3rd John
Notes
Transcript
Names
Names
As is my utter enjoyment we will start by talking about all the names in 3rd John. Don’t worry if you haven’t read ahead there are only 3 of them.
Gaius - Of the land - Very popular 1st century name and it was Julius Caeser’s first name - there is a theory this is related to the Latin for Rejoice but the Greek seems so clear… Then again it was a very common Latin name so that’s very possible.
Diotrephes - Cherished/Nurished by Zues This is quite literally two Greek words run together to make the name.
Demetrius - Belonging to the earth mother - Greek goddess named Demeter is “the earth mother” This is also 2 Greek words but from a dialect of ancient Greek Doric which is a western dialect (like in the region this letter was likely going)
Now… as for 3rd John, I might have misled you a little last week when I said it was the the shortest book in the NT. It is the one with the least number of verses… However it has 245 Greek words in the book, and 3rd John has 219 Greek words which makes it the shortest book by word count in the original language. So it just depends on how we measure those things. Okay I knew someone would ask ESV has 2nd John at 298 and 3rd John at 303 words making 2nd John the shortest in English by verse and word count.
This book while very different has a lot of very similar structure and being written by the same person that’s not much of a surprise.
The author says he is “the elder” he’s writing to someone he “loves in truth” he rejoices greatly over them the recipient walks in the truth and the elder has good reports about the recipient, both letters also have a warning, and at the end he desires to see them face to face, and other people also send greetings.
Okay let’s get right into it now.
The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.
This Gaius we have no reason to believe is the same as any of the other Gaius’ mentioned elsewhere. This was a very common name at the time, not surprising given that it was the first name of the first Roman Emperor. I also don’t want to casually pass by the end of vs 1 here either. “whom I love in truth” is not some honorific or casual greeting. We have a sincere deep emotional bond but also one rooted in THE TRUTH. The reality of Christ’s work on earth for us and the things we do within the realm of this new reality for us as Christians is deep and meaningful. It’s not just a platitude.
Q: Are your greetings with brothers and sisters in Christ platitudes or genuine love? - How you doing today? - Oh fine, you? - Yup good here
*person* how are you doing today?
Be intentional and give a response if you get asked that doesn’t brush aside that question. Change the question if you don’t want an answer. You might have noticed I tell a lot of people it’s nice or great to see them again and I don’t ask how are you to everyone. It’s not because I don’t care about everyone but that I don’t think I’ll get a real answer from everyone or I don’t have enough time to give them the chance to respond without a platitude.
Okay back to verse 2
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.
We talked about giving thanks for people in our prayers being outside the likely norm for us when we were in Philemon but this time the prayer probably feels familiar. I pray all may go well with my friend soandso. When we pray for others are we holistically praying for their wellbeing?
For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth.
This is a weird phrase “testified to your truth” for English. That’s just the simplest way to express the Greek words which are possesive of truth. Your ball, tells us that you are the one in possesion of the ball, unfortunately it could also be understood as ownership. Ownership or exclusivity is not implied here but in today’s culture that Eglish phrase “my truth and your truth” has become a reality. I suspect that newer translations will avoid the phrase solely because it’s come to mean something different in English that it did 10 years ago.
*person* do you have your truth that is different from my truth? Why not we certainly don’t see the world exactly the same as one another wouldn’t it be obvious that your truth is different than mine?
HERE we need to understand that truth is objective. This word has slipped in our culture. We’ve lost a word that stands outside of perspective. So today we need to qualify those kinds of statements to not lose the point.
The objective knowledge of the work of Christ - the Gospel - is in the possession of Gaius. It’s not his, and many more people can simultaneously posses this knowledge. The good report back to John is that Gaius has not lost knowing the truth AND that he walks still in this truth. It is one thing to know something and another to live in a way that shows you know, understand, and accept that it is the truth.
vs 4
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
We reinforce what we just talked about in hearing how much this pleased the elder John. He has “no greater joy” this is the height of joy that John experiences. He claims Gaius among his “children” we take that to mean one of two possibilities or even both. 1) He lead Gaius to the Lord personally. 2) Everyone under his pastoral care is his child. One, the other, or both still point us back to the height of joy John has for someone who is dedicated in Doctrine and Deed, perfected in Profession and Practice, balanced in Belief and Behavior, and consummating Creed and Conduct
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.
Here we’re moving a bit more from the greeting and praise into the body of the letter. We see an encouragement for the actions taken. This is the second time we get “beloved” in noun form I’m not counting when it’s the adjective because I like it when John uses it 3 times as a noun… as if that were particularly special. Gaius has received these people. Last week talked about not receiving someone that was a false teacher. This is the kind of receiving we are talking about. taking them in providing for them while they are there and sending them on well cared for. Supporting the workers of the truth which brings us into the work as fellow workers on behalf of THE TRUTH.
It was these missionaries that brought the report back to John, but not only John the church. This is then a commendation and by way of commendation a way to teach others who see the right thing in the letter to act likewise and provide for missionaries.
I also just want to point out a very Hebrew phrase in here. Does anyone recognize it? it’s in verse 7. In some translations it will be more obvious that others. For what sake did the missionaries go out? - The Name - in Hebrew hashem and that’s used often in place of the name of God. So in conversation many orthodox Jews might say hashem or ‘the name’ when talking about God. When reading scripture and they come to the name they often replace it with adonai which just means lord. So this is just a jewish way of saying God.
We move from the exhortation - the encouragement to good works to a condemnation the encouragement to end bad works.
I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.
Yeah, we take a sharp turn again but at this point it probably shouldn’t be a surprise. Now we have Diotrephes, this isn’t a particularly common name, but as we saw before it’s a very pagan one, not that that itself is somehow bad for a convert but it’s certainly interesting here. This person seems to be in leadership at a church in the same town as Gaius. The same church or not who knows. Diotrephes however got a letter that recommended the missionaries/teachers that were sent from John and rejected them. In rejecting the ones that were sent, it is also a clear rejection of the sender. As we saw before it is John sending but it’s FOR God (hashem) they are going. This is something that HAD to be addressed as a serious issue in the early church. Diotrephes was claiming the first priority in authority a place that only Jesus has in the church. Colossians 1:18 “And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” This person was grasping at preeminence when he shouldn’t. That leads us into four charges made by John in vs 10
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.
If John can make it there he will in essence charge Diotrephes with the following from vs 10.
Evil Gossip
Not supporting missionaries
Hindering saints from supporting missionaries
Removing believers who do support them
We need to be wary of the Diotrephes leaders that grasp authority, gossip about perceived rivals, don’t support God’s works and actively work against it.
We get a wrap up from vs 11.
Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.
This is the example that John points to. Imitate the good.
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.
With these letters going around and people recieving or rejecting people it’s likely that Demetrius here is the one who took the letter to Gaius from John and that’s why we have this note - the person bringing this to you is an imitator of good, support him.
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.
At the end we have a final farewell that again looks forward to an in person meeting and greeting from friends to friends.
