John 3:17

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" John 3:17

Few people remember who came in second. Who was the first runner-up in the last Miss Hong Kong Beauty Pageant? Who was the second place winner of the FA Cup? Who came in second in the judo competition in the Olympics? Ok, that last one may be a stretch - who remembers who came in first? We seldom remember second-place finishers. They are "also-rans" - nobodies - non-entities - LOSERS!

Today's verse could very well be the most over-looked verse in the Bible. It follows immediately after the most well known verse in the Bible. Yet, without it John 3:16 is only a partial thought. Just like there would have been no FA Cup Finals winner without the second place team. We all know what Jesus said in verse 16. We can quote it - and we evangelicals frequently do.

Take a new look at verse 17. "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world ..." Many people around the world and in your neighborhood believe Jesus came to condemn the world. He came in order to take all the fun out of life. He came to destroy anything "good" man might have thought to do. And, if we do them anyway, we will die and go to Hell. The world sees Jesus as a harsh judge, not a redeeming Savior. That is why many different ethnic groups have vowed to destroy Christianity and kill Christians when those who love and serve Jesus invade their neighborhood.

But that is a misconception: "but that the world through him might be saved." Jesus came to redeem the world. He came to save the world from self-destruction. Think about it. Environmental scientists complain that the ozone layer is being destroyed by the very persons it is supposed to protect. All of our aerosol deodorants, hairsprays, room fresheners, bug sprays, and the list goes on and on, are the destructive agents - according to those intelligent people.

One race hates the other, so the first sets about exterminating the second - and the second tries to protect itself by destroying the first. Murders are committed by people who want what others have - even if it is just a dollar or two - and the world is in self-destruct mode.

Jesus came to bring all of that to an end. "For God so loved the world ... that He gave His only begotten Son ... that whosoever believeth on Him ... should not perish ... but have everlasting life." That is how much God loved the world. He doesn't want to judge it lacking and destroy those who dwell on it. He wants to redeem it. That is why He sent His Son. But, alas, man still sees God as a threat to humanity's independence and rejects the very agent that will one day redeem the very world we ourselves are set to destroy.

Remember, Jesus, though He will sit in judgment, is first and foremost the Redeemer, the Savior, God's agent for renewal and revitalization - the very things man only dreams of and longs to do by his own power. And He does it for you - or will if you simply ask Him. Amen and Amen.