John 3:16

"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."

As you probably know by now, in the Wild Card play-off game Sunday Tim Tebow threw for 316 yards, & set an NFL playoff record by averaging 31.6 yards per completion. 3, 1, 6, as in John 3:16.

Coincidence, maybe? But IMHO we are seeing a bit of God's Divine sense of humor.

This story has been making the rounds the past 24 hours. I have heard it everywhere from blogs to Rush Limbaugh. It has got to be driving the liberals who are already upset with how Tebow lives out his faith even crazier. Remember how wacko they went last year about the Focus on the Family ad featuring his Mother talking about her pregnancy? They were so upset about what they say was to be an anti-abortion ad. Gloria Allred was set to  lodge a complaint with the FCC & FTC "if this ad airs and fails to disclose that abortions were illegal at the time Ms. Tebow made her choice." Then there was the egg on the Pro-aborts faces when the ad turned out to be nothing like they were screaming it would be. Then they began screaming about his tackling his Mother as promoting domestic violence to divert attention from their proving how out of it they were.

His kneeling in prayer at games, now known as Tebowing, hasn't exactly endeared him to those who want to drive God out of the public square. What is driving them even crazier is that he isn't just doing it for show, he is really living out his faith.
That is part of the reason I think the whole 3:16 thing Sunday is more than coincidence. Given the vagaries of any football game, it is highly unlikely that Tebow intentionally aimed for those numbers, esp since he couldn't know the game would go into overtime. & even further beyong his control was fact that the final quarter-hour television rating for the Broncos-Steelers game was, yup, 31.6. Like I said, God's Divine sense of humor.

Tebow @ the 2009 BCS Championship game

FYI: the same Yahoo article I got that ratings stat from also points out the following: "The television ratings for Broncos-Steelers could provide a clue: The game pulled in a whopping 25.9 rating for CBS, becoming the highest-rated AFC wild-card game since 1988. (That was 24 years ago, pre-Internet and before a majority of Americans had cable or satellite.) Variety estimates 45 million people watched Tebow's touchdown pass in overtime." While I am NOT a Broncos fan, (Jets & Vikings) I am beginning to hope they win the Super Bowl this year. & that Tebow gets the MVP.

Note: Another article points out another interesting fact about Sunday's game. "His favorite receiver Sunday was Demaryius Thomas.

Thomas had 204 receiving yards and was responsible for the game-winning touchdown in overtime. And when was Thomas born? Dec. 25, 1987. Hmm, who else has a birthday celebrated on Dec. 25? (The answer is not Santa Claus.)"

You can't buy this sort of PR. But for God "all things are possible". (Matthew 19:26)

I am fairly safe in assuming that God is NOT a Broncos fan. But I do think God is trying to let people know He still is in charge. That He will not be mocked, or silenced. & that He is on the side of Pro-lifers when it comes to abortion etc.

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Over at the NFL website there are a couple of stories about Tebow that show how far this has gone, 
1st we have Tom Brady a prophet?  The author points out how much of the media has misquoted Tom Brady's comment after the game between the Broncos & New England on 18 Dec. Brady said "Maybe we'll see you again."  The media has been leaving the maybe out. When told that Brady said "we'll see you again,"  after Sunday's game Tebow eventually responded with "He might've said something like that. So I guess he's a prophet, I don't know." The author goes on to show how he misses the real connection. He says that there was no recognized prophet in the Bible named Thomas. Will someone explain to the author that Thomas was an Apostle? Who basically said "Maybe Jesus rose, but I'll have to see 1st before I believe."   So, Brady's "maybe" sounds more like the saint he was named for at baptism than for any prophet in the Bible. (Brady is a Catholic. I know he had a child out of wedlock, he did get married in a Catholic ceremony & has had his child born in the marriage baptized. Beyond that, how well he lives his faith over all, I have no idea.)
Then there is Tebow: The Movie? They might, but I am not sure that Hollywood would be able to get it right unless those producing it are people who are devout Christians. Made for TV is more likely than big screen, but the same caveat applies. I think the author of the article was being a bit tongue in cheek when he had this casting suggestion, Chris D'Elia as Jesus. Some of his comments on other roles confirms that this isn't a serious piece. But if there was no mention of God needed, you can be sure the story would have been snapped up by now.