3John
Since 2 and 3John are supposed to be written about the same time,
they share the same introduction.
Background:
This is believed to be one of the last books to be written by an
apostle. Most believe that John wrote all three of these small books
about the same time (85-95 AD), Revelation being written last
around 96. John was old perhaps nearing 100. He outlived all the
other apostles and continued to serve Jesus as an apostle and elder
until his death.
The Author:
There has never been any real doubt that John the Apostle wrote these
epistles, but it is interesting that John never mentioned his name in
any of the books he authored. In 2 and 3 John, John referred to
himself as the "elder." In the other books, he does not even do
that.
Where was John?
The small books of John give us no information on where he was when
he wrote these letters. Revelation 1:9 makes it clear that John was
exiled to the small island of Patmos by the time that book was
written. Historical accounts tell us that John was boiled alive
before being cast onto the island.
http://www.born-again-christian.info/answers/was-the-apostle-john-
boiled-in-oil.htm
But knowing that about the book of Revelation does not tell us when
or where the epistles of John were written. From the book itself, it
is apparent that John was not under any kind of arrest nor had he any
injuries that might be left as a result of being boiled alive.
2John 1:12 Having many things to write unto
you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I
trust to come unto you, and speak face to face,
that our joy may be full.
3John 1:10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember
his deeds which he doeth…
To whom were the books written?
Both of these books, like Philemon, were personal letters written to
individuals. 3 John was written to a man named Gaius \\#3John 1:1\\.
2John was directed to an unnamed woman, simply called "the elect
lady" \\#2John 1:1\\ or "lady" \\#2John 1:5\\.
What is the purpose of the book?
The book are very small and personal, but it does emphasize the
importance of truth. Some have suggested that 2John was to be a
counter-weight to 1John, where much of the emphasis is on fellowship.
Some speculate that without 2John, some might have over-emphasized
fellowship at the expense of truth, but that is just speculation. The
book does refer to several doctrines but none that are not taught
elsewhere in the Bible. Like the books of Philemon and 3John, the
main purpose seems to be the application of Biblical doctrine.
Whether you are a slave or a master, a man or a woman, a pastor or
laity, the Bible is never just about what you know but how you
live out what you know.
In 2John, John wanted to caution "the elect lady" not to be so
open-hearted that she aided the enemies of Christ while seeking to
help God’s people. In 3John, John’s concern was that Gaius, the
book’s recipient, not be discouraged and stopped in a similar
ministry by those in his own church!
It is interesting that both of these letters were written to help
people in the same ministry, that of hospitality to the saved and to
strangers, while demonstrating the two extremes of the ministry. The
elect lady suffered from having a heart so big that she might be
helping the devil’s people while Gaius was being attacked by those in
the church whose heart was so small that they would attempt to stop
him from helping God’s people.
I. \\#1-8\\ The Greeting
A. \\#1\\ The Parties
1. "The elder"
a. John called himself "the elder," never referring to
himself by name in any of his writings.
b. John was an elder because of his age and so lead in the
church as all godly, older men should.
2. "Gaius"
a. Was a common Roman name and used at least four other
times in the New Testament
\\#Acts 19:29, Acts 20:4, Romans 16:23, 1Cor 1:14\\.
b. Without more information, it would be hard to know how
many different men were being mentioned or to build
a biography on this Gaius.
c. From the remainder of this epistle, it is obvious that
John had respect for this man and counted him a dear
brother in Christ.
B. \\#1-2\\ Their Relationship
1. \\#1\\ John loved this man "in the truth" - In the truth
is our way of saying "in the Lord." These two were bound
by brotherhood in Christ.
2. \\#2\\ John desired this man to "prosper… even as thy soul
prospereth"
a. The prosperity preachers often use this verse in an
attempt to justify their corrupt teachings.
b. Note some truths.
1. John’s first and greatest concern was that Gaius’
soul would prosper.
2. In fact, John’s desire was that Gaius’ health and
material possessions would "catch up" with the
prosperity of his spiritual being.
3. John was not realigning the importance of the
external for the internal, the temporal for the
eternal, or the fleshly for the spiritual.
4. The Bible makes it clear that the spiritual is all
important while the fleshly is of little
importance.
1Jo 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things
that are in the world. If any man love the world,
the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the
flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust
thereof: but he that doeth the will of God
abideth for ever.
Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not
on things on the earth.
Lu 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and
beware of covetousness: for a man’s life
consisteth not in the abundance of the things
which he possesseth.
c. John’s statement does not argue that Christians are to
be wealthy, healthy, or prosperous. It does argue
that if God gives these things to us, it is not evil
to possess them; but Christians do not have a
"spiritual" right to any of these. Neither does the
possession of worldly things demonstrate
spirituality or faith.
d. Reading into this verse such thoughts is a perversion
of the verse.
C. \\#3-8\\ Gaius’ Ministry
1. \\#3\\ John "rejoiced greatly …to hear" \\#4\\ of Gaius’
ministry and faithfulness as told him by "the brethren"
\\#3\\.
a. \\#3-4\\ John heard that Gaius "walked in the truth."
