Q. I recently started watching “The Chosen,” and I noticed that the character of Jesus said the famous verse from John 3:16 differently from what I have heard. Which one is correct?
A. In the popular television series, “The Chosen,” a scene from Season 1, Episode 7, follows the account of John 3 in which Jesus encounters the inquisitive Nicodemus in the secret of night. The scene follows the content of John 3:1-21 closely in artistic and compelling ways. At its climax, the character of Jesus (played by Jonathan Roumie) tells Nicodemus, “God loves the world in this way, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
You are right that this sounds different from what most Catholics might otherwise know. In all approved Catholic translations of the Bible, and even in the vast majority of other English, non-Catholic editions, you will typically find John 3:16 to read as follows: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (taken from the ESV-CE; emphasis added).
While translations vary slightly, nearly all of them begin with the same formulaic expression: “For God so loved the world…” contrary to what was used in “The Chosen.” Does this imply that one is right and one is wrong? I appreciate this question as it gives us the opportunity to gain valuable biblical clarity, and to highlight an important spiritual lesson that follows.
In the original language of the New Testament, the adverb employed in John 3:16 to describe God’s love is the Greek word houtōs (pronounced hoo-tōs). The standard New Testament Greek-English dictionary defines this word as meaning “in this manner, thus, so; in this way, as follows; so; without further ado, just, simply” (BDAG). It appears, then, that either translation of John 3:16 (“God loves the world in this way…” and “For God so loved the world…”) would be fitting according to this definition.
To clarify the point further, St. John’s use of the word houtōs expresses the way or manner in which God loved the world, that is, by sending his only Son—not that God loved the world “so much” that he felt compelled to send his only Son. One is an expression of quality, the other an expression of quantity. Modern usage of the English word “so”—such a small but multifaceted word—has often led readers astray into thinking in terms of the latter, quantitative option, in that God’s love had seemingly crossed a crucial threshold, leaving him no other choice but to act on it.
This biblical clarification leads us to a second important clarification for the spiritual life. If we believe that God’s decision to send the Son was waiting for his love to reach a certain threshold (“so much”), it can lead us to the misunderstanding that in order for God to hear and answer our prayers, he must likewise reach a certain threshold of love for us before acting on them.
Put another way, this line of thinking allows for the possible conclusion that God hears me or loves me, but not enough to act on that love—he doesn’t love me “so much” as to answer favorably.
Alternatively, if I understand the manner in which God has already manifested his love for me, in that he sent his only Son, then I need not ever wonder whether I have wooed the Father past his threshold for action. Our God is not a God to be bartered with, nor does he love some less and others more. Our God does not lord himself over us, waiting to be won over by our words or actions of affection. The revelation of the person of Jesus has opened to us the heart of the Trinity, revealing to us a God who loves us not by our own merits but on account of his own goodness (cf. Rom 5:8; Eph 2:4-7). The expression of his love is missional, the shape of his love is cruciform, and the result of his love is transformational.
This question, inspired by the script writers for “The Chosen,” has brought an important point about a much-loved verse to attention. Their translation is fully compatible with what we find in our own Bible’s translation, so they need not be pitted against one another as right or wrong. What is most important is that the meaning of the verse be received in the same Spirit through which it was written (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church 111; Dei Verbum 12), leading us to encounter and to respond to its Author who is speaking.
This question was answered by Joshua Burks, associate teacher at The Emmaus Institute for Biblical Studies in Lincoln.
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