, Jesus faced similar challenges. Sure, he didn’t have the distraction of a smartphone, but he was a popular guy who drew crowds. People sought his attention, yet he took time to give his to those who never got any. He noticed ill-stricken people with leprosy and comforted them. These were people who were ignored by everyone else, yet he displayed neighborly love toward them. We thought about the people we don’t notice in our own lives walking down the street, in the aisle at the grocery store, or even those living next door to us. Jesus’ example served as a simple yet powerful reminder that he put the “every” in everyone, so we wanted to create work that did the same. 
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Jesus often led by example. In doing so, he led us to another type of neighbor — the ones we don’t value. During his time, women were relegated to subservient roles in a male-dominated society, but Jesus didn’t bend to the status quo. He spoke to women in public, which was a social taboo. He stood up for women during moments of <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/how-did-jesus-deal-with-injustice">injustice</a> and involved them in ministry to boot. He valued women beyond their traditional roles and treated them kindly and equally. In our world, it’s easy to value those who share th
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e same values as us or those who belong to the same groups, but we were inspired by Jesus’ willingness to defy that trend.
The third type of neighbor seemed to jump out at us after we examined Jesus’ life. We noticed that Jesus was inclined to welcome others. His trusted disciples were complete strangers when he met them, yet he welcomed them into his life and built his platform alongside them. He could’ve turned to family or others that he knew from his youth, but his prerogative was to find neighbors who were vastly different from him and one another to bring together. He was profoundly and deliberately backward in that way. 
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We found these examples compelling and wanted to craft an ad that reflected what the unnoticed, the undervalued, and the unwelcomed might look like today in our own lives. Once we saw the images, the idea that <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/who-is-my-neighbor">everyone is a neighbor</a> resonated even deeper with us. We saw each of these people as part of a whole. People we should offer compassion to because if they flourish, we all do. Each one of us is a part of one larger community. Jesus knew that all too well. It’s why he wanted us to use our differences as a catalyst for conversations that can lead us to invite each other in rather than keeping one another at bay.

Who is my neighbor?

Listen Louder is a card game designed to help people get to know each other in deep and meaningful ways. You see, we were looking at the life of Jesus and noticed a couple of things: one, he spent a lot of time talking with people. And two, he used those conversations to get to know people deeply and push them to live selfless lives. A lot of us have part one of the equation covered, but we don’t even know where to start with the second part.
Our hope is that this game would be a starting point. Flip cards with friends and listen to each other answer the kinds of questions Jesus might’ve asked, and complete challenges together that reflect his life lived fully and selflessly. There are no points, no scoring, no winning or losing—just some friends or strangers getting to know each other on a deeper level and stepping outside of their comfort zones together. This is your chance to be heard, but it’s also your chance to listen.

Listen Louder—the game.

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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 <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/jesus-had-strained-relationships-too">relationships</a> — something we believe has the power to change our culture. 
Jesus always loved and <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/jesus-chose-forgiveness">forgave</a> like a child.
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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 <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/jesus-chose-forgiveness">forgave</a>, 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 <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/jesus-chose-forgiveness">forgave</a> 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 <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/would-jesus-be-fed-up-with-our-politics-too">politics</a>. No religion. Let’s not talk about anything controversial. That’s often considered to be very adult. And some of us act childishly. From <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/did-jesus-ever-get-angry">angry</a> 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.
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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.

Family life is complex, and everyone’s experience is personal and unique. But, there is one universal thing we all share when it comes to our families: a deep-seated desire to find love there. Sometimes we get what we’re looking for, but other times we’re met with our family’s (or our own) shortcomings. Flaws are hard to hide in close quarters, and when left unattended can often lead to hurt, resentment, or the words “We’re not on speaking terms.”
Add to that the world we live in, with its many distractions, and the divide can widen. There is constant noise coming from our phones and televisions demanding our time, money, and allegiances. It’s no wonder why we find our nearest are not always our dearest. We are being pulled in a lot of directions.
It may be hard to imagine, but Jesus had to contend with a complex family life too, and he lived during a time with similar noise and distractions. Sure, there weren’t televisions, but there were still pundits. He may not have had constant phone notifications, but the crowds certainly wouldn’t leave him alone. And these crowds were part of his problem. His extended family struggled with his sudden popularity and his lack of convention. Many thought he’d lost his mind. Some, in their frustration, tried to forcibly take custody of him. What a scene that must’ve been.
Yet, in no uncertain terms, Jesus made sure they knew his door would always be open to them. For him, blood was not thicker than water. Love was thicker than water. He made this point when his mother brought concerned relatives to see him, and he continued to make it throughout his ministry. He saw the many members of his family, related or not, as irreplaceable parts of one body. When one part was missing, the whole suffered. Likewise, when one part was honored, the whole celebrated.
To exemplify this, he once told a story of a father and his two sons. The younger son asked for his share of their inheritance early so he could make a life for himself, but in time he squandered the funds and became homeless. On the other hand, the older son stayed by his father’s side, dutifully working. There was jealousy in the tale, disappointment, estrangement—the whole family suffered—but at the end of the day Jesus spoke of a father forgiving enough to keep his door open, a wayward son humble enough to come home, and a brother who had to set his own ego aside to celebrate his family’s reunion.
Suffice to say, the reunion did not happen without a lot of work on all sides, and it might seem in your own unique story like an impossible outcome. But just remember…it began simply with an open door, a single step, and a deep breath. Beyond that, we can always improve our chances by setting the noisy world aside for a moment. Jesus encouraged many to do this very thing so that the noise would not become the only thing they heard. In the quiet, we can remind ourselves that our desire for love is shared. And if we lean into that, we might just discover what love can overcome, including the words “We’re not on speaking terms.”
Scripture references: Mark 3, Luke 15:11-32, 1 Corinthians 12:12-26, Colossians 3:12-15

Was Jesus’ family perfect?

