david@cvl.UUCP (David Harwood) (05/08/85)
Reply to a question ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From: johnnyr@ihu1m.UUCP (John R. Rosenberg) Newsgroups: net.misc,net.religion Subject: john 3:13 at televised sports events Message-ID: <413@ihu1m.UUCP> Date: 6 May 85 15:20:31 GMT Watching the Kentucky Derby Saturday reminded me of a question that i'd been meaning to ask. As the horses were coming from the paddock area onto the track, a man wearing a multi-colored fright wig held up a banner which read John 3:13. He was clearly located so as to be in the television camera's field of view. I have noticed this same thing happening at most major televised sports events. For example, the World Series, Super Bowl etc. Even the Winter Olympics, near the bobsled/luge run. I know that John 3:13 is the verse beginning "For God so loved the world..." I am curious about what is behind all this, how the sign holders know just where to stand to be sure they are on TV prominently, and why it is being done. John Rosenberg AT&T-NS ihnp4!ihu1m!johnnyr ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Did the sign say "John 3.13", or "For God so loved the world...", (John 3.16)? I suppose that it is the latter. In any case, I doubt that there is anything very sinister about this, although perhaps it offends or disturbs some persons. (But if you think it's bad now, wait till the year 2000 approaches, or maybe even the 40th year in Israel. Anyway, everyone has their own religious reasons.) This verse (John 3.16) is perhaps the most famous of all the Gospel; according to tradition, originating with Luther, I believe, it is an epitome of the Gospel (which announces that according to the mercy of God is the revelation of Christ so that we may live in His spirit). I'm sure that this verse, being the most famous in the Gospel, may have special significance to all Christians. Obviously, the sign- bearers think so; they probably do try to get their message on TV, and it isn't very hard to locate the cameras. On the other hand, John 3.13 mentions "the Son of Man who came down from heaven," which Jesus offers as an explanation of John 3.3, which introduces the famous notion of "begotten from above," synonymous for "begotten of God," but often somewhat misleadingly rendered "born again." The meaning of 3.13 is that it is by the grace of God (which I might identify with the so-called 'sign of the Son of Man') that we are brought into his Presence, to become his children. It is essentially the same idea as that of John 1.51 where it is said "the heavens opened and the angels of God were ascending and descending on the Son of Man," a reference to collective Israel (Daniel's Son of Man) being called by the Name of the Lord. Also, a parallel to the figure of Jacob's ladder in Genesis. Anyway, if it was this verse (3.13), the only thing I can think of is that it has special significance to them (it does to me, but perhaps not what they have in mind). As an amusing aside, perhaps this is their 'sign' of the Son of Man, which is likened in Matthew and Luke, to the "lightning which flashes from one end of the heavens to the other." Perhaps to the literally-minded this means TV transmission. Who knows about these things? David Harwood