Chapters
Introduction to 3 John
Author - The title “elder” for pastoral leaders at Ephesus had been in use 20 to 40 years by the time 2 and 3 John were written. It was widely employed in the early church, particularly around Jerusalem but also in distant areas like Ephesus. The fact that Peter understood himself to be a “fellow elder” of church leaders across a wide geographical area (1 Pet. 5:1) makes it plausible for John to have referred to himself in the same manner.
Setting - Like 1 and 2 John, this letter was probably written in the vicinity of Ephesus near the end of the first century A.D. Ancient sources suggest John spent the closing decades of his life in this area, ministering to churches like those listed in Revelation 2–3.
Audience - Whereas 2 John was written to an unidentified church, this letter is filled with references to specific people and situations. It speaks of hospitality to traveling Christians.
Theme - The theme of 3 John is steadfastness in the face of opposition. The recipient of the letter, Gaius, faces a troublemaker named Diotrephes. By “walking in the truth” (3 John 3, 4), Christians can embrace and live out the apostolic message that John conveys in all his letters.
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. 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.
The letter does not state which church Gaius belonged to, but his difficulties were chiefly concerned with a man named Diotrephes who had worked himself into a position of power in the church.
Third John is probably the most personal letter in the New Testament. Most of the epistles originally went, of course, to churches or groups of Christians. First and 2 John are both of this type. The Pastoral Epistles, while sent to specific individuals, namely, Timothy and Titus, were obviously written with a wide circulation in mind as well. Philemon, too, gives evidence that Paul intended its recipient to share it with the church that met in his house. Third John also has universal value, and the early Christians recognized that it would benefit the whole Christian church. However the content of this letter is most personal.
Christian Standard Bible - Robert W. Yarbrough
The purpose of the letter was to give a word of exhortation to Gaius and encourage him not to imitate the bad example of Diotrephes. Instead, Gaius was to continue the good work he was doing in receiving and supporting the traveling teachers or missionaries.
Four men and their reputations are the sum and substance of 3 John’s subject matter.