John concludes his epistles with living examples, commending Gaius and Demetrius for imitation, and condemning Diotrephes’ opposition to the gospel messengers.
Wes
Welcome to the Two Journeys Bible Study podcast. This is Episode 10 in our 1, 2, and 3 John Bible study podcast entitled Commendations and Condemnations from John where we’ll discuss 3 John 1-15. I’m Wes Treadway and I’m here with Pastor Andy Davis.
Andy, what are we going to see in these verses that we’re looking at today?
Andy
Well, 3 John is an amazing short epistle, the shortest book in the Bible we’re told in terms of the number of words, and as you mentioned in the intro, it’s a sense of the Apostle John giving commendation to his dear friend Gaius because he’s walking in the truth and also a Demetrius who he highly commends. But then on the other side of the equation, we’ve got this leader in the church named Diotrephes who is a significant problem. And the topic seems to be that John’s sending out missionaries to itinerate and go around on behalf of the truth. And he’s counting on people he knows, local churches, showing hospitality to them, and that’s not happening here because of this man Diotrephes. So, John has to address it. And so, 3 John is his addressing of it. The larger issue for me here is that beautiful harmony that should be happening between local churches, independent local churches we believe, but that are working together for the universal church and for the Great Commission. And so that’s a beautiful picture.
Wes
Well, let me go ahead and read verses 1-15 in 3 John.
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.
Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore, we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
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. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.
I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, each by name.
Andy, as we begin our look at this letter, what’s the significance of the title John gives himself at the outset?
Andy
Yeah, he calls himself the elder as he does also in 2 John. And I think in this case we might look at it in terms of church leadership like elders and deacons or overseers, but also the word itself means an older man. and John is probably at the end of his life and is banking on his reputation as someone who’s been in the faith for a while, who has experiences, who has some wisdom to offer. Interestingly, doesn’t call himself an apostle, which is what Paul frequently does, but calls himself the elder. And so, I think there’s a humility to this, but also a certain taking of responsibility and a place of honor so that he can give some instructions about the things he’s about to write about.
Wes
What do we learn about Gaius the recipient of this letter from these verses? And what was John’s attitude toward him?
Andy
Yeah, he calls him my dear friend, and he is so thankful for him spiritually. He believes that he is very healthy spiritually. He’s walking in the truth, and he’s glad that his soul is well, but he wants to be sure that he’s doing well physically. We’ll talk about that. So, there’s that relationship. It’s interesting in verse 4 he says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” It may be somebody that he, Gaius may be somebody that John led to faith in Christ perhaps. Or he’s just taking that fatherly role in general to someone who’s younger than him, but he is a child of God and walking in the truth. But definitely has a strong affection for him and a love for him and is writing based on that connection.
Wes
Now John prays for his physical health to align with his spiritual health, thinks he’s spiritually healthy, wants him to be in good health. What else has John heard about Gaius, and who does John have in mind in these verses as he writes to Gaius?
Andy
Yeah, so the word health is important. I think my mind goes quickly to Jesus’ statement in Luke 5:31-32, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. I’ve not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” So, Jesus is the great healer, the physician of the soul. And so, the fundamental issue for us always is the health of our souls, or like the hymn says, “It is well with my soul.” That our souls will be healthy. And he says that as your soul is getting along well, one translation has in verse 2 just wants to be sure his body is doing well as well. If we’re sick, it’s difficult to do anything for the Lord, it’s difficult to do anything physically or practically. So, he has a deep concern for his physical health as well as his spiritual health.
It seems in verse 3 that some individuals had come from the church that Gaius is part of and have given a good testimony about Gaius and about his situation. How he is faithfully walking in the gospel and how he’s continuing, as John loves to say in 1, 2, and 3 John, to walk in the truth. That means to live a holy and faithful life according to the gospel and according to the word of God. And so, these brothers have come and have given good testimony about Gaius, and he’s very happy about that.
Wes
Now you mentioned in verse 4, it seems that John here is speaking of spiritual children. I think we’ve probably also heard this quoted by parents in relation to their own children. Is that a fair thing for us to do with this verse or should we be careful with that? How should we think about that?
Andy
No, I think it’s fine. I think the idea is, I think clearly, he’s talking about spiritual children here, but the desire of every Christian parent is that their physical children will also be their spiritual children and that they will spend eternity with them in heaven. And this statement would definitely be true. Jesus said, “What would it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). And the idea is that the health of your soul, the condition of your soul is more important than everything in the world.
…the health of your soul, the condition of your soul is more important than everything in the world.
And so, parents who want to give the world to their kids, want to give them a good education, want to make certain that they’re fed well and cared for and clothed well, that’s all fine, but that’s nothing compared to making certain that it’s well with their souls through the gospel. And so, I think any faithful Christian father, mother would say, I have no greater joy than to know that my biological children are walking in the truth. I think most of them would say that to say the greatest joy of my life is to know that all of my children are Christians that they’re born again, and that’s a tremendous joy. So, I think that’s the kind of thing that we yearn to see. But I think it’s beautiful that we have somewhat of a spiritual definition or a redefinition of the family here as Jesus himself did, “Who is my mother, who are my brothers?… Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:33-35, paraphrase). So, I think in that sense, John is calling him his child in the faith, and he’s delighted that he’s walking in the truth.
Wes
So, John concludes that greeting then expressing this joy over what he’s heard about Gaius, but he gets more specific in verses 5-8. What does John commend in Gaius’ life in these verses?
Andy
It seems practically the hospitality that Gaius and the church there has been showing to those that were sent out to do gospel work, and I can’t read these verses. And also, we saw the same thing in 2 John, the issue of hospitality and help given to preachers of a spiritual message, the 1 and 2 John, it’s like don’t take any false teachers within and help them because if you do, you’re going to share in their wicked work that’s 2 John 11. But here it’s the opposite. These are those that have gone out for the sake of the name and are going out in the gospel and they need practical help.
So, my mind always goes back to the original mission set up by Jesus for his 12 apostles. He sent them out two by two as recorded in Matthew 10 and he said, do not take anything for your journey. Take no bag or sandals or staff or a stick or any money, don’t take anything because the worker is worth his keep. “And whatever town or village you enter, search for a worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. And if that person welcomes you warmly, then let your peace rest on that house, but if not, let your peace return to you” (Matthew 10:11-13). Don’t take it to heart, but it’s going to go very badly for those people that will not welcome you. It’s going to go badly for them on Judgment Day. And then at the end of that, of those instructions in Matthew 10 he says,
“He who receives you (in a hospitality sense) receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet, will receive a prophet’s reward. And anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple. I tell you the truth, he’ll never lose his reward” (Matthew 10:40-42).
I say all of that, not just in terms of general benevolence ministry, you hear about the cup of cold water, but this is specifically assistance given to messengers of the gospel so that they can be sped along in their work. That really is home base for these verses. If you look at it, he says, you’re faithful in what you’re doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. You don’t know them, but they came on behalf of the name. They went out verse 7, “For the sake of the name.” I think the name there is the name of Jesus Christ. Interestingly, we talked about this a moment ago, Wes, 3 John is the only New Testament book that doesn’t mention specifically Jesus or Christ, the words Jesus Christ do not appear in 3 John. But I think it’s pretty clear in verse 7, they went out in the name of Jesus Christ, and they were welcomed, they were given hospitality, they were helped or given aid in some way. And so, John is very encouraged about that.
Wes
How can modern Christians, how can we learn from and apply these patterns in our day? And why is this such an important ministry to testify to the love that we have for one another in Christ?
Andy
Well, I think we’re in a different setting now. I don’t think there was the same developed system of professional hospitality. There were inns back then. It’s very famous. When Jesus was born there was no room in the inn, so there were places where you could pay money and be put up for the night. So, they certainly had them. Also, the Parable of the Good Samaritan implies that. There’s an innkeeper, and the Good Samaritan offers or gives the man money for his ongoing lodging. And so, it is part of the care that the Good Samaritan gives to the man that was wounded on the road to Jericho, but it wasn’t this developed system. We got Motel 6 and Hilton extended stay. We got everything. And so, I don’t think it’s necessarily the same where we definitely have to put people up in our homes, but I myself have received that benefit many times.
I think the idea in general though is that you’re opening your life, and you’re welcoming those that are not members of your own local church, those that have come to your town to do some ministry or need something to be helped along in the ministry. And so, I think fundamentally the way we do this, we want to do whatever we can to help people who have gone out for the sake of the gospel. And make certain that the time and energy and money resources that they need, that whatever we can do and are led by God to do that we do.
Wes
Now, if we were to stop here, this is quite the encouraging letter, but verses 9-10 really stand in stark contrast to this previous section. What role does Diotrephes seem to have in the church and how does John condemn the behavior and attitude of Diotrephes?
Andy
Well, it’s a continuation of the same theme. If you look at it in verse 10, he refuses to welcome the brothers, so he’s not showing hospitality to the messengers, the missionaries, I think that John sent out. Diotrephes is putting his hand up and saying, no, you can’t stay here. You’re not allowed to be here. And so fundamentally, these are individuals that went out for the sake of the name, John says, receiving no help from the pagans. They need help from the brothers. But here’s this man Diotrephes and he is hindering the war. He himself will not welcome them. He’s speaking very badly about John, gossiping maliciously against him, and therefore smearing these missionaries that were sent out by John, saying they’re just like him.
And fundamentally also he’s threatening individuals within the local church. If any of you help these folks, you’re going to be put out of the church. And so, he is a major brick wall to the very thing John is commending in Gaius, namely this rich warm hospitality that enables missionaries to do their work. Diotrephes is throwing a monkey wrench in all that, and there’s reasons why we can talk about him, but this is a very evil thing that he’s doing.
Wes
Yeah, verse 9 I think gives us one of these reasons. We begin by hearing it said that he likes to put himself first. Why is his display of pride and ego so destructive? And how do we see these sorts of things in our day hindering the collaborative work of the gospel?
Andy
Well, just in general, I think that pride is the great enemy of the gospel and the great enemy of the spread of the gospel. And especially here it seems pride of position. Here’s Diotrephes who seems specifically set against John. He’s hostile to John. In verse 10, “He is gossiping maliciously about us,” and the us maybe especially me, but also the missionaries I send out. And so, it seems like a power struggle. I think this happens in churches all over the world where people’s pride gets in the way. This individual loves to be first. He wants to be the most important man in the church, the leader. Nothing happens except at his say so. And so, the idea of an apostle external to his local church that has the temerity, the boldness to send some missionaries and wants us to put them up and all that.
pride is the great enemy of the gospel and the great enemy of the spread of the gospel.
Well, who does he think he is? And so, this selfishness and this pride comes in and it’s a great, great hindrance. And we also see asked how does this happen? Now, a lot of times when you have this pride struggle, you’re going to have some of the sins of the tongue that come in, as we see in this idea of gossiping maliciously against us, saying wicked things against us, trying to slam our reputation. And this is a big deal because pastors, elders, missionaries, we do a lot of our ministry out of our reputation. And if someone comes along and does some verbal character assassination, it puts the seed of doubt in people’s minds of whether we can trust this individual. And so, this man’s doing great damage to the gospel and specifically to John’s reputation.
Wes
Now, John’s not content to just report this or record this. He also says, listen, if this doesn’t resolve, I’m going to have to do something about it. What does John say he’s going to do in relation to what we see Diotrephes is doing here in this passage?
Andy
Yeah, he’s going to call him out. He’s going to call him out publicly. He’s going to deal with it publicly. He’s going to come with strength. It’s kind of like when Paul says with the Corinthians, what do you prefer? Shall I come in gentleness like a father, or shall I bring a whip and that apostolic authority? And so, in this case, he doesn’t mention any whip or any of that, but he says, look, I’m not going to just lay down for this. I’m going to fight for my reputation. I’m going to expose him. And so you’re like, well, how is that right? We’re talking about this man gossiping maliciously against him. But things are different here. We have to say, look, this has happened, and I need to expose it. I need to say it plainly. I need to defend my reputation, not because of an ego thing, but we see again and again, especially in the Apostle Paul, a concern for a link between Paul’s reputation and character and the message and doctrine he comes to deliver.
They are linked together. And so, John, I think really needs to defend his honor for the sake of the gospel ministry he wants to do. And then especially in this case for the sake of the missionaries he sends out, that’s an apostle of Jesus Christ, that’s the elder, that’s John. He’s sending missionaries, we need to welcome these people. They come with a stamp, the highest approval we need to welcome. So, he’s going to expose him. Reminds me to a different degree of Paul having to expose Peter publicly for what he was doing in withdrawing from table fellowship in Galatians chapter 2 and dealing with that whole Gentile Christian issue. He’s got to call him out. He’s got to deal with him.
Wes
Yeah, it really seems like Diotrephes is the photographic negative, if you will, of Gaius. We get this commendation and a beautiful picture of walking in the truth and health and hospitality. And then we get Diotrephes here. And John seems to highlight that in verse 11 when he says, “Do not imitate evil but imitate good.” How does this fit into his train of thought? And how do these words really serve as a fitting transition from Gaius and Diotrephes to the next individual, Demetrius, we’ll hear about in just a moment?
Andy
Okay, yeah. It’s amazing how quickly in such a short epistle, he goes from the wonder and beauty and the delight that he has with Gaius to suddenly talking about Diotrephes, how bad he is. And now we’re over to Demetrius who he’s approved of. And so, it just goes from good to bad, back to good again, different individual. So, he says to Gaius, don’t imitate what is evil, but what is good. It’s like we have patterns and role models and examples like in Hebrews 13:7, it says that we are to, “remember the leaders who spoke the word of God to us consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” So, we’ve got this role modeling thing. And he’s saying, we need to not follow Diotrephes’ wicked pattern, but instead a good pattern. And fundamentally, and just like in 1 John, if you do good things, it comes out of a good heart. I mean, the works show what kind of tree you are. Jesus said by their fruit, you’ll know them. And so, we have to look at those works. So fundamentally, he’s saying to Gaius, I want you to follow the good pattern that we have, that you have in us, and that you’ve seen in Jesus. And so he transitions from that to talking about Demetrius.
Wes
What commendation does John give for Demetrius? And maybe a helpful way for us to frame all of these men is how should these three men motivate us to serve Christ now in light of Judgment Day?
