John 3:16

It is easy to pick out individual verses from the bible, and some verses are inspirational, but it is important not to quote them out of context. It can change the meaning and, if it doesn’t, the surrounding verses can deepen and expand the verse. Take John 3:16, for example; a verse so well-known that often only the reference is used, rather than the actual verse. Read it, if you’re not aware of it. It is an amazing verse. But, still, it should not be isolated from the verses around it. I don’t think they change the meaning so in that aspect, it is a verse that can be quoted independently. But the context makes it a far more challenging verse than might appear when seeing it on its’ own.

The passage is situated in Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, a Pharisee who has come to see Jesus on his own, by night. Read the entire passage (John 3:1-21); even just verses 15 – 17 deepen the meaning of the middle verse. Verse 15, which talks about Jesus being lifted up, points forward to the cross, hinting about the way in which Jesus will bring eternal life and the challenge that the God who loves the world brings. It roots verse 16 into a far wider theology about sin, about Jesus’ death, about how eternal life is given. Then we move onto verse 17, which talks about how God sent Jesus into the world not to condemn the world but to save it. To be honest, part of me doesn’t know why this verse isn’t as famous as verse 16. We are not condemned but saved: isn’t that wonderful? Why are we not proclaiming this verse everywhere?

Possibly because it is more of a challenge than verse 16. That verse assures us that we are loved by God, and that is something we need to know. Verse 17 tells us God seeks to save us, not condemn us, and, again, that is something we need to know.  BUT … These verses are not addressed just to us as individual Christians. The initial conversation was one between Jesus and Nicodemus, but they are part of John’s gospel and, as such, are not addressed to me but to us. What impact does verse 17 have on us? primarily, what kind of a light does it shine on our own reactions and judgements?

Jesus was sent not to condemn the world but to save it. I wonder whether that is the impression we give to others? Not just as a church, but us as individuals? Can we honestly say we never condemn people? Let us start with ourselves. How many of us judge ourselves, how many of us condemn our actions, or feelings? One reason why John 3: 16 is so popular is that it does portray the message that God loves us, and it is one we need to hear time and again … simply because we have not truly grasped it. But neither have we grasped the message of verse 17, which says that God does not seek to condemn us. If God does not, who am I to? Which leads us on to an equally challenging conclusion. How many people do I condemn, internally, if not by my speech or actions? How many people, or groups, do I judge, unheard and without thought for what may lie behind their actions? How often do I ‘know’ the truth of why someone behaves as they do, and that ‘truth’ is negative, so the person stands condemned? How many people do we therefore exclude from the possibility of God’s saving love?

This does not say that no-one is condemned; verse 17 should not be taken out of context either. Read verses 18-21. We will all know people who prefer darkness to light, who do not believe in Jesus, although it may not be as easy to perceive those who believe or do not believe as it seems; it is not as simple as those attending church, for example. This is where we should leave the judgement to God, who seeks to save us, who knows who those people are who turn away. It is not to say that there should be no discipline, and that we should let others behave as they wish. It is more about how we react, and who we condemn. Do we discipline others from a position of love or condemnation? Assuming it is our responsibility, of course; even if it is not – do we alert those who are to unacceptable behaviour? What prompts us? This is part of a much wider conversation, which there is not time to delve into here. It involves theology, our position on sin and judgement, and being saved; it involves hard thinking about how we love others, and how we discipline them; it involves knowing about how we keep people safe, and what behaviours should alert us that something is not right; it is about how we love and support victims.

What I want to raise here is the possibility that we have missed the message of verse 17, that God sent Jesus not to condemn the world but to save it; and how that message might, and should, affect the way we react and behave to others. All of that needs to be done in a much wider context, but it is enough to prompt thoughts about what it really means to follow a God who so loves the world that Jesus is sent to bring us to eternal life, not by condemning us but by saving us; not as an angry judge, but as a condemned criminal on the cross.