Introduction
This morning, we look at the shortest possible description of the whole Gospel. John 3:16 is a marvelous passage beloved by so many. Luther referred to it as the Gospel, within the Gospel, or, the Gospel within a nutshell. And such it is. This short verse of less than thirty words is often one of the most memorable from confirmation class, and one that many will remember, even when many other passages have faded from our thoughts.
16 “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, NIV 1984)
This one, simple passage summarizes the reason for the Easter celebration only a few short weeks away. But, have you ever really considered what it means? Today, I want to take a closer look at what is really important in our church, the love of a God that truly cares for us. I want to look at the message that we were blessed with a savior who sacrificed Himself on behalf of us. The message behind John 3:16 is really what we need to understand each and every day. This short passage is a message of love, a message of sacrifice, and a message of comfort for millions of Christians across the globe. Today, we’re going to take a closer look at what God’s love really means.
But, before we dive into this passage, I want to use a more contemporary story to help us understand just what really is behind this message of grace and mercy. We often talk about the love of God for us as His children. But, can we really grasp what that means. How do we relate with the ever-present, unfathomable love of a forgiving God, for disobedient, error-ed, sinful, and sometimes, just plain mean spirited people? How do we relate our depraved nature with the undeserved grace that was bestowed on us? What does that gift really mean?
Rather than tackling this theological passage by dissecting the words and their individual meaning, I want to tackle this passage from another angle to grasp just how much God’s love really overflowed, I want to look at a more earthly example that sheds light on what love and sacrifice really mean. To help us look at this message in another way, let’s look at the story of Catherine and her son Jamison. A tragic story that shows how a violent accident can lead to a blessed gift. Here is their story.
Hello, Mrs. Lighter? There’s been an accident…
Before taking another step, Catherine Lighter stops to breathe. Every step will bring her closer to the four people standing in the middle of the room. Every step will bring her closer to her son.
"Momma, if I ever leave this world and my body goes, just give it to somebody," Jamison once told Catherine. "I can't use it no more. So I still want to live on."
He left this world earlier than his mother ever imagined possible. Jamison was only 21 when he was killed in a single-car accident.
On December 5, Catherine of Jackson, Mississippi saw a man named Paul Davis on TV. The Monticello resident was the first patient at the University of Mississippi Medical Center to receive a transplanted pancreas. He also received a kidney.
Catherine just knew. That's my baby.
Today Jamison lives on in Paul and the other people in this room. His liver is in Chuck Stevens . His second kidney in Major Wilkerson. His heart in Ronald McKinley. His lungs in a Missouri man. On Tuesday, the donor family and recipients met for the first time.
They were brought together at the Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency because Catherine wrote a letter. "I am your donor's mother. I am concerned about you, that you are all right and healing well. Would you like to meet?"
Donor families who want to meet recipients write similar letters. But not everyone chooses to have this day. Annie Lucious, an aftercare specialist with Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency, has seen people say no. Someone has died so they might live. What do you say to the family? How do you thank them?
"Hello," Paul Davis said when Catherine reached him. "I'm Paul."
He had been a Type 1 diabetic since the age of 9. He's lost six toes. He's been in five car accidents. He couldn't feel his sugar drop and blacked out while driving. He was on dialysis.
The two strangers stood in a silent hug. When they finally let go, Catherine hugged Chuck Stevens of Madison.
Chuck’s and Catherine's children share a first name: Jamison. On Thanksgiving Day in 2013, Chuck went into a coma. He needed a new liver. What had started with stomach pains evolved into something that left him virtually dead. He was on the list for seven months.
"I wish I could put it into words," Chuck said shortly after meeting Catherine. "But I just don't have the vocabulary I guess."
Next, she hugged Linnie Gordon Hubbard, who told her, "This is for my nephew."
Major Wilkerson of Jonesboro, Georgia, has Jamison's right kidney. But, he couldn't make it on Tuesday afternoon. He was starting a new job as a draftsman that very day and asked his aunt to go on his behalf.
Next Catherine hugged Ronald McKinley of Greenville.
Ronald had congestive heart failure. His heart trouble began in 2005. He had been on the waiting list for a heart for 2½ years. Catherine and Ronald held each other and wept.
The Missouri man with Jamison's lungs couldn't be there on Tuesday because of post-transplant recuperation but wants to be included in any future gatherings.
After the hugs, Catherine and the recipients stood in a circle and held hands. "We're all going to be a family," she told them.
She gave them each a gift and a family photo. The new family spent Tuesday afternoon crying, laughing and hugging. They took turns listening to Jamison's heart now in McKinley's chest.
"We're all going to come together and love each other, because they got my baby," Catherine said. "And I can feel my baby in here."
(Adopted from article by Emily Nitcher, “Living on: Woman meets recipients of son’s organ donations”, http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2014/08/05/living-woman-meets-recipients-sons-organ-donations/13656451/)
Love
What an emotional story! Think of the love of a parent for a son. Think of Catherine, and how she loved her son Jamison. What was going through her mind when all this took place? She was probably working through a routine day, going about the normal chores, perhaps preparing a meal, cleaning the house, folding laundry, or any number of regular tasks around the house. Perhaps she was even sleeping when the call came in. What would that phone call sound like?
Ring! Ring! Hello, is this Mrs. Lighter? This is Police Officer Tailor from the Jackson Police Department. Your son, has been in a car accident, and needs your presence at the hospital. Can you meet me in the Emergency Room? I’ll see you there, and please drive safe.
Catherine probably didn’t know how seriously injured her son was. She probably didn’t even know for sure if Jamison was alive or dead. Think of the emotions of fear, dread, panic, helplessness, perhaps even anger, or confusion. So many emotions running through a mother’s thoughts. So much love for a son she hopes to see again and share time with.
