John 3:16: What's It All About?

John 3:16 is one of the most common and popular verse used in sharing the gospel. It is most probably a top one among others taught and memorized by Christians during early childhood. But what is the beauty that lies in this verse? What does it really mean? Murray J. Harris offers a brief (and very short one at that, less than 50 pages in the soft copy; end-notes included) and yet in-depth explanation in his work John 3:16: What's It All About?  In his own words,

The aim of this work is to examine in detail this crucial sentence that was first written in Greek but now has been translated into hundreds of world languages.

And with that we dive right into understanding the context that surrounds this verse - understanding who Nicodemus was  and the conversation he had with Jesus. What then follows is the main subject itself - "the examination of each word and phrase" in that single verse. Now while this may sound like a tedious reading, it is actually not so. For Greek buffs, the end-notes take care of providing technical information which will be help clarify the author's point of view and take care of the rush for technical pointers. For the novice with no knowledge of Greek, the book is still very pleasantly readable and engaging since all explanations and illustrations are done using simple English  and common grammar examples. The small word studies for me has been the highlight of this work. It offers the possible choices of meanings and usage and how these  shades have been used. And in getting to understand these shades, we get to see a crispier and clearer picture. 

I do not like to set a book too high in praise, for  I fear that another might be disappointed when they actually read it (probably a bit of insecurity about my own reading and critiquing skills). So I will leave it for you to discover for yourself should you choose to pursue this trail. Though I will say is this, if you like HD screens, this may be a trail worth picking up. 

Thank you for your time,

kk