Those #KuwentongJollibee Ads

Jollibee did it again! No doubt, Filipinos went crazy over their latest pre-Valentine TV commercials, “sending the hashtag #JollibeeCommercial to the top of the Philippine trends on Twitter”. [1] Unless you have shut yourself out from the world—that is, you are now a certified hermit complete with thick beard, unkempt hair and brooding inside a cave—most probably you have watched them already.

Those commercials capitalized on “hugot” or sentimentality. It brought unresolved emotional issues out into the open. [Warning: Spoilers!] A man who’s head-over-heels crazy over a woman gets bestfriend-zoned. (Believe me, it was such a plot twist so many people vented their frustration on Facebook!) Another lovesick guy anonymously kept sending his crush Yumburgers with cheesy messages on post-it notes tacked on top of it. (Somebody commented though that we don’t usually eat food that we receive from unknown sources.) A boy sets up a Valentine’s date for his mother. (What’s surprising is that he got to order an all-thigh-part chicken bucket meal! Now that’s really over the top, Jollibee!)

When Jollibee claimed that those ads were “inspired by true stories,” I believe what they meant was many Filipinos went through those roller-coaster experiences. Thus, we could see ourselves in the tear-jerking commercials. In short, it was a social commentary on how emotional we are as a nation.

No, I’m not saying emotions are sinful or shameful per se. Jeremiah was dubbed as the “weeping prophet.” Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he even wrote a book aptly titled “Lamentations.” The shortest verse in the Bible tells us that “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35, ESV) According to Hebrews 5:7, “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.” (Emphasis added)

One time a “sinful” woman washed the Lord’s feet with her tears. “And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.” (Luke 7:37-38, emphasis added) That doesn’t necessarily mean she cried torrents of tears. Bible scholars believed she poured out the tears she collected using her “tear bottle.”

Ancient "tear bottles" (or wineskins) have actually been excavated by archaeologists in Israel. These vessels were used to catch and preserve the owner's tears during times of grief or extreme pressure. … The ointment was obviously not the same as the tears, but followed the washing by tears. Some scholars think these tears came from her bottle, which was emptied on His feet and used to wash them. Others think that those tear bottles that have been found actually contained the collected tears of mourners at a burial site.[2]

It’s interesting that, in one of the songs he composed, King David wrote, “You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?” (Psalm 56:8, emphasis added) That means God knows our sorrows as well as our joys. He kept a divine “tear bottle” for us, a heavenly record of even our depressingly sad experiences. His heart goes out for us and His soothing comfort is always available for us. There is a place for tears in the Christian faith.

Brothers and sisters, pour out your tears to God.

Image credit: http://www.interaksyon.com/lifestyle/jollibee-presents-3-kurot-puso-tv-ads-that-promise-to-rouse-your-romantic-feels

[1] Aya Tantiangco (10 February 2017), “The internet is shook over #KwentongJollibee,” GMA News Online, retrieved from http://www.gmanetwork.com/.

[2] Henry Morris, “God’s Tear Bottle,” Institute for Creation Research, retrieved from http://www.icr.org/.