September 27, 2014 3rd John

3rd John

Originally posted Monday December 8, 2008

3rd John 1-15

The Elder is writing a personal letter to a fellow Christian, Gaius. He bears a very common name and is unknown beyond this letter. However, from the letter it would appear that Gaius is the leader of a house church in the Johannine circle of churches.

The Elder uses the typical niceties of a Greek letter, asking after Gaius' physical health, that it might be as sound as his spiritual health. He mentions the arrival of and report from "some of the friends" (fellow Christians), who have come from Gaius and his own joy at hearing of Gaius' continued "faithfulness to the truth." It pleases him when he hears that "[his] children (Gaius and those with him) are walking in the truth." The sentiment is the same as expressed in 2 John vs. 4 where the Elder was overjoyed to hear from another church (the Chosen Lady of 2 John) that "some of the "children" [were still] walking in the truth." His reference to Gaius as one of his children gives added credence to the probability that the Elder is a person with authority over several churches. The members would be the Elder's spiritual children in a similar way as Paul's reference to Onesimus as his spiritual child in the letter to Philemon.

He praises Gaius' for the hospitality he has extended to the friends even though they [were] strangers." These friends could have originally come to Gaius as representatives from the Elder as part of a normal round of visits to a number of church communities. It is more likely, based on vss. 6-8 that, they were traveling evangelists (or prophets) on a missionary journey "for the sake of Christ." It is interesting to compare his opinion of these "friends" with his warning to believers in 2 Jhn 10-11 not to show hospitality to the false prophets. The Elder finds the travelers' (friends) work deserving of Gaius' generous support at a level "worthy of God" for they have not accepted any support from the Gentiles. (We surely are meant to think of the "Gentiles" as referring to non-believers since Gaius would have been a Gentile). The point is that the traveling friends should be supported by other members of the extended household of God and not by outsiders. The Elder writes, by supporting the evangelists they become co-workers "with the truth" in their missionary work.

The Elder mentions to Gaius that he has separately written to "the church." He gives us no idea as to what church this is or its locale. It is doubtful that it is the church in Gaius' house otherwise why would a letter be directly sent to the members and not through the church's patron? Perhaps, as some writers have conjectured, he is referring to I and II John. All we can do is to speculate. What is not in doubt is that Gaius knows who Diotrephes is. He is the direct opposite of Gaius in Christian character. He has rejected the Elder's authority and he has refused to show hospitality to the friends whom Gaius has recently entertained and supported. Further, he opposes those who do want to show such hospitality, going so far as to expel them from the church (which leads us to think he also is a patron of a house church). The Elder is determined to visit the community and to "call attention" to this transgression against one of the prime commandments - to love one another, and to the false charges Diotrephes is spreading against the Elder.

In an unrelated exhortation he urges Gaius to continue to "imitate what is good," for those who do good are of God (walking in Christ and in the truth). The Elder mentions and testifies on behalf of Demetrius as someone who has and walks in the truth. Again we do not know of his relationship to either the Elder or to Gaius. To receive the favorable testimony of the Elder would indicate he is one whose message is in accord with obedience to the prime commandments of loving one another and accepting Jesus as the Christ who has come in the flesh from God.

In a truly sincere final greeting, the Elder writes of his hope to visit Gaius soon so they can enjoy his hospitality and they can talk together of these and other issues. In the meantime he exchanges greeting from and to those "friends" who have come to the Elder and those staying with Gaius.