An elderly couple strolls into a burger joint one day for lunch. The old man approaches the counter and places an order: one hamburger, one French fry and one drink. He grabs the tray and brings it back to the table where his wife is already seated, takes a seat, unwraps the burger and carefully cuts it in half, placing one half in front of his wife. He then carefully counts the fries, dividing them into two piles and neatly places one half pile in front of his wife also. He takes a sip of the drink, then passes it to his wife who also takes a sip and then sets the cup down between them.

As he begins taking a few bites of his burger, the people around them begin to look over and whisper. Obviously, they were thinking, “That poor old couple, all they can afford is one meal for the two of them!” As the man continues eating his fries, a young man comes over, “Sir, would you like me to buy you and your wife another meal, I’d be happy to?” The old man says, \”No thank you, we’re just fine. We’re used to sharing everything.”

But then again, he noticed the little old lady hadn’t even eaten a bite of anything yet! She was just sitting there, watching her husband eat and occasionally taking turns sipping the drink. So again, the young man comes over thinking she’s not eating because she’s saving her portion for him, and pleads with them, “Please, I insist, let me buy you another meal!” This time the old lady responds, “No, thank you, we are used to sharing everything.”

The old man finishes his half of the burger and fries, wipes his face neatly with the napkin, and as he does, the young man comes over again to the little old lady who has yet to eat a single bite of food and asks, “If you’re truly ok, then what is it you are waiting for?” She finally answers, “THE TEETH.”

Now that’s love! Because love shares. Love sacrifices. Love gives! And this is precisely the kind and quality of love we see on display in our text this morning in arguably the most famous verse in all the Bible. Except it is a kind and quality and intensity of love that is beyond our ability to ever reach and beyond our understanding to fully fathom. It’s the lavish love of God in choosing to love the unlovable world which he created perfectly, and which just as quickly as he created, fell into complete corruption and sin.

It’s the sacrificial saving love of God which he demonstrates not just in word—but in action—fulfilling the promises he made replete in Scripture for a universal salvation—way beyond the borders of Israel. It’s the marvelously magnificent love of God for sinners which he proves, by giving the greatest gift to redeem fallen humanity at the highest most precious price possible “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life, for his friends.” (John 15:13). Love shares. Love sacrifices. Love gives.

And that’s the climactic pronouncement in our text this morning containing the most famous promise in the entire Bible, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” And in light of this superlative sacrificial gift offered up for sinners, the call for you and me and everyone is to believe in him—and you will receive eternal life—and escape his righteous judgement which will one day fall on those who do not believe.