Andy
Right? So again, as I mentioned a moment ago, it really does matter what your reputation is in the gospel ministry. And so, Demetrius is well-spoken of by everyone. He’s got a good reputation it seems. Some scholars believe, and it may well be true, that Demetrius was the bearer of this little epistle. He carried it and it’s like, now here’s this man. I’m commending similar to Phoebe and Roman 16:1. So, speaking very highly of the bearer of the letter. Demetrius is well-spoken of by everyone and even by the truth itself. I think what that means is there’s a pattern of holiness that we learn about in the gospel of Jesus Christ. That pattern speaks well of Demetrius, it’s personified truth. And I think what he’s saying is, look, this man is living out the Christian life, and so therefore you should welcome him and receive the, I think frankly, receive this epistle that he’s delivering, all right?
In terms of these three men, Gaius and Diotrephes and Demetrius, it’s pretty clear what John thinks about each of them. Thinks very highly of Gaius, and he thinks highly also of Demetrius. Doesn’t say as much about him as he does about Gaius, but the desire is that we would imitate what is good. The very thing he says in verse 11, let’s imitate not what is evil, but what is good. And so, these individuals are worthy of emulation. So, with Gaius, it’s walking in the truth, and in a love relationship with the truth, and that dear connection that he has, even perhaps it seems calling him a child in the faith. So that warmhearted connection and that relationship that we have with Gaius. And then Demetrius also the same thing. The idea of a good reputation like an elder must be blameless and have a good reputation with outsiders.
These are worthy role models for us and that we would live openly and clearly lives that line up with the truth of the gospel. But this man Diotrephes is such an anti-example that his pride, his arrogance, he seeks to dominate the church. The fact that he was willing to put out of the church, to excommunicate anybody that welcomed the messengers from John shows that this guy’s a power and control guy. He’s controlling the church. And so, the danger of having one individual rise to such an ascendancy in a local church that he basically runs it. I bet there’s a lot of local churches out there, whereas there’s that one guy, it could be the pastor, but it could be the most significant financial contributor. But basically, he looks on that church as his own and he’s going to run it his way. And so, we’re warned against that.
Wes
Now, similar to 2 John 12, John really speaks of the limitations of writing as compared to face-to-face fellowship. He says, “I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink.” He says, “I hope to see you soon and we’ll talk face to face.” It just gives this sweetness to the relationship, even the way he begins, “To the beloved Gaius,” to his good friend. He says, I could write more, but I want to see you face to face. How is that a good model for us just as we think about Christian fellowship in the body of Christ?
Andy
Oh yeah. I think it’s fantastic. I think here’s the thing, the written word of God is indispensable to our salvation. Without it, we know nothing about Christ. But Paul still calls it seeing through a glass darkly. So, I think this is an interesting idea that came to my mind really for the first time while I was listening to you read the verses and then ask the question. Imagine this is Jesus speaking to every Christian over 20 centuries. I have much to write to you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon. Second coming and we’ll talk face-to-face. That’s about 1 Corinthians 13 where he says, now we see through a glass darkly, then face-to-face. Yeah, that’s good. And so, we’ll all be taught by God. And so, what I want to say is the written word of God is flawless.
We believe in inerrancy. It is sufficient. Everything needed for life and godliness is ours in it. It saves our souls, and tells us what a fruitful life looks like, and gives us everything we need. But it still as almost as nothing compared to what it’ll be like to see Christ face-to face and be with him face-to-face. Now, in terms of the horizontal practical aspect, while we still in this world, we still give primacy always to the word of God, but we know that fundamentally that intimate face-to-face fellowship that happens in healthy local churches is vital to our salvation and to growth in Christ.
Wes
What final greetings does John give? And what final thoughts do you have for us today on this letter that we’ve been looking at?
Andy
Yeah, final verse he says, “Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.” Well, if you look at Roman 16, Paul works at it. He gives his actual names here. John’s like, look, I don’t have a lot of time for all that, so just friends here say hi and say hi to the friends there. So, I think it’s pretty sweet, but there’s always that sense of the richness of Christian fellowship, the richness of brothers and sisters in Christ, or children in the faith like he seems to call Gaius. And he just wants him to know, look, we love one another. We’re in fellowship with one another. And I would say, based on what I just said about face-to-face fellowship with Jesus in heaven, the best is yet to come. Yeah. Final thoughts on 3 John? I think it’s marvelous.
We said this about 2 John, star differs from star in splendor. We’re not saying that 2 and 3 John are as important as the Gospel of John or the Book of Romans or Isaiah. They’re not. But they do give us some very helpful insights into the way that local churches can work together with people who are not members of the local church, and who rely on them to be able to spread the gospel. But also the warning in 2 John about not partnering with false teachers. And the dangers of false teachers, people that are questioning, in that case, the incarnation. So, these two little epistles are beautiful touches from God through the Holy Spirit, and they’re worthy of us studying carefully.
Wes
Well, this has been Episode 10, our final episode in our 1, 2, and 3 John Bible Study Podcast. We want to invite you to join us next time as we continue our journey through God’s word and grow towards spiritual maturity. Our next book that we’ll be journeying through together is the Book of Romans. And we look forward to spending time reflecting on that majestic treatment of God and his glory and the salvation that he brings to us through his Son. Thank you for listening to the Two Journeys podcast and may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Wes
Welcome to the Two Journeys Bible Study podcast. This is Episode 10 in our 1, 2, and 3 John Bible study podcast entitled Commendations and Condemnations from John where we’ll discuss 3 John 1-15. I’m Wes Treadway and I’m here with Pastor Andy Davis.
Andy, what are we going to see in these verses that we’re looking at today?
Andy
Well, 3 John is an amazing short epistle, the shortest book in the Bible we’re told in terms of the number of words, and as you mentioned in the intro, it’s a sense of the Apostle John giving commendation to his dear friend Gaius because he’s walking in the truth and also a Demetrius who he highly commends. But then on the other side of the equation, we’ve got this leader in the church named Diotrephes who is a significant problem. And the topic seems to be that John’s sending out missionaries to itinerate and go around on behalf of the truth. And he’s counting on people he knows, local churches, showing hospitality to them, and that’s not happening here because of this man Diotrephes. So, John has to address it. And so, 3 John is his addressing of it. The larger issue for me here is that beautiful harmony that should be happening between local churches, independent local churches we believe, but that are working together for the universal church and for the Great Commission. And so that’s a beautiful picture.
Wes
Well, let me go ahead and read verses 1-15 in 3 John.
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.
Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore, we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
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. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.
I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, each by name.
Andy, as we begin our look at this letter, what’s the significance of the title John gives himself at the outset?
Andy
Yeah, he calls himself the elder as he does also in 2 John. And I think in this case we might look at it in terms of church leadership like elders and deacons or overseers, but also the word itself means an older man. and John is probably at the end of his life and is banking on his reputation as someone who’s been in the faith for a while, who has experiences, who has some wisdom to offer. Interestingly, doesn’t call himself an apostle, which is what Paul frequently does, but calls himself the elder. And so, I think there’s a humility to this, but also a certain taking of responsibility and a place of honor so that he can give some instructions about the things he’s about to write about.
Wes
What do we learn about Gaius the recipient of this letter from these verses? And what was John’s attitude toward him?
Andy
Yeah, he calls him my dear friend, and he is so thankful for him spiritually. He believes that he is very healthy spiritually. He’s walking in the truth, and he’s glad that his soul is well, but he wants to be sure that he’s doing well physically. We’ll talk about that. So, there’s that relationship. It’s interesting in verse 4 he says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” It may be somebody that he, Gaius may be somebody that John led to faith in Christ perhaps. Or he’s just taking that fatherly role in general to someone who’s younger than him, but he is a child of God and walking in the truth. But definitely has a strong affection for him and a love for him and is writing based on that connection.
Wes
Now John prays for his physical health to align with his spiritual health, thinks he’s spiritually healthy, wants him to be in good health. What else has John heard about Gaius, and who does John have in mind in these verses as he writes to Gaius?
Andy
Yeah, so the word health is important. I think my mind goes quickly to Jesus’ statement in Luke 5:31-32, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. I’ve not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” So, Jesus is the great healer, the physician of the soul. And so, the fundamental issue for us always is the health of our souls, or like the hymn says, “It is well with my soul.” That our souls will be healthy. And he says that as your soul is getting along well, one translation has in verse 2 just wants to be sure his body is doing well as well. If we’re sick, it’s difficult to do anything for the Lord, it’s difficult to do anything physically or practically. So, he has a deep concern for his physical health as well as his spiritual health.
It seems in verse 3 that some individuals had come from the church that Gaius is part of and have given a good testimony about Gaius and about his situation. How he is faithfully walking in the gospel and how he’s continuing, as John loves to say in 1, 2, and 3 John, to walk in the truth. That means to live a holy and faithful life according to the gospel and according to the word of God. And so, these brothers have come and have given good testimony about Gaius, and he’s very happy about that.
Wes
Now you mentioned in verse 4, it seems that John here is speaking of spiritual children. I think we’ve probably also heard this quoted by parents in relation to their own children. Is that a fair thing for us to do with this verse or should we be careful with that? How should we think about that?
Andy
No, I think it’s fine. I think the idea is, I think clearly, he’s talking about spiritual children here, but the desire of every Christian parent is that their physical children will also be their spiritual children and that they will spend eternity with them in heaven. And this statement would definitely be true. Jesus said, “What would it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). And the idea is that the health of your soul, the condition of your soul is more important than everything in the world.
…the health of your soul, the condition of your soul is more important than everything in the world.
And so, parents who want to give the world to their kids, want to give them a good education, want to make certain that they’re fed well and cared for and clothed well, that’s all fine, but that’s nothing compared to making certain that it’s well with their souls through the gospel. And so, I think any faithful Christian father, mother would say, I have no greater joy than to know that my biological children are walking in the truth. I think most of them would say that to say the greatest joy of my life is to know that all of my children are Christians that they’re born again, and that’s a tremendous joy. So, I think that’s the kind of thing that we yearn to see. But I think it’s beautiful that we have somewhat of a spiritual definition or a redefinition of the family here as Jesus himself did, “Who is my mother, who are my brothers?… Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:33-35, paraphrase). So, I think in that sense, John is calling him his child in the faith, and he’s delighted that he’s walking in the truth.
Wes
So, John concludes that greeting then expressing this joy over what he’s heard about Gaius, but he gets more specific in verses 5-8. What does John commend in Gaius’ life in these verses?
Andy
It seems practically the hospitality that Gaius and the church there has been showing to those that were sent out to do gospel work, and I can’t read these verses. And also, we saw the same thing in 2 John, the issue of hospitality and help given to preachers of a spiritual message, the 1 and 2 John, it’s like don’t take any false teachers within and help them because if you do, you’re going to share in their wicked work that’s 2 John 11. But here it’s the opposite. These are those that have gone out for the sake of the name and are going out in the gospel and they need practical help.
So, my mind always goes back to the original mission set up by Jesus for his 12 apostles. He sent them out two by two as recorded in Matthew 10 and he said, do not take anything for your journey. Take no bag or sandals or staff or a stick or any money, don’t take anything because the worker is worth his keep. “And whatever town or village you enter, search for a worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. And if that person welcomes you warmly, then let your peace rest on that house, but if not, let your peace return to you” (Matthew 10:11-13). Don’t take it to heart, but it’s going to go very badly for those people that will not welcome you. It’s going to go badly for them on Judgment Day. And then at the end of that, of those instructions in Matthew 10 he says,
“He who receives you (in a hospitality sense) receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet, will receive a prophet’s reward. And anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple. I tell you the truth, he’ll never lose his reward” (Matthew 10:40-42).
I say all of that, not just in terms of general benevolence ministry, you hear about the cup of cold water, but this is specifically assistance given to messengers of the gospel so that they can be sped along in their work. That really is home base for these verses. If you look at it, he says, you’re faithful in what you’re doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. You don’t know them, but they came on behalf of the name. They went out verse 7, “For the sake of the name.” I think the name there is the name of Jesus Christ. Interestingly, we talked about this a moment ago, Wes, 3 John is the only New Testament book that doesn’t mention specifically Jesus or Christ, the words Jesus Christ do not appear in 3 John. But I think it’s pretty clear in verse 7, they went out in the name of Jesus Christ, and they were welcomed, they were given hospitality, they were helped or given aid in some way. And so, John is very encouraged about that.
Wes
How can modern Christians, how can we learn from and apply these patterns in our day? And why is this such an important ministry to testify to the love that we have for one another in Christ?
Andy
Well, I think we’re in a different setting now. I don’t think there was the same developed system of professional hospitality. There were inns back then. It’s very famous. When Jesus was born there was no room in the inn, so there were places where you could pay money and be put up for the night. So, they certainly had them. Also, the Parable of the Good Samaritan implies that. There’s an innkeeper, and the Good Samaritan offers or gives the man money for his ongoing lodging. And so, it is part of the care that the Good Samaritan gives to the man that was wounded on the road to Jericho, but it wasn’t this developed system. We got Motel 6 and Hilton extended stay. We got everything. And so, I don’t think it’s necessarily the same where we definitely have to put people up in our homes, but I myself have received that benefit many times.
I think the idea in general though is that you’re opening your life, and you’re welcoming those that are not members of your own local church, those that have come to your town to do some ministry or need something to be helped along in the ministry. And so, I think fundamentally the way we do this, we want to do whatever we can to help people who have gone out for the sake of the gospel. And make certain that the time and energy and money resources that they need, that whatever we can do and are led by God to do that we do.
Wes
Now, if we were to stop here, this is quite the encouraging letter, but verses 9-10 really stand in stark contrast to this previous section. What role does Diotrephes seem to have in the church and how does John condemn the behavior and attitude of Diotrephes?
Andy
Well, it’s a continuation of the same theme. If you look at it in verse 10, he refuses to welcome the brothers, so he’s not showing hospitality to the messengers, the missionaries, I think that John sent out. Diotrephes is putting his hand up and saying, no, you can’t stay here. You’re not allowed to be here. And so fundamentally, these are individuals that went out for the sake of the name, John says, receiving no help from the pagans. They need help from the brothers. But here’s this man Diotrephes and he is hindering the war. He himself will not welcome them. He’s speaking very badly about John, gossiping maliciously against him, and therefore smearing these missionaries that were sent out by John, saying they’re just like him.
And fundamentally also he’s threatening individuals within the local church. If any of you help these folks, you’re going to be put out of the church. And so, he is a major brick wall to the very thing John is commending in Gaius, namely this rich warm hospitality that enables missionaries to do their work. Diotrephes is throwing a monkey wrench in all that, and there’s reasons why we can talk about him, but this is a very evil thing that he’s doing.
Wes
Yeah, verse 9 I think gives us one of these reasons. We begin by hearing it said that he likes to put himself first. Why is his display of pride and ego so destructive? And how do we see these sorts of things in our day hindering the collaborative work of the gospel?