Then, the bad news is delivered. I’m sorry Mrs. Lighter, your son didn’t survive the injuries. We did everything we could. But, it wasn’t enough. He was injured too badly for us to help. I’m sorry, but your son has passed. Is there anyone we can call for you? Anything we can do for you?
The grief must have been overwhelming. No longer would Catherine be able to share a family dinner with her son. No longer would she be looking forward to Jamison settling down and making a family of his own. No longer would she receive phone calls, or greeting cards, or warm hugs and kisses. Jamison was gone.
Mrs. Jamison, I’m so sorry to even have to ask this of you, but Jamison was an organ donor. With your permission, we’d like to save a few more lives. Would you be willing to give us permission to allow the organ donation?
I would hate to be in a position to have to ask a grieving mother that difficult question. But, the question needed to be asked. And the answer was yes. Jamison’s death might still have some purpose. Perhaps he died to others could live.
Sacrifice
And that’s exactly what happened. A young man died so that 5 others could live. Looking back at the life of this young man, we can see that Jamison was so concerned for his fellow-man, that he talked to his mother to allow his life giving organs to be donated to others. He died so what other could live.
The giving of one’s life for friends is the greatest measure of human love. Not surprisingly, an entire genre of classic literature has risen around the idea of one giving himself for another. Aristotle wrote “to a noble man there applies the true saying that he does all things for the sake of friends… and, if need be, he give his life for them.” Plato stated that “only those who love wish to die for others.” But, Jesus said it best in John 15:13 which reads: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13, NRSV) And this gift of sacrifice is the ultimate gift of love. Jamison knew that when he had no use for his body, others might still value what was left, and these new found friends, should be given the opportunity to live, when he could not.
This love could not be realized without the sacrifice of a life. Jamison died in a violent single-car accident that took his life, but not his will. His will was fulfilled through the actions of his mother Catherine to donate his organs to others in desperate need.
Parallels between organ donation and savior sacrifice
In a way, the story of Catherine and Jamison is a parallel story to what God did on our behalf in John 3:16. Just like Catherine, God chose to give the gift of His Son to those who were desperately in need.
As deathly ill people, Paul, Chuck, Ronald, Major and the unnamed Missouri man were all out of options, and had only one hope to save their lives. There was nothing that they could do to cure their health condition. There was nothing that they could do to improve their body. There was nothing they could do to remedy their situation and cure their disease. Their only hope, was for a living gift of life. They needed an organ donor to improve their health condition, and allow them to heal and live. Without the donor, they were destined to become more and more ill, more and more sick, and eventually die. They only had the hope of some unknown family member signing away the life giving organs of a close relative.
As sinners, we are very much like these sickly people awaiting organ transplants. We have sinned and have only eternal damnation in the fires of hell to look forward to. No matter what we do, we cannot improve this fate. We cannot avoid the ever coming judgment that will lead us to our demise, and share in a most uncomfortable eternity with other sinners. We cannot mitigate our punishment by doing good deeds for our neighbors, friends, or loved ones. We cannot balance the ledger with service to the church or our communities. Our only option is for someone to take on the punishment of sin and death that we truly deserve. Our only remedy is for a savior to take punishment in our place, so that we enjoy future life in eternal bliss. Our only hope is that a messiah would volunteer to bear our burden of pain and guilt, so that we can spend time in paradise. Just like the sick people had only one option and needed an organ transplant to allow them to live, we have only one option and need a savior to allow us to live.
We often pay close attention to the love that God showed for us by producing his one and only Son to be sacrificed on our behalf. We often pay attention to the burden that the Father was willing to part with His most prized possession. We often look at the willingness of God the Father to put His Son to the test. But, that’s not the only gift. The Son had to be willing as well. Not only was the Father willing to give the Son, but the Son was willing to be given. Both Father and Son were partners in this transaction. They took the step together to make this sacrifice on our behalf. So the message is not only that God so loved the world that he gave, but also, For Jesus loved the world that he came. The Son Willingly took on this task, willingly embraced this task. Two gifts in one! Two persons, one purpose, one love. Just like it took both Jamison and Catherine to approve of the organ transplant, it allow took both Father and Son to provide the sacrifice for our sins.
Conclusion
Sometimes, we may find it hard to relate to the great love that God showered on us with the sacrifice of His son over 2,000 years ago. After all, what have we done to deserve such outpouring of love? But, perhaps we can relate a bit more with the sacrifice of Catherine or Jamison and see how God works in a similar way. The Father was willing to sacrifice His Son. Jesus was willing to bear our sinful burden. Through this voluntary sacrifice, our debt of sin was paid and we are allowed to live. Through this sacrifice.
Like Paul, Chuck, Ronald, Major and the man from Missouri, there is no way we can say thank-you enough. There is no way that we can repay the debt. There is no way that we can make amends for the sacrifice made on our behalf.
But, there is nothing that had to be done. The sacrifice was voluntary. The sacrifice is over. The sacrifice cleared our name in the ledger that counts our sins in heaven, and we are now free from our sinful past. This is the message of John 3:16. Our debt is wiped away. Through this love and sacrifice, our future is determined. We too, will live.
16 “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, NIV 1984)
What comforting words these continue to be. And just like Catherine said the sacrifice created a new family for her. We too are a new family. As the Christ sacrificed for us, we are a family of Christians, sharing in the grace and mercy, that only God can provide us. We can be ever grateful, and always remember, that we have God the Father who love us so much that he sent his Son, God the Son who took on the task of our salvation, and God the Holy Spirit who continually strengthens us in our faith.
Amen.
