John 3:16 – we don’t understand it, but…

The story is told of a young boy who was selling newspapers one cold winter day in a large city. In fact, it was so cold that the young lad wasn’t trying to sell too many papers on the corner that had been assigned to him.

A policeman came along and the boy walked up to him and said, “Mister, you wouldn’t happen to know where a poor boy could find a warm place to sleep tonight, would you? You see, many nights I sleep in a box up around the corner there down the alley, and it will be awful cold in that box tonight. Sure would be nice to have a warm place to sleep.”

The policeman looked down at the young boy and said, “You go down the street to that big white house and knock on the door. When a lady comes to the door, you just say John 3:16, and she will let you in.” So he went to the house and knocked on the door, and a lady answered. He looked at her and said, “John 3:16.” The lady said, “Come on in, son.”

She took the lad into the house and had him sit down in a split bottom rocker in front of a great big fireplace, and then she left the room. The boy sat there for a while and thought to himself: John 3:16… I don’t understand it, but it sure makes a cold boy warm.

About that time, the lady came back into the room and asked the boy if he was hungry. He said, “Well, just a little, ma’am. I haven’t eaten much in a couple of days, so I guess I could stand some food.” The lady took him to the kitchen and had him sit down to a table full of wonderful food. The lad ate until he couldn’t eat any more. Then he thought to himself: John 3:16… Boy, I sure don’t understand it, but it sure makes a hungry boy full.

Then the lady took the boy upstairs to a huge bathtub filled with warm water. After getting into the tub he just sat there soaking and he thought to himself: John 3:16… I sure don’t understand it, but it sure makes a dirty boy clean. You know, I have never had a real bath in my entire life. The only bath I ever had was when I stood in front of that big old fire hydrant as they flushed it out, the boy thought to himself.

The lady came in the bathroom, took the boy into a bedroom, tucked him into a big old feather bed, pulled the covers up around his neck, kissed him goodnight and turned out the lights. As he looked out the window, laying in the darkness, he could see the snow coming down on that cold night. He thought to himself: John 3:16… I don’t understand it, but it sure makes a tired boy rested.

The next morning, the lady came back upstairs and took the boy down again to that same big table full of food. After he had eaten, she took him to the same old split bottom rocker in front of the fireplace and picked up a big old Bible. She sat down in front of him and looked into his young face. “Do you understand John 3:16?” she asked very gently. He replied, “No ma’am, I don’t. The first time I ever heard it was last night when the policeman told me to use it.” The lady opened the Bible to John 3:16 and began to explain to him about Jesus. Right there, in front of that big old fireplace, the young boy gave his heart and life to Jesus. He sat there and thought: John 3:16… I don’t understand it, but it sure makes a lost boy feel safe.

You know, sometimes we must confess that we don’t understand it either; how God was willing to send His Son to die for us, and how Jesus would even agree to do such a thing. We don’t understand the agony of the Father and every angel in heaven as they watched Jesus suffer and die. We don’t understand the intense love for us that kept Jesus on the cross till the end. We don’t understand it, but it sure makes life worth living.

John 3:16: “For God so love the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” No, we sure don’t understand it, but we are surely glad that He did.

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