Devotional: John 3:16-17

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. WEB

John 3:16 is a popular verse with a lot people, at least I recall that being a favourite sign flashed in the crowds at NFL games. That’s one way of sharing God’s love; reminding a large audience that God loves the world so much that he gave his only son. However, the next verse is often overlooked; John 3:17 tells us that Jesus wasn’t sent to judge us, but that he is our salvation.

What a thought! Salvation not judgment is the point.

Our  salvation is not dependent upon being judged by what we wear, do, say, or who we love, but simply by faith in our Saviour. Jesus lived as one of us and through his life he did not sin. He did so many amazing miracles — healing, saving, feeding — and did not to judge us, but showed us mercy and love. He showed us how to love others, and is and example of how we should live our lives.

I only recall two instances of where Jesus lost his temper: with the money changers in the temple, and with the fig tree that had no fruit out of season. Getting angry at the money changers was a legitimate response, but I’ve always questioned why he cursed the fig tree. Instead of cursing the tree causing it to wither, why didn’t he bless it to bear fruit? Maybe he simply had a very human reaction to being hungry.

Maybe this helped him realize that his human body was not where he was intended to live out eternity. Maybe he struggled with the short time he had to minister to others and save the world. Maybe he felt the weight of being this amazing sacrifice, of sharing God’s love and mercy while he was here, blessing everyone. He was living in a human body and felt every craving, pain, and joy that our bodies did. I just pictured Jesus having a full-bodied laugh with his friends — he experienced all the joy and sadness we feel in our bodies.

I suppose in the end we’ll never know what he thought about. Through all the pain and anguish he suffered and knew he had the power to end simply by asking his Father God, he still chose to be a sacrifice for our sins. He chose to give up his life so that we might be saved.

Think about that.

Think about how many people have inhabited the earth since before Jesus came, and those who have done so since his birth, death, and resurrection? There are over 8 billion people on earth right now — Jesus’ sacrifice has saved that many people several times over. Yes not all are believers (yet), but he was sent to save the world, not to judge it. This is how many of us can be saved, and salvation is available everyone, simply by believing that God gave his only son for us. That is how much God loves us. That is how much Jesus loves us.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus, who blesses us and chose to suffer for us, to be a sacrifice for our sins. Thank you for loving us so much, no matter where we are in life or what we have done. Thank you for every breath we breathe and every moment we have to share your love, Lord. Amen.