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Jesus talked a lot about love, and he showed a lot of it, too. Not just any ordinary, run of the mill kind of love—Jesus practiced and preached a selfless, all-in, active kind of love that might look pretty different from the love you see elsewhere.

Love

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<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-672 size-full" src="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Headline1-1.png" alt="Image quote that says: &quot;Remember when we were kids and a fight would break out at school?&quot; for the love your enemies page" width="1800" height="225" />
Remember when we were kids and a fight would break out at school?
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Everybody would come running and form a circle of excited spectators. We didn’t care about the cause of the conflict or worry about the people involved. We just wanted to see the drama unfold. And it was almost like drawing the crowd made the escalation of the conflict even more inevitable. It occurred to us that our current climate of cultural conflict can make it feel like we’re all back in grade school again, watching the fight.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-696 size-full" src="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Image1-1-1.png" alt="Image of a quote that says: &quot;Our current climate of cultural conflict can make it feel like we're all back in grade school again, watching the fight.&quot; for the jesus love your enemies page." width="1800" height="975" /></figure>



Don’t get us wrong. Conflict can be healthy. Expressing outrage at <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/how-did-jesus-deal-with-injustice">injustices</a>, being a voice for the voiceless, and boldly representing your values and identity are important parts of the human experience. Jesus did all these things. But how often do our conflicts devolve from a dignified defense to a dehumanizing hate for others? And how often do we just consume conflict that really has nothing to do with values and everything to do with our guilty pleasure of hateful content, just like a grade school fight? 





<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-676 size-full" src="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Image2.png" alt="Image of How often do our conflicts devolve from a dignified defense to a dehumanizing hate for others?" width="1800" height="1425" /> We stop our scroll to watch a video of people screaming at or getting physical with a customer service agent or a fast-food worker. We tune in to watch two political pundits tear each other apart on cable news. We like and share insulting jokes on social media made at the expense of those who think differently than us. We turn an unfortunate incident in a person&#8217;s life into a meme for people to mock them.  <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-673 size-full" src="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Headline2-1.png" alt="Image of a quote: &quot;It's like our culture is addicted to hateful human conflict. We love it.&quot; for the love for enemies page" width="1800" height="225" />





And we love to pick a side. We identify with the reasonable neighbor dealing with the nosey troublemaker next door. We doomscroll opposing takes on trending topics that we know will only serve to make us <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/did-jesus-ever-get-angry">angry</a>. It’s like many of us are addicted to the fight. And it seems that the evolution of technology and media has created an arena that fuels the addiction — like those hateful images, videos, and stories — and ideas are <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/listen-louder-the-game">louder</a> than anything else we consume. But why?  <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-677 size-full" src="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Quote-1-7.png" alt="Image of a quote: &quot;Nothing keeps an audience engaged like turning up the volume on conflict.&quot; for the how to love your enemies page" width="1800" height="1200" />



Most media have a simple goal: Create content that will build an audience and sell that audience to advertisers. Newspaper publishers used to say, “If it bleeds, it leads,” because stories about violent crimes and conflicts often found their way to the front page, stoking the reader’s emotions and selling more papers. Now social media makes all of us partners in that emotional manipulation. The loudest and most charged content tends to get the most comments, likes, and shares. And as giant publicly traded media and tech companies feel the pressure to provide more shareholder value, they find ways to keep us consuming. And nothing keeps an audience engaged like turning up the volume on conflict. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-678 size-full" src="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Quote-2-5.png" alt="Image of a quote: &quot;What could possibly be louder and more powerful than hate? LOVE CAN.&quot; for the love your enemies page." width="1800" height="800" /></figure>
Pitting us in ideological battles, amplifying hateful moments and stories in all of humanity all of the time — it is a great way to build an audience and sell ads. It’s also an effective way to make people feel <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/did-jesus-ever-get-angry">angry</a>, isolated, anxious, and distrustful of others. And, just like a slot machine, our social apps reward the pleasure centers in our brains with likes, shares, and comments when we participate — commenting on that divisive video or sharing that snarky meme. It’s systemic. It’s diabolical. And it works.  <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-679 size-full" src="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Quote-3-5.png" alt="Image of Jesus showed us the path to human flourishing and fulfillment was to love others as oneself " width="1800" height="1200" /> So what could possibly be <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/listen-louder-the-game">louder</a> and more powerful than hate? Love can. But not just any love. Confounding love. Unconditional love. Sacrificial love. The love we see in Jesus. This shocking and even revolutionary figure — who challenged the status quo of his time, who spoke out against the religious and political leaders of his day, who advocated for the marginalized and oppressed, but who always, always, always loved others despite their identity, beliefs, or values. Jesus showed us the path to human flourishing and fulfillment was to love others as oneself, even if it costs you your life. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-674 size-full" src="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Headline3.png" alt="Image of What if we tried to love our enemies the way Jesus loved his?" width="1800" height="110" /> How would it change the tenor of our conflicts and our conversations? What would the world look like if we all resisted the temptation to defend our self-interest at all costs and loudly proclaimed together that the love for others, the compassion for another’s lived experience, the empathy for their position, and the respect for their dignity were the most important values we all could hold? That’s a hard ask, seemingly impossible. But He Gets Us invites people to explore the story, teachings, and mission of one who lived that way. No matter what you believe about God or Christianity, consider this: What might we learn today from a person like that?

Jesus loved the people we hate.

Love your neighbor. That’s one of those phrases that is used so flippantly that when you hear it, it’s easy to tune out. It’s lost its meaning. And that’s a terrible shame because the suggestion to love your neighbor is a powerful one that Jesus was passionate about, and spoiler: he wasn’t vague in the slightest about what it meant.
“Love your neighbor as yourself” wasn’t something Jesus came up with. It was around long before him, written into the Jewish law. So when Jesus confirmed that loving your neighbor as yourself was of the utmost importance, he wasn’t saying anything new to his audience. It’s how he suggested we love our neighbor and who he defined as our neighbor that was radical.
Someone plainly asked him, “Who is my neighbor?” And Jesus responded with a story that would answer that question and then some. He set the scene: a man is traveling between cities on a road when he is jumped by robbers and left badly injured, beaten within an inch of his life. Over the next few hours, three men see him dying on the side of the road. The first two, who happen to be members of the same race and community, pass him by. The third, a man of different background and race, one who should’ve hated the man lying on the ground according to the cultural norms at the time, decides to care for him. He bandages his wounds and then takes him to an inn, where he pays the innkeeper out of his own pocket to care for the injured man and promises to come back and check in on him, paying anything extra.
So, Jesus was asked about neighbors and told a story of travelers. Seems a bit odd at first, but he was saying that neighbors are not just the people in your community that you know and love. The term encompasses so much more. Everyone you interact with, whether you know them, like them, look like them, or don’t, is your neighbor. And he was sure to include some racial tension in his example to make sure they knew exactly what he meant by everyone.
And how are we supposed to love our neighbors? Jesus’ answer is really difficult but very clear: by totally altering our plans and path to go above and beyond in caring for people without ever expecting anything in return. The way Jesus talked about it, loving your neighbor is wholly inconvenient, wildly selfless, and nearly impossible to do well all the time.
If that sounds like the bar is set too high, know that Jesus appreciated the little acts of kindness and generosity, too. There’s a brief story where Jesus sees two people giving money away. The first is a <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/do-you-want-to-be-rich">rich</a> man who gives a great sum of money and makes a big show of it. The second is a poor widow who gives a single coin. Jesus points out the widow and praises her generosity because even though her offering was small, she still gave it despite having little money to her name. Jesus’ economy is backward. It doesn’t care about big numbers or showy results. It cares about intentions. It’s an economy of kindness, not money. If all you can muster is a tiny display of generosity each day, know that it makes a difference.
That’s what we’re trying to do on a small scale with our <a href="http://hegetsusfans.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">merchandise</a>: reflect an economy that runs on compassion and encourages people to be intentionally kind. If you want a shirt, you don’t need to pay a dime, but we ask that you take the price tag seriously and make an effort to pay by loving your neighbor. It’ll be worth it, we promise.
Scripture References: Leviticus 19:18, Luke 10:25-37, Mark 12:41-44

What does it mean to love your 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.

<h6>By Dave</h6>
Love is a complex word. I’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.
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.
As I considered the love of Jesus and this word agape, it struck me 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 <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/were-all-sick-of-something">sick</a> child or spent hours helping with homework? I thought about parents, like my own grandmother, who raised and cared for a child with disabilities and special needs long into her adult years. I look at the example of my own in-laws, who changed jobs and moved thousands of miles to care for their aging parents.
This is the love Jesus taught. Selfless love that doesn’t come with any conditions nor require any payment 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

Love is a complex word.

<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.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2354" src="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/LovedLouderQuote2-1.png" alt="" width="1000" height="640" />
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.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2355" src="https://content.hegetsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/LovedLouderQuote-3.png" alt="" width="1800" height="750" />
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.

So, <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/who-is-my-neighbor">who is my neighbor?</a>
Remember the golden rule? Treat others the way you would like to be treated? Well, Jesus had a version of that: “<a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/what-does-it-mean-to-love-your-neighbor">Love your neighbor</a> as yourself.” He wasn’t the first one to say it — it was written into Jewish law — but he confirmed that it was one of the most important things for us to do, one of the major keys to a fulfilled life. So, <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/who-is-my-neighbor">who is my neighbor?</a>
Jesus was asked that exact question, and his answer made some things pretty clear. He told a story: A man is walking down a road when he is jumped by some robbers and beaten within an inch of his life. A little later on, a priest walking down the road — a priest of the dying man’s same ethnicity and religion — sees him lying there and walks right past him. Sometime later, another holy man with a similar background walks right past the dying man as well. Finally, a Samaritan man — a complete stranger from a culture that was a historic enemy to the Jewish people — walks up and bandages the man’s wounds, puts him on his own personal donkey, and takes him to an inn where he pays out of pocket for him to stay and be healed.
Jesus was asked about neighbors and answered with a story of travelers. Why? Because your neighbors are not just the people you live and spend your time with. Your neighbor is anyone you interact with. Whether you know them, like them, look like them, or not, they’re your neighbor. Jews and Samaritans often hated each other. They had a long history of bad blood. Jesus was painting a picture of total opposites. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="h390 alignnone wp-image-1854 size-full" src="https://hegetsus1dev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LovingYourNeighbor_Quote2-1.png" alt="" width="950" height="910" srcset="https://hegetsus1dev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LovingYourNeighbor_Quote2-1.png 950w, https://hegetsus1dev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LovingYourNeighbor_Quote2-1-300x287.png 300w, https://hegetsus1dev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LovingYourNeighbor_Quote2-1-517x495.png 517w, https://hegetsus1dev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LovingYourNeighbor_Quote2-1-768x736.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 950px) 100vw, 950px" /> 
Have you ever been to the airport and sat down across from someone you’re certain would disagree with you on every one of your fundamental beliefs? You can just tell by the way they dress, the book they’re reading, the food they brought to the gate — your view of the world and theirs must be irreconcilable. Are you picturing that person in your mind? Great. That’s your neighbor. And so is the man asking for change at the red light. And the family member who is estranged. And the person you’re hoping doesn’t move in next door. They’re all your neighbors.