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 <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/jesus-had-strained-relationships-too">relationships</a> 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

From the beginning, we’ve wanted to share the real Jesus. At some point along the way, we realized that despite our best efforts to show a true and complete picture of him, that image became a bit unbalanced. Not incorrect, but incomplete. We spent so much time reflecting on heavier topics that when we stepped back to look at the whole mosaic, we couldn’t help but notice we were showing a picture of Jesus that was distinctly lacking joy.
This video is a response to that — a sort of rebalancing. As it turns out, 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, the uptight religious leaders called him a glutton and a drunkard. He didn’t worry about what would happen to his reputation when he hung out with people that others thought were shady, and he was always uninhibited in his pursuit of compassion and joy for others. Jesus let his hair down, too.
<h2>Scripture References: John 2:1-11, Matthew 11:19 </h2>

Did Jesus have fun?

The story of Jesus’ birth is told every year around Christmas, and it’s almost always told the same way. What new perspective could we bring to a 2,000-year-old story that would stir people’s hearts and minds? Then it hit us. Instead of looking directly at Jesus, what if we looked at the woman who gave birth to him?
Jesus was born to a teenage girl. A girl who was scared and forced to travel far away from her home right before she gave birth. A girl who was at the mercy of a man who could have publicly shamed her or even had her killed, but who instead protected and supported her. A girl who gave birth in a stable because she had nowhere else to go. There is such a rich story there that gets lost in the neatly packaged nativity on someone’s shelf.
So, we told that story. And we told it in the sincerest way we could by using pictures of real mothers giving birth and by having a teen mom read the voiceover. Jesus didn’t just appear out of nowhere. His life was not some fairytale — it was very real. His first few minutes in this world looked like anyone else’s, crying in the arms of his mom. His teen mom.
<h2>Scripture References: Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:7 </h2>

What would Jesus think of teen moms?

Some believe Jesus lived a perfect life. For others, that’s a stretch. Either way, as we searched for themes to share, it became apparent to us that Jesus set a high bar for himself and for others. He taught things such as: love your enemies, forgive those who’ve intentionally wronged you, and don’t judge others. Easy in theory. Tougher in practice.
We realized that it must not have been easy for him to practice what he’d preached. When he was being mocked, surely, he was tempted to belittle his persecutors. When he was betrayed by a close friend, he could have berated him publicly. Ultimately, when he was being crucified, he didn’t condemn his accusers or executioners. He forgave them.
When we realized how hard it must have been, even for Jesus, we recognized that he faced similar pressure to be a good example as we do today.
It’s tough to always set the right example for our kids or friends or neighbors. Fortunately, there are many people trying hard and doing a great job at it. We tried to celebrate all those who are striving to pass the good onto others, to recognize the joy of being a positive role model, all the while acknowledging the challenge and struggle it is to always be on your best behavior.
<h2>Scripture References: John 13:12-17, Matthew 5:38-40, Luke 22:47-53</h2>

Jesus felt pressure to be a good example, too.

Is it really possible to invite everyone to a party? Space and finances aside, it seems like a tall order — especially since it can be hard to include your own family during preordained holidays. Family dynamics are a real thing. For some, it can mean playing a competitive football game in the yard after Thanksgiving dinner. For others, it means suffering through the quiet (or loud) tension stretching across the table or mourning estrangement and loss that has resulted in empty seats.
It may be hard to imagine Jesus struggling through such things, especially since he was known for his welcoming message. He told stories of huge banquets to which, yes, everyone was invited (though not everyone attended). He encouraged anyone who heard his teachings to take a break with him, to walk beside him, and to find security with him during hard times. He was a man on a mission to have everyone join him in whatever he was doing … including dinner.
This brings us to the dinner events that Jesus attended, many of which should sound familiar. Like us, his family and friends were drawn together by food and yearly celebrations. There were times when they reclined at the table to enjoy each other’s company. And there were times when the meal was not enough to bridge the divide. Like us, Jesus had to contend with difficult personal relationships, political and religious beefs, and even lesser things like bickering over who was doing all the work for the day’s festivities.
It would seem Jesus experienced it all. He dined with those who openly challenged him while they ate. He broke bread with a man he knew would betray him. He invited himself over to eat, much to people’s dismay. He attended a party with the upper crust and watched as they jockeyed for the best seat. He even tried to celebrate a holiday with friends, only to have his family crash the event and disrupt it because they wanted him to tone his mission down … it was drawing way too much attention for their tastes.
Yet, Jesus was not deterred. He was intent on bringing people together for an enormous feast — which meant during the smaller ones, he was careful and purposeful with his words. He refrained from arguing, instead discussing differences with patience, understanding, and genuine curiosity. And he rarely declined an invitation. In the end, there was always someone who left changed because Jesus went beyond simply eating beside them. He broke bread with them, knowing that was the key.
During one of Jesus’s final meals here on Earth, he journeyed with a man named Cleopas, whose politics kept them from completely understanding each other, even after spending the entire trip discussing things. After a full day of traveling, they still had not made many inroads with each other — not until they sat down to share a meal. It was then, in the breaking of bread, that they came to really know the other. There was something special in that shared meal … and perhaps we can all draw from it.
During the many seasons of the year, from New Year’s Day to <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/jesus-christmas-wasnt-picture-perfect-either">Christmas</a>, there’s an opportunity to embrace more guests at our tables, to rebuild relationships, and to share something beyond the food. With family and friend dynamics, it takes work to make it work, but if we’re willing to wade into dinner parties as Jesus did, we may find that a meal can feed the soul — and in turn, make us want to invite everyone to the party. Truly.