Ask the Man
One of Packard’s longest-running advertising slogans was “Ask the man who owns one.” Besides its period shameless sexism, it is notable for several reasons:
The person who owns one couldn’t possibly say something bad about it, either out of testament to the product (are there that many bad things to say about a Rollson-bodied, 148-inch wheelbase Custom Super Eight 180 town car?) or compulsion (would you dare say something critical about a car you just spent the equivalent of $90,000 on?)
The person who owns one is so obviously successful and enviable that no one actually needs to ask them about it. Even if you wanted to, you couldn’t just waltz into the Burger King where they make minimum wage as a fry cook – you would need to make several appointments with a variety of their secretaries at one of their businesses.
Packard advertising executives were banking on the reputation of their buyers. These folks were clearly wealthy enough to demand the best, obviously savvy enough to have earned some success, and enviable enough to make the common person look with disdain at their Ford Super DeLuxe and say “I wish I had the car that was worth six of these.”
In a similar (yet completely different) way, Jesus wanted his followers to speak for the glory of God. Not by boasting or being unreachable or having enviable success, but by having a counter-cultural heart. After announcing the radical “beatitudes,” Jesus turns to the people who were just trying to understand this shocking reversal of cultural norms and effectively charges them with carrying out everything he just said. He said it this way:
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)
These disciples (which includes Christ-followers today) had just encountered Jesus. He was the embodiment of the unbelievable, radical, shocking love of God, and his life-changing message had just been seared into their consciousness. They had been taught to ignore the caste system of the day and value the broken, the selfless, the mistreated, and the people most desperate for righteousness.
Yet Jesus’ time on earth would be brief, and these disciples (which, again, includes Christ-followers today) would be the ones physically interacting with other broken people who hadn’t met Jesus directly. Jesus describes these messengers as “the light of the world.” Their counter-cultural message couldn’t be ignored, nor should they try to hide it. Instead, their actions should be so unexpected and so sweet in such a bitter world that people want to know more about the God who inspires and empowers them.
This is a tall order. Jesus doesn’t expect you to get it right all the time, and in fact this is part of his message too. Any time you fail to “be the light,” you’re temporarily back in the darkness of your own sin. And you know what’s really obvious when you’re in darkness? Light. You can see other believers, like you, who sometimes represent God’s light and other times represent humankind’s need for God’s light. Welcoming each other back into the light with forgiveness and understanding is also one of Jesus’ more radical teachings (see Matthew 18).
No one wants to see holiness paraded around and boasted about. That’s not what Jesus said. Think of it more like Packard’s invitation to have a conversation with someone who daily experiences something wonderful. Would you talk with someone who asked you about how following God has changed your heart? Of course. Fortunately, you don’t even have to wait to be asked. You can bring God’s light directly to the person who craves it.
World War II shook up the auto industry, including Packard production. But well into the 1950s, Packards still came with straight-8 engines. Against Cadillac’s 331 V8 and Lincoln’s potent 317.5 V8, could Packard’s pre-war technology compete? Well, quite a few people bought them. Maybe you could ask someone.
