3:16 Easter

As I scanned 1 John 3 for the verse which seemed most closely-related to Easter, I found that verse 16 fit the bill:

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 1 John 3:16 (NIV)

That reminded me of Max Lucado's book, 3:16, so I decided to look up other 3:16 verses.

Matthew: As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. (NIV)
This describes the moment that God the Father placed his seal of approval on Jesus' public ministry. It is an extremely significant moment.

Mark: These are the twelve he appointed...
Jesus models wise leadership. He's God, yet he brings a core group of coleaders around him to maximize impact. It's a technique for generating exponential growth. In isolation, individuals can work more efficiently, but we can only generate additive growth, which is the least powerful. When we work in a group, we multiply efforts; this is better than additive growth, but still not as powerful. Jesus empowers the Twelve to take his place after He's gone. That's exponential! Interestingly, not all of the Twelve went on to be superstars. This seems to be an application of the Pareto Principle. Surround yourself with many people of potential, and about 20% of them will catch the vision and carry it on without you. The other 80% will wait for the vision to be better-quantified before acting boldly.

Luke: John said, "I am just baptizing with water. But someone more powerful is going to come, and I am not good enough even to untie his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." (CEV)

John: οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλ' ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον (from The Resurgence Greek Project)

Acts: By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. (NIV)
What a great reminder of the power of Jesus, even today!

Have a wonderful Easter Sunday, dear Readers!