NFL star and proud Christian Tim Tebow is no stranger to memorable moments on the football field, but an awe-inspiring interview revealed the providential connections between several of his career’s biggest achievements and John 3:16, a verse that Tebow famously wrote under his eyes when he led the University of Florida to a national championship victory.
For context, during an appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show on May 12, 2025, Tim Tebow opened up about his efforts to fight human trafficking as the head of the Tim Tebow Foundation, along with some of the amazing connections within his career that all trace back to the Bible verse John 3:16. In the interview, Tebow recounted how, in a moment when God’s faithfulness could clearly be seen, that verse came to mean more to him than ever.
During the interview with Ryan, Tebow explained that during his championship game with Florida State on January 8, 2009, he had “John 3:16” scrawled under his eyes. Moreover, Tebow recounted how three years after that game, while he was playing with the Broncos, the team’s PR head made him aware of some incredible connections to that verse.
Going into detail about what happened, Tebow said that after a victory over the Steelers, the Broncos’ PR head said, “Timmy, it’s exactly three years from the night that you wore John 3:16 under your eyes.” Tebow continued, “And I’m like, ‘Oh wow, that’s awesome, that’s so cool.’ And he said, ‘No, no, no, you don’t realize it. Timmy, during the game you threw for 316 yards.’ And I’m like ‘What?’”
Continuing, Tebow explained that the team’s PR lead then told him that there had been even more amazing connections with John 3:16 during the game, saying, ” And he said, ‘Timmy, during the game your yards per rush were 3.16. Your yards per completion were 31.6. The ratings for the night were 31.6, and the time of possession was 31:06. During the night, over 90 million people have googled John 3:16. It’s the number one trending thing all over.”
In response, Tebow said that in response to what he saw as a clear message of God, he felt a sense of “conviction and disappointment.” He explained, “God was convicting me, saying, ‘Timmy, you thought tonight was about a game. You thought it was about all of these things. It’s never just about a game. I didn’t die for a game.'”
In one of the most moving moments in the interview, Tebow went on to say that he came to realize, “My eyes were on the wrong thing, my heart was in the wrong place,” adding, “I knew the truth, I just wasn’t focused on it. I was having all of these selfish ambitions and goals.” He added that he realized that his focus was on winning the game rather than on the Gospel, which he described as “the greatest love story [and] rescue mission of all time.”
Concluding his story, Tebow beautifully summed up the Gospel message by unpacking the meaning of John 3:16, telling Sean Ryan, “When we look at John 3:16, for God so loved the world, he gave because he loved us so much with this love that, honestly, it’s hard to even fathom.” He added, “And the best definition of [love] is to choose the best interests of another person and act on their behalf, and Jesus chose our best interest.”
Watch the interview: