The Word Made Fresh
1From the elder.
Dear Gaius,
2I pray that all is well with you. I hope you are in good health and that all is well with your soul. 3I was excited when some of the friends arrived and told us how faithful you are and how you live in the truth. 4My greatest joy is to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
5Dear friend, you have faithfully received the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. 6They have told me of your love for the church. You will do well to send them on in a way that is worthy of God. 7They began their journey for Christ’s sake and refused to accept any help from the Gentiles. 8We should surely support people like that; when we do we become co-workers with the truth.
9I have written to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, refuses to acknowledge our authority. 10So, if I come, I will point out that he is spreading falsehoods about us, and refuses to welcome the brothers. He even tries to keep anyone from welcoming them and expels them from the church.
11Friends, don’t copy what is evil. Imitate what is good. Those who do good are from God; those who do evil don’t know God. 12Everyone speaks highly of Demetrius, and the truth supports what they are saying. We agree with them, and you know our testimony is true.
13I have a lot to tell you, but not with pen and ink. 14Instead, I hope to see you soon, and we will talk together face to face.
15Peace be with you. The friends send their greetings. Greet each of the friends who are there by name.
Commentary
1-4: The letter is addressed to an influential member of a congregation, location unknown, whose name is Gaius. This was during the time in the early church when much of the authority was still vested with the original apostles, but was beginning more and more to be exercised through traveling preachers sent by them to the various congregations. Sometimes there were disputes between the traveling preachers and the local leaders, and we will find that is the case here. The third letter of John was written for two reasons: 1) to solicit financial and other support from an influential local church member; and 2) to challenge the authority of someone on the local scene — one Diotrephes.
5-8: First, the fund-raising spiel. Gaius has been a valuable source for covering the expenses of the traveling preachers (here referred to as the “brothers” or, in some translations, “friends”), and John commends him for it and urges him to continue. After all, they get no support from non-believers, and providing for them makes one a partner in the important work they do. Fund raising spiels haven’t changed all that much.
9-10: Diotrephes, obviously an official of some standing in the congregation to which John is writing, refuses to accept John’s authority, refuses to receive the traveling preachers John sends out and, what’s more, kicks those who do out of the church. John threatens to go there himself.
11-12: John entreats Gaius to imitate good people, not evil people. Demetrius, most likely one of the traveling preachers John has sent to them, is one of the good people. He is nudging Gaius towards renouncing support for Diotrephes in favor of Demetrius.
13-14: He tells Gaius that he would like to come and speak to him in person, so cuts his letter short. It is hard to read this without seeing in it just a bit of a threat to Diotrephes.
15: The letter ends with the usual exchange of greetings, but we must wonder if by “friends” (“brothers” in some versions) he might still be referring to his beleaguered itinerant preachers.
Takeaway
Even in the earliest years of the church there were squabbles within congregational groups. You don’t have to agree with all the leaders all the time, but you can still do your part to keep the peace. The gracious support of the leadership in many congregations is a goal the church hasn’t completely reached. It’s still a goal, though.