Andy
Well, just in general, I think that pride is the great enemy of the gospel and the great enemy of the spread of the gospel. And especially here it seems pride of position. Here’s Diotrephes who seems specifically set against John. He’s hostile to John. In verse 10, “He is gossiping maliciously about us,” and the us maybe especially me, but also the missionaries I send out. And so, it seems like a power struggle. I think this happens in churches all over the world where people’s pride gets in the way. This individual loves to be first. He wants to be the most important man in the church, the leader. Nothing happens except at his say so. And so, the idea of an apostle external to his local church that has the temerity, the boldness to send some missionaries and wants us to put them up and all that.
pride is the great enemy of the gospel and the great enemy of the spread of the gospel.
Well, who does he think he is? And so, this selfishness and this pride comes in and it’s a great, great hindrance. And we also see asked how does this happen? Now, a lot of times when you have this pride struggle, you’re going to have some of the sins of the tongue that come in, as we see in this idea of gossiping maliciously against us, saying wicked things against us, trying to slam our reputation. And this is a big deal because pastors, elders, missionaries, we do a lot of our ministry out of our reputation. And if someone comes along and does some verbal character assassination, it puts the seed of doubt in people’s minds of whether we can trust this individual. And so, this man’s doing great damage to the gospel and specifically to John’s reputation.
Wes
Now, John’s not content to just report this or record this. He also says, listen, if this doesn’t resolve, I’m going to have to do something about it. What does John say he’s going to do in relation to what we see Diotrephes is doing here in this passage?
Andy
Yeah, he’s going to call him out. He’s going to call him out publicly. He’s going to deal with it publicly. He’s going to come with strength. It’s kind of like when Paul says with the Corinthians, what do you prefer? Shall I come in gentleness like a father, or shall I bring a whip and that apostolic authority? And so, in this case, he doesn’t mention any whip or any of that, but he says, look, I’m not going to just lay down for this. I’m going to fight for my reputation. I’m going to expose him. And so you’re like, well, how is that right? We’re talking about this man gossiping maliciously against him. But things are different here. We have to say, look, this has happened, and I need to expose it. I need to say it plainly. I need to defend my reputation, not because of an ego thing, but we see again and again, especially in the Apostle Paul, a concern for a link between Paul’s reputation and character and the message and doctrine he comes to deliver.
They are linked together. And so, John, I think really needs to defend his honor for the sake of the gospel ministry he wants to do. And then especially in this case for the sake of the missionaries he sends out, that’s an apostle of Jesus Christ, that’s the elder, that’s John. He’s sending missionaries, we need to welcome these people. They come with a stamp, the highest approval we need to welcome. So, he’s going to expose him. Reminds me to a different degree of Paul having to expose Peter publicly for what he was doing in withdrawing from table fellowship in Galatians chapter 2 and dealing with that whole Gentile Christian issue. He’s got to call him out. He’s got to deal with him.
Wes
Yeah, it really seems like Diotrephes is the photographic negative, if you will, of Gaius. We get this commendation and a beautiful picture of walking in the truth and health and hospitality. And then we get Diotrephes here. And John seems to highlight that in verse 11 when he says, “Do not imitate evil but imitate good.” How does this fit into his train of thought? And how do these words really serve as a fitting transition from Gaius and Diotrephes to the next individual, Demetrius, we’ll hear about in just a moment?
Andy
Okay, yeah. It’s amazing how quickly in such a short epistle, he goes from the wonder and beauty and the delight that he has with Gaius to suddenly talking about Diotrephes, how bad he is. And now we’re over to Demetrius who he’s approved of. And so, it just goes from good to bad, back to good again, different individual. So, he says to Gaius, don’t imitate what is evil, but what is good. It’s like we have patterns and role models and examples like in Hebrews 13:7, it says that we are to, “remember the leaders who spoke the word of God to us consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” So, we’ve got this role modeling thing. And he’s saying, we need to not follow Diotrephes’ wicked pattern, but instead a good pattern. And fundamentally, and just like in 1 John, if you do good things, it comes out of a good heart. I mean, the works show what kind of tree you are. Jesus said by their fruit, you’ll know them. And so, we have to look at those works. So fundamentally, he’s saying to Gaius, I want you to follow the good pattern that we have, that you have in us, and that you’ve seen in Jesus. And so he transitions from that to talking about Demetrius.
Wes
What commendation does John give for Demetrius? And maybe a helpful way for us to frame all of these men is how should these three men motivate us to serve Christ now in light of Judgment Day?
