~ John 3:16 ~

ahh..... john 3:16 the most famous verse in the bible where you'll probably come across it hundreds of times especially if you are in your local church evangelism team. it is also the verse that most non christians knew about (i hope i'm right here) because you'll probably see it in WWF... nope, nothing about animals. it's about wrestling, where a bunch of would-be-oscar-winners punch, kick and throw each other to win the match. surprisingly, they hardly got any injury most of the time, not even bruises. you've probably knew austin 3:16 or something like that if you are a WWF follower some time ago. and of course you'll see it in some baseball game or american football where they put their hero's name in-front of that verse like rob 3:16 or tim 3:16. to these people, i don't think john 3:16 means anything to them.

what about me? what do i think about this verse? well... this verse tells me about the love of God for us that He even willing to sacrifice His only Son so that who ever believes in Him will have everlasting life. it's like a key to heaven for me and for everyone else. however, i actually miss the most important message of this verse all my life until now. believing in God to go to heaven is actually a secondary message of this verse. the primary meaning contains in "for God so loved the world..."

i actually realise this when my wife got pregnant (a lot of enlightenments from pregnancy eh??) when i knew that my wife is pregnant, apart from excitement and joy it comes with the realisation that i have a greater responsibility now. i need to take good care of my wife and our baby. taking good care is actually an understatement. i must protect them like i guard my life, probably more than that. i somehow tell myself that i must ensure that this baby will come out strong and healthy. nothing will harm this baby from this time forth... even if it means sacrificing my life to ensure the safety of this baby. why??? because it's MY BABY! half of my genes are in it!

then it dawns upon me that God loves his Son just as much as we loves ours. perhaps even more than any earthly father would love their children. look at it this way... would you sacrifice your son to save me? not in a million years even if i'm your family members!!! but God did it. He sacrifice His only Son so that we will have everlasting life. it brings new meaning to the word "sooooooo loved" to me right now. this verse actually "quantify" the love that God has for me.

how about you? have you think much about this verse? or it's just a verse in the bible? if you haven't think much about it or you focus more on the "eternal life" part than on the "so loved" part, then perhaps it's about time you think about it.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:16