Fr Matthew Reese

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
—John 3:16-17

Dear Friends in Christ,

Bumper stickers with the phrase “John 3:16” must adorn millions of cars in this country—hundreds of millions, surely, around the world. On the continuum of religious automotive decals, it’s certainly one of the better ones, along with “Jesus loves you” and the Ichthys (fish icon).

But I worry sometimes that this little phrase has become so ubiquitous as a symbol, that most of our eyes glance over it without considering what the cited passage actually says. We remember the verse number, but not the verse itself.

This is a shame, because John 3:16 is one of the greatest summations of Christian belief and of God’s salvation of the world.

It is a reminder of the enormity, the self-offering of God’s love. It is a reminder of Christ’s triumph over death itself. And it is the promise of our own salvation through Him, the promise of eternal life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

I remember serving a spate of funerals a few years ago, in quick succession, and all preached by clerics I like and respect. But one after the next, their sermons were little more than bland pabulums and—even worse—a recitation of the resumes of the deceased. It would have been more edifying, I thought, if they had come to the pulpit, read John 3:16 in a loud and convicted voice, and then sat down.

God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

What greater hope can there be than this? What greater joy can there be than this?

It is not a bumper sticker. It is the promise of the redemption of the world.

Yours in Christ,

—Fr Matthew