Jesus: The best a man can get

Some of our blokes at Ignite by now have hit puberty and would have discovered the routine of shaving. One of the most well known razors is Gillette. As long as I can remember the Gillette slogan has been "Gillette, the best a man can get."

This week I was on holidays and had to buy a razor, the one I picked up from the shops was Gillette. Seeing the Gillette box reminded me of this famous slogan. So what is the best a man can get? Gillette seems to think it is found in sports stars.
Over the years Gillette has hired many sports stars to represent the best a man can get. Men who have become the best in their field. People who in many different sports have achieved all that you can achieve. But is sporting achievement everything?

One of the most notable and recent Gillette spokespeople in the last decade was Tiger Woods. After many selfish and horrible affairs by Tiger with multiple women, Gillette chose to stick with Tiger. It was only at the end of 2010 that Gillette sacked Tiger because he didn't fit in with their new marketing campaign. For many years Gillette held up Tiger as "the best a man can get" but it is only since Tiger lost his #1 world ranking that Gillette has not renewed his contract.

In the media and culture today, there is a constant separation between a person's job and a persons character. It is too often the case that those celebrities in the public limelight who do their job well but are horrible people are still applauded by the media and the companies that sponsor them. The best a man can get is all about his success and not about his moral strength and character. Can you really do your job well if your character is highly questionable. Tiger is not just a golfer and a spokesmen for Gillette. He is an ambassador for golf and a role model for children around the world. Are young people meant to look up at Tiger and think, "this is the best a man can get."

The Bible sees that moral character as a highly important part of who we are (more important than our sporting, school or job success). The best a man can get is not being "successful", it is being obedient to God. One of the main differences of the Bible with culture and many other religions is that the Bible sees how bad we are really are. It sees that how bad we are affects all we do.

So rather than holding up sport stars as the best you can get, the Bible holds up men of character. Jesus is the most clear and perfect example of this. This is because Jesus himself is the perfect man. Hebrews 7 describes him this way:


²⁶ Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. ²⁷ Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people.


Jesus according to the Bible is perfect. He obeys, trusts and loves God. He is the ultimate example of what humanity was created to be. Ever wondered what a real man should be? Look to Jesus! He is the best a man can get. But there is more for us than this, Hebrews continues by saying:


He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. ²⁸ For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

In Jesus we have one who sacrificed himself for the sins of others. Because Jesus was perfect he is not only the perfect man to observe and model, he is also the perfect sacrifice for us. The best thing a man can get is not a new razor but salvation from Jesus. Whilst a razor may make us look good on the outside. Salvation from Jesus changes who we are on the inside. Jesus changes who we are so that we can be more like him (the best a man can get) and provides us with eternal friendship with God (the best thing a man can get, because the best of men are men at best who sin and need forgiveness).

As Christians we can often look to sports stars and think that is who I want to be when I am older but don't you think God wants us to aspire to being like his Son? After all that is the best a man can get.