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 2nd and 3rd 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 1st John. In 2nd 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 2nd 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 2nd letter comes another letter – 3rd
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.
2nd
and 3rd 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
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