Faithfulness Known By God - 2 & 3 John

 The Weekend, November 28 –

We come to another weekend where we read once over the two-day weekend.  Having just finished John’s first letter we’re going to read both 2^nd and 3^rd John in one reading.  They are short letters and have a certain harmony to them.  Please read the scriptures first and then come back to here for more.

These two letters give us insight into first-century conventional correspondence.  They were probably written at the same time John wrote his first letter to the churches, and in all likelihood, they were carried and delivered to these two places during this time.  If this is the late first century, the Gospel had taken root in all places within the Roman Empire, but it was still a small group.  Most of the churches that existed – if not all – were “house churches”, i.e., small groups of Christians met in houses, away from Roman observation.  Also, the language – as we will soon see in the book of Revelation – was often veiled behind language that only the Christians understood.

“The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth,  because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:  Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love” (1:1-3).

In all likelihood the elect lady and her children are members of a house church.  Perhaps a wealthy patron who was a woman hosted the church’s meetings.  His greeting is similar to the language of 1^st John.  In 2^nd John 4 -7, he reminds them of what he wrote in the first letter – that the mark of a genuine Christian was their love and their obedience to God’s word.  Then in 2^nd John 7 – 11, he warns of the growing threat of Gnostic teaching that was beginning to infiltrate the church.  As you recall, the Gnostics taught a false Jesus, saying that Jesus was not really human, and John called them “deceivers…who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh”. John’s warning comes with a strict command not to receive those who come speaking this false teaching, nor let them influence the members of the church – these false teachers are “anti-Christs”.

The urgency of both the truth and the false teaching was enough for John to have written to them (vs. 12), and a promise that he would one day see them face to face.  The last verse has a similar hidden and known by Christians only meaning - “The children of your elect sister greet you” (1:13).

Following immediately after the 2^nd letter comes another letter – 3^rd John.  This is the shortest letter in the New Testament, and it is written to a personal friend, Gaius.  He is a friend, and most likely an elder who leads the church in his house, and has been a faithful servant of the Gospel.

“The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.  Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.  For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth.  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (1:1-4).

After blessing him, and referencing his health, John demonstrates care for this aged friend. The thrust of the rest of John’s letter is two-fold.  First, he commends Gaius for his and the church’s hospitality for the missionaries who traveled the Empire to preach the Gospel and establish churches (1:5-8).  There were very few places for travelers to stay as they walked through the Empire, and the cities were largely filled with brothels.  This was a time of extending the church out into all the corners of the Empire, and these pioneers of the faith were unknown saints who sought to carry out the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20).  Gaius was known as one who cared for these pioneers and gave them hospitality, even to the point of financial support.

However, not everyone was as charitable as Gaius.  A certain man named Diotrephes opposed the hospitality, and John as an Apostle, and his letter that accompanied this letter to Gaius.  John knew that he was acting in a manner that was inconsistent with the command to love the brethren and to care for the Gospel, and he called him out!

“I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.  So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.  Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God” (1:9-11).

Every church has those people who feel their self-importance should dictate the way the church does everything, and unfortunately, they sometimes bully their way into leadership. Simply put, they need to be seen as hypocritical frauds!  If the church is not a place of love, mutual respect, and submission to each other, even in the case of those in authority, it will never prosper.  I’ve seen it all too often and in talking to other Pastors know the heartbreak that can occur with those who are “thorns” in the flesh.  The words of 1:11 are worth writing on the church’s board room walls.  Evil only produces evil and truth, and the testimony of who we are is known by everyone outside of the room.

In contrast to the bully, John commends the faith and faithfulness of a friend, Demetrius.  Quite possibly Demetrius was the man who came to inform John of what was happening in the church, and the one who carried John’s letter back to Gaius, and the church.  One can only wonder what Diotrephes was feeling when the letter was read!   Again, John closes with a promise to come “face to face” to see them, and the blessings of his peace, and his personal greetings even from his church to them.

2^nd and 3^rd John are very short, but give us a window into correspondence, and the conditions of the first-century church.  Churches were small, with minimalist conditions.  Often meeting in houses away from the eyes of the Roman officials, they nevertheless were busy in spreading the Gospel.  There were tensions from false teachers, prideful leaders, and those who abandoned the churches when the pressure was turned up.  Nevertheless, Churches also had Gaius’ and Demetrius’ that loved and led the churches faithfully, maintaining the truth of the Gospel against false teaching, and quietly, humbly, loving the saints.  The light of the Gospel shines bright in every person who has this faithful Christ-like walk. 

As I write this, one of my closest friends in life, Milo Bishop, has gone home to be with Christ.  Milo was a Gaius, a Demetrius, a friend and a brother in Christ who loved well.  He was a friend who loved me, even as I loved him. We went to Seminary together and a bond of friendship formed in every area of life.  We fellowshipped and worshipped together.  We discussed theology and he got me through learning Hebrew.  Milo and his wife Karen opened their home to us in so many ways – in sickness, after the birth of our first child, Sunday dinners, and football!  After we graduated we moved to different areas of the country.  We saw each other seldom, but when we did, we’d pick up our conversations as if we had just finished talking yesterday. 

Milo loved Jesus, loved the Gospel, and demonstrated to me in Seminary that the truth of the Gospel could be held in true faith, while love and respect for all could be shown.  There’s a hole in my heart today, and yet a love that God brought this man into my life, for which I will forever be grateful. 

I dedicate this devotional passage reading today to Milo Bishop, my Gaius, my brother in Christ who I will see someday – in Jesus’ name.

Peace