Between the kickoffs, beer and touchdowns, some viewers of Saturday night’s NFL divisional playoff game between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots might have noticed a Focus on the Family ad highlighting the Bible verse John 3:16, noted Christian quarterback Tim Tebow’s favorite.
While Tebow and the Broncos didn’t advance to the AFC Championship game, the evangelical Focus on the Family hoped its ad would help extend the online curiosity about John 3:16. On the Monday following the Broncos’ unexpected win over the Pittsburgh Steelers a week ago, John 3:16 was the most-searched term online. In that game, Tebow passed for 316 yards and averaged 31.6 yards per completion.
The ad featured children reciting and elaborating on the verse, which reads, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
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“There’s been a lot of buzz lately about what John 3:16 says, and we wanted to help people understand it without having to run to their computer to look it up,” said Focus on the Family President Jim Daly. “For Christians, the verse is the essence of the Good News of Jesus Christ, and when you have good news you want to share it with as many people as possible.”
In 2010 Focus on the Family used a Tebow-themed commercial to promote its pro-life views.
Both the John 3:16 commercial and the Super Bowl ad were paid for by earmarked donations, and not funded from the group’s general accounts.
“We hope this helps everyone understand some numbers are more important than the ones on the scoreboard,” added Daly.