3 John
A Personal Letter from John
In the letter known as 1 John, the apostle John opposed a kind of false teaching that seems to have been centered in Ephesus. In 2 John he warned against traveling preachers who were spreading this teaching around other churches of the Ephesus region. However, not all traveling preachers were trouble-makers. Some were preachers of the true gospel. And 3 John was written to a church leader named Gaius, to encourage him to keep supporting such people, in spite of the difficulties he faced. - Don Fleming
The Elder
Vs. 1 - The elder:
Second John begins: "The elder to the elect lady and her children." Third John begins: "The elder to the beloved Gaius." We would be better to translate it "The ancient", or "The aged", for it is not from an ecclesiastical position but from his age and personal qualities that the writer of these letters draws his authority.
It must be this John who wrote these two little letters. By this time he was an old man, one of the last surviving links with Jesus and his disciples. He was a man who had the authority of a bishop in Ephesus and in the places around it; and when he saw that a church was threatened with trouble and heresy, he wrote with gracious and loving correction to his people. Here are the letters of an aged saint, one of the last of the first generation of Christians, a man whom all loved and respected. - William Barclay
Gaius
Dear Friend
Vs. 1 - To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
John addressed Gaius as his “Dear Friend” or his “Beloved” four times in the short letter. He wrote with the authority of an apostle and the tenderness of a pastor.
His name was a common one in the Greek world. Other Gaiuses mentioned in the New Testament include the man Paul baptized in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:14; perhaps the same as Paul’s host in Corinth, Romans 16:23), Paul’s Macedonian companion on his third missionary journey (Acts 19:29), and Gaius of Derbe (Acts 20:4). None of these Gaiuses lived in the province of Asia, however, nor when John wrote, as far as we know. - Thomas Constable
Prospering
Vs. 2 - I pray that you are prospering in every way and are in good health, just as your whole life is going well.
John prayed that all would go well with him and that he might enjoy as good physical health as he did spiritual health. - Thomas Constable
John is interested both in the physical and the spiritual health of Gaius. John was like Jesus; he never forgot that men have bodies as well as souls and that they matter, too. - William Barclay
Walking in The Truth
Vs. 3 - I was very glad when fellow believers came and testified to your fidelity to the truth—how you are walking in truth.
John expressed his joy in knowing that his friend had continued to believe what was true. Though not specifically defined here, this truth probably referred to Jesus’ Messianic identity and authority.
Acting Faithfully
Vs. 5 - Dear friend, you are acting faithfully in whatever you do for the brothers and sisters, especially when they are strangers.
Here we come to John's main object in writing. A group of traveling missionaries is on its way to the church of which Gaius is a member, and John urges him to receive them, to give them every support and to send them on their way in a truly Christian manner. - William Barclay
Gaius was an openhanded man when it came to assisting those who traveled in the service of the Gospel. This was an act of fidelity to the Lord and His truth. John’s point is that whatever Gaius might do for these servants of Christ is an act of faithfulness to God. - Zane C. Hodges
The early Christian community’s deep interest in hospitality is inherited from both its Jewish roots and the Greco-Roman culture of its day. - Barbara Leonhard
The work of Gaius reveals what faithful first century Christians were doing for the brethren who were teaching the gospel. Christians, though strangers, were welcoming each other into their homes, providing for them and supporting them as they worked to teach the gospel in that given city. This is a beautiful commendation of Gaius, which helps remind us that every person has an important role in teaching the gospel. - Brent Kercheville
Vs. 7-8 - they set out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from pagans. Therefore, we ought to support such people so that we can be coworkers with the truth.
John briefly noted here that Gaius’ faithful hospitality to ministers of the gospel exemplified the church’s call to “support” those who “set out for the sake of the Name.” Commentators note that John may have been advocating for supporting apostolic leadership as well as other itinerant prophets or evangelists.
Paul provided similar instruction to Christians in Corinth, reminding them that it was their responsibility to support the physical needs of those who met their spiritual needs.
1 Corinthians 9:7-9, 13-14 - Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not drink the milk from the flock? Am I saying this from a human perspective? Doesn’t the law also say the same thing? For it is written in the law of Moses, Do not muzzle an ox while it treads out grain.
Don’t you know that those who perform the temple services eat the food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the offerings of the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should earn their living by the gospel.
Diotrephes
Rejected Authority
Vs. 9 - I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have first place among them, does not receive our authority.
After his initial greeting and commendation, John then reported to his friend that a man named Diotrephes, who apparently held a position of leadership in a local church, was responding in the opposite manner as Gaius with regards to humility and hospitality. Not only was this man questioning the instruction of the apostles on this matter, but he was also encouraging others to do the same.
Refusal to Welcome
Vs. 10 - He not only refuses to welcome fellow believers, but he even stops those who want to do so and expels them from the church.
In this letter, Diotrephes is the representative of the local congregation. He will not accept the authority of John, the apostolic man and he will not receive the itinerant missionaries. He is so determined to see that the local congregation manages its own affairs that he will even eject those who are still prepared to accept the authority of John and to receive the wandering preachers. - William Barclay
Vs. 11 - Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good.
The primary purpose of this letter seems to be the commendation of Gaius’ hospitality and the condemnation of Diotrephes’ lack of it. John urged his friend to continue imitating the apostles’ example of “good” rather than entangling himself in the “evil” that Diotrephes exemplified.
Vs. 11 - The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.
"Of God" and "seen God" are terms John used in his first epistle (1 John 3:6; 1 John 3:10; 1 John 4:1-4; 1 John 4:6-7). God’s children do good works because God is their Father and they share His nature (1 John 3:9). The person who does evil may be a Christian, but he is behaving like Satan when he does evil. John was not accusing Diotrephes of being unsaved but of behaving like an unsaved person. One who knows God intimately (abides in Him) does not do evil (1 John 3:6; 1 John 5:18). - Thomas Constable
Demetrius
Vs. 12 - Everyone speaks well of Demetrius—even the truth itself. And we also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.
We are given very little information about this man named Demetrius, only that everyone had spoken well of him. Some commentators speculate that he may have carried and delivered the letter. Perhaps he, like Gaius, had shown consistent hospitality to others, earning the commendation of John.
Peace to You
See You Soon
Vs. 13 - I have many things to write you, but I don’t want to write to you with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.
This salutation is similar to 2 John. We are not sure if the Elder was able to make another trip to visit his beloved friend, only that it was his desire to encourage him “face to face.”
Greet The Friends
Vs. 15 - Peace to you. The friends send you greetings. Greet the friends by name.
Commentators note that “friends” is a rare term of endearment in apostolic communication. But this short, personal letter to a close friend rings with both authority and tenderness from greeting to goodbye. And it was John who had recorded Jesus’ own use of the term the night before His final Passover.
John 15:15 - I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father.
