John 3:16 is ubiquitous-- on t-shirts, on signs, on the back of cards handed to you by some guy on the street. But, like any passage, there is some context. Let's look at the rest of that story:
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with that person.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen, yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Jesus's point seems pretty clear: a life of faith will be transformative, to the point that you may seem like a new person, and feel like a new person. He seems a little frustrated, too, that Nicodemus doesn't seem to believe him when he speaks of the kingdom of God.
My favorite part of this passage is not 3:16, but the verse that follows: "God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him." So often it seems like the John 3:16 people DO think Jesus condemns the world. But condemnation is not love. Love engages, and cares, and stays-- all the hard things, that take more than one verse to understand.
# posted by Mark Osler @ 1:00 AM