Andy
Right? So again, as I mentioned a moment ago, it really does matter what your reputation is in the gospel ministry. And so, Demetrius is well-spoken of by everyone. He’s got a good reputation it seems. Some scholars believe, and it may well be true, that Demetrius was the bearer of this little epistle. He carried it and it’s like, now here’s this man. I’m commending similar to Phoebe and Roman 16:1. So, speaking very highly of the bearer of the letter. Demetrius is well-spoken of by everyone and even by the truth itself. I think what that means is there’s a pattern of holiness that we learn about in the gospel of Jesus Christ. That pattern speaks well of Demetrius, it’s personified truth. And I think what he’s saying is, look, this man is living out the Christian life, and so therefore you should welcome him and receive the, I think frankly, receive this epistle that he’s delivering, all right?
In terms of these three men, Gaius and Diotrephes and Demetrius, it’s pretty clear what John thinks about each of them. Thinks very highly of Gaius, and he thinks highly also of Demetrius. Doesn’t say as much about him as he does about Gaius, but the desire is that we would imitate what is good. The very thing he says in verse 11, let’s imitate not what is evil, but what is good. And so, these individuals are worthy of emulation. So, with Gaius, it’s walking in the truth, and in a love relationship with the truth, and that dear connection that he has, even perhaps it seems calling him a child in the faith. So that warmhearted connection and that relationship that we have with Gaius. And then Demetrius also the same thing. The idea of a good reputation like an elder must be blameless and have a good reputation with outsiders.
These are worthy role models for us and that we would live openly and clearly lives that line up with the truth of the gospel. But this man Diotrephes is such an anti-example that his pride, his arrogance, he seeks to dominate the church. The fact that he was willing to put out of the church, to excommunicate anybody that welcomed the messengers from John shows that this guy’s a power and control guy. He’s controlling the church. And so, the danger of having one individual rise to such an ascendancy in a local church that he basically runs it. I bet there’s a lot of local churches out there, whereas there’s that one guy, it could be the pastor, but it could be the most significant financial contributor. But basically, he looks on that church as his own and he’s going to run it his way. And so, we’re warned against that.
Wes
Now, similar to 2 John 12, John really speaks of the limitations of writing as compared to face-to-face fellowship. He says, “I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink.” He says, “I hope to see you soon and we’ll talk face to face.” It just gives this sweetness to the relationship, even the way he begins, “To the beloved Gaius,” to his good friend. He says, I could write more, but I want to see you face to face. How is that a good model for us just as we think about Christian fellowship in the body of Christ?
Andy
Oh yeah. I think it’s fantastic. I think here’s the thing, the written word of God is indispensable to our salvation. Without it, we know nothing about Christ. But Paul still calls it seeing through a glass darkly. So, I think this is an interesting idea that came to my mind really for the first time while I was listening to you read the verses and then ask the question. Imagine this is Jesus speaking to every Christian over 20 centuries. I have much to write to you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon. Second coming and we’ll talk face-to-face. That’s about 1 Corinthians 13 where he says, now we see through a glass darkly, then face-to-face. Yeah, that’s good. And so, we’ll all be taught by God. And so, what I want to say is the written word of God is flawless.
We believe in inerrancy. It is sufficient. Everything needed for life and godliness is ours in it. It saves our souls, and tells us what a fruitful life looks like, and gives us everything we need. But it still as almost as nothing compared to what it’ll be like to see Christ face-to face and be with him face-to-face. Now, in terms of the horizontal practical aspect, while we still in this world, we still give primacy always to the word of God, but we know that fundamentally that intimate face-to-face fellowship that happens in healthy local churches is vital to our salvation and to growth in Christ.
Wes
What final greetings does John give? And what final thoughts do you have for us today on this letter that we’ve been looking at?
Andy
Yeah, final verse he says, “Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.” Well, if you look at Roman 16, Paul works at it. He gives his actual names here. John’s like, look, I don’t have a lot of time for all that, so just friends here say hi and say hi to the friends there. So, I think it’s pretty sweet, but there’s always that sense of the richness of Christian fellowship, the richness of brothers and sisters in Christ, or children in the faith like he seems to call Gaius. And he just wants him to know, look, we love one another. We’re in fellowship with one another. And I would say, based on what I just said about face-to-face fellowship with Jesus in heaven, the best is yet to come. Yeah. Final thoughts on 3 John? I think it’s marvelous.
We said this about 2 John, star differs from star in splendor. We’re not saying that 2 and 3 John are as important as the Gospel of John or the Book of Romans or Isaiah. They’re not. But they do give us some very helpful insights into the way that local churches can work together with people who are not members of the local church, and who rely on them to be able to spread the gospel. But also the warning in 2 John about not partnering with false teachers. And the dangers of false teachers, people that are questioning, in that case, the incarnation. So, these two little epistles are beautiful touches from God through the Holy Spirit, and they’re worthy of us studying carefully.
Wes
Well, this has been Episode 10, our final episode in our 1, 2, and 3 John Bible Study Podcast. We want to invite you to join us next time as we continue our journey through God’s word and grow towards spiritual maturity. Our next book that we’ll be journeying through together is the Book of Romans. And we look forward to spending time reflecting on that majestic treatment of God and his glory and the salvation that he brings to us through his Son. Thank you for listening to the Two Journeys podcast and may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