So then, the second part of the equation is figuring out what it means to love all those neighbors as yourself. This is where it gets hard. In the story he told, to love our neighbors requires altering our plans and path to be kind to people without ever expecting anything in return. The way Jesus talked about it, loving your neighbor is wholly inconvenient, wildly selfless, and nearly impossible to do well all the time. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="h390 aligncenter wp-image-1852 size-full" src="https://hegetsus1dev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LovingYourNeighbor_Quote3-1.png" alt="" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://hegetsus1dev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LovingYourNeighbor_Quote3-1.png 1200w, https://hegetsus1dev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LovingYourNeighbor_Quote3-1-300x200.png 300w, https://hegetsus1dev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LovingYourNeighbor_Quote3-1-743x495.png 743w, https://hegetsus1dev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LovingYourNeighbor_Quote3-1-768x512.png 768w, https://hegetsus1dev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LovingYourNeighbor_Quote3-1-600x400.png 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> 
But Jesus didn’t seem to care about us doing it perfectly. His teachings suggest that he wanted us to consider our intentions and do the work to act from a place of empathy. Eventually, loving our neighbors is an action that can become intuitive. So, how do we do that? There are three simple steps that can help. When Jesus told that story and mentioned that a Samaritan man was walking down the road, the crowd would’ve tensed up. Many hated Samaritans. But Jesus shockingly made the Samaritan the hero, perhaps showing the first step in being a good neighbor is to avoid <a href="https://hegetsus.com/en/articles/how-would-jesus-be-judged-today">judging others</a>. Jesus didn’t teach hate or assume the worst. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1853 size-full" src="https://hegetsus1dev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LovingYourNeighbor_Quote4-1.png" alt="" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://hegetsus1dev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LovingYourNeighbor_Quote4-1.png 1200w, https://hegetsus1dev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LovingYourNeighbor_Quote4-1-300x200.png 300w, https://hegetsus1dev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LovingYourNeighbor_Quote4-1-743x495.png 743w, https://hegetsus1dev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LovingYourNeighbor_Quote4-1-768x512.png 768w, https://hegetsus1dev.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/LovingYourNeighbor_Quote4-1-600x400.png 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> 
Another clue is in the word “neighbor.” In Greek, the language in which this story was written, this word is “plesion,” which just means “near.” The Samaritan man whom Jesus sets up as the model good neighbor? He approaches the dying man. He gets close. The other two walk past on the other side of the road. So, step two is to practice drawing near to people we would otherwise avoid. To strike up a conversation. To listen to their perspective.
Imagine for a moment if the people pictured in the video did exactly that — listened to one another as a neighbor. They might not come to agreement, but they certainly would become better neighbors — by getting close and listening.
And the final clue is in how the Samaritan man puts everything on hold to care for the dying man. It’s an extreme example, but at its core, the man is putting the needs of another above his own. Step three is to choose humility. To put yourself in the other person’s shoes and to attend to their needs like you would take care of your own. Jesus modeled this by washing his disciples’ feet — the teacher humbling himself before his students. Jesus wasn’t blinded by quick judgments, and neither was the Samaritan. They both got close and then put their neighbor’s needs above their own. They loved their neighbors. What would it look like if we all made an effort to love ours?

Loving your neighbor is nearly impossible. How can we do it?

Arno’s Story: Learning to say “I love you.”

Saying “I love you” and truly meaning it can be hard for so many reasons. Maybe it’s hard because you’re afraid to say something you don’t mean, or maybe it’s hard because to say those words is to make yourself more vulnerable than you’re willing to be. Either way, getting our hearts and our words to align is no small task, but we think doing just that is a big part of what it means to be pure in heart — one of the character traits Jesus calls blessed. It’s not easy, but we think it’s worth it, and Arno’s story is a testament to that. Jesus’ love is like a second language. It takes practice.

Love is Louder

Listening to the world around us, we couldn’t help but come to the conclusion that the volume is rising day by day, and we’ve 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 2000 years ago. But Jesus didn’t add to the noise, he responded to it with quiet and deliberate acts of love, and we’re still talking about it 2000 years later. Why? Because love is louder.