(1) That is Gaius was living like Jesus taught us to
live.
(2) John could have no greater joy than to hear that!
(3) \\#4\\ John referred to Gaius as "my children."
That would indicate that John had a major role
in leading Gaius to the Lord.
b. \\#5-7\\ John heard that Gaius ministered "faithfully
…to the brethren and to strangers …on their
journey"
(1) As inns and the money to stay in them was very
limited to most people in those days, hospitality
was a great ministry, offering the Christian the
opportunity to witness to the lost and to help
the people of God fulfill their calling.
(2) \\#7\\ This made it possible for the Christians
to take the gospel to the "Gentiles" while
taking "nothing" from them, a great aid in
helping the lost to see the missionary’s
motive.
2. \\#8\\ "We ought to receive such for his name’s sake"
a. John not only commended Gaius for his ministry but
stated that we all should be so engaged in sharing
the gospel.
b. Things may have changed much in 2,000 years but…
(1) Christians should still be taking care of the
needs of God’s prophets today. By doing so, we
are "fellowhelpers to the truth."
(2) And hospitality is still a great tool for sharing
the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is much easier
to witness to those who are willingly coming to
us!
II. \\#9-11\\ Diotrephes - The Problem
A. "Diotrephes"
1. This is the man who was persecuting Gaius and perhaps
others for their ministry of hospitality.
2. What do we know about him?
a. \\#9\\ "I wrote unto the church, but Diotrephes
…receiveth us not"
(1) Diotrephes was a leader in the church, whether he
was called of God or self-appointed is never
revealed.
(2) In fact, he seemed to be the church’s highest
leader as John stated that Diotrephes had
"rejected" John and John’s teaching.
(3) As John was an Apostle of Jesus Christ, it is a
strange thing that this man would reject John
or that any local church would stand for it.
b. "He "loveth to have the preeminence among them" -
Diotrephes was proud and wanted recognition.
c. He "receiveth us not."
(1) "Receiveth" is a word used to speak of learning
or teaching.
(2) Diotrephes had rejected John’s teaching on this
subject and even John himself.
(3) John did not tell us Diotrephes reasons for his
actions but he did tell us his attitude.
d. \\#10\\ He was "prating against us with malicious
words"
(1) "Prating" means to berate or to babble against.
(2) John went on to say Diotrephes used "malicious
words," words that were unkind and mean-
spirited.
e. "not content… neither he himself receiveth the
brethren" - Diotrephes would not receive the saved
to help them in their work and he…
f. "forbiddeth them that would and casteth them out of
the church" - And more, he stopped those who did and
cast them out of the church’s fellowship!
B. Thoughts:
1. How did this man gain such power in the church???
a. Obviously there was something wrong with this church.
b. While pastors might lead the church to deal with
sins in the church, God does not intend that any one
person have this kind of power within the church.
c. The church is a body and all the members are to work
together to know and do the will of our Head.
d. Like Philemon and 2John, 3John does not teach doctrine
as much as it is demonstrated doctrine. This book
is demonstrating a spirit and behavior which is NOT
doctrinal.
2. It seems to me that Diotrephes had a greater issue than
whether the church should aid the people of God in their
ministry and show hospitality to strangers. He was one
who had the need to control others. Neither he nor those
like him qualify to be leaders in God’s business.
C. \\#10-11\\ John’s Response
1. To Diotrephes \\#10\\ "I will remember his deeds" - John
was the disciple of love and said no more than that. What
he might have done or even if he ever got to that church
again is unknown.
2. To Gaius \\#11\\ "follow …that which is good" - John
gently encouraged Gaius not to heed Diotrephes but to
continue doing what was good. In this case, John was
telling him to continue his ministry.
III. \\#12\\ Demetrius - A Blessing
A. We do not know why John chose to mention Demetrius. Perhaps
he too was being persecuted by Diotrephes. It is obvious
that the two men were cut from different material.
B. What do we know about Demetrius?
1. The name is only used twice in the New Testament.
a. The other reference is to a coppersmith in Ephesus,
who stood against Paul and the gospel to worship the
false god, Diana. \\#Acts 19:24-38\\
b. It is unlikely that these are the same person.
2. He "hath good report of all men," including John. So he
was a godly man in doctrine and lifestyle.
C. John affirmed Demetrius’ testimony in three ways.
1. John declared that all men hold him in good report.
2. John also bore that record.
3. And John knew that Gaius would agree - "ye know that our
record is true."
D. That is a lot of affirmation for Demetrius when nothing else
was mentioned concerning him. That makes me thing something
had happened with Demetrius that John and Gaius were so
familiar with that they did not need to mention it. From
the context, it was likely that Diotrephes had set his
sights on Demetrius, perhaps already casting him out of the
church, for being hospitable to others.
IV. \\#13-14\\ Closing
A. \\#13\\ As in 2John, John wanted to say more but felt it best
to wait until he could see his friend in person.
B. \\#14\\ John hoped that would be soon.
C. The only spiritual gift mentioned in his closing is "peace."
It is unusual that neither grace nor mercy are mentioned with
it.
D. John closed his letter by referencing some unnamed friends.
And the letter was ended.
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