Is John 3:16 Polarizing?

“John 3:16. . . they’re not pushing anything polarizing.

After eating at Webster’s new In-N-Out Burger, council member Brent Erenwert posted about his experience online

He had ordered the Double-Double, “animal style,” which comes with mustard-infused patty, pickles, grilled onions, and an extra shot of the house sauce, and a Coke Zero. The food was good, which Erenwert expected. And when he finished his drink, he turned over his cup to see if he would find another In-N-Out Burger staple familiar to him, and he did. “John 3:16” was inscribed on the bottom.

Erenwert shared his experience on a social media page and his post garnered quite a bit of interaction. While some comments discussed the dining options, many discussed the presence of a Bible verse.

When asked about the passage, Erenwert said:

“This is what In-N-Out Burger does and what they’ve been doing for a long time. A lot of people don’t notice it, but it’s always been there. In my opinion, it’s done in a classy way, and not in-your-face.”

The references to scriptures have been on In-N-Out packaging for more than 30 years, according to Denny Warnick, the company’s chief operating officer. The current In-N-Out president, Lynsi Snyder, chooses verses to add to certain cups and packaging to continue the Snyder family tradition of “sharing their faith in a subtle yet meaningful way.”

To those who expressed concerns, Erenwert pointed out that his In-N-Out Burger order bag came with cross-faith holiday well wishes inscribed on the bottom — from “Happy Holidays” to “Happy Hanukkah.”

He then said this:

“I was trying to explain to people that they’re not riding any kind of a movement, they’re not pushing anything polarizing.”

But, if you really read John 3:16 in its context, or understand the message it teaches, you soon realize it is a very polarizing message. We are all condemned for our sin. And the only way to resolve this problem is to trust in the work of Jesus. Those who trust in Jesus have life; those who don’t remain condemned. I would say that is pretty polarizing (John 3:17).

Key Texts

1 Corinthians 1:18 (ESV):

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

1 Corinthians 1:23 (ESV):

“But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.”

2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (ESV):

“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?”

Matthew 10:34-36 (ESV):

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.”

John 3:19-20 (ESV):

“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”

Key Topics

Gospel, Jesus, salvation

Source

Yvette Orozco, “Webster’s new In-N-Out Burger continues hidden message tradition with Bible references on packaging,” Houston Chronicle, Nov 2023.

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