The Third Epistle of John

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Vaclav

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I think this is the best place to ask this question.

What do we learn from 3 John? I’m asking in complete sincerity. I love reading the Epistles, especially the Catholic Epistles. Yet, I’ve always been a little troubled by this book. Don’t get me wrong, it is a fine (if not extremely succinct) letter. Yet, is there a divine message to extract from it?

There seems to be some indication that missionaries should be treated well and a warning about a single individual dominating a church and removing members (as well as spreading false gossip - verse 10). But, the author himself says that the letter is insufficient for addressing the issue (verses 13-14).

Help?

Here is the epistle itself in the NAB version:
1 The Presbyter to the beloved Gaius whom I love in truth.
2 Beloved, I hope you are prospering in every respect and are in good health, just as your soul is prospering.
3 I rejoiced greatly when some of the brothers came and testified to how truly you walk in the truth.
4 Nothing gives me greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
5 Beloved, you are faithful in all you do for the brothers, especially for strangers;
6 they have testified to your love before the church. Please help them in a way worthy of God to continue their journey.
7 For they have set out for the sake of the Name and are accepting nothing from the pagans.
8 Therefore, we ought to support such persons, so that we may be co-workers in the truth.
9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to dominate, does not acknowledge us.
10 Therefore, if I come, I will draw attention to what he is doing, spreading evil nonsense about us. And not content with that, he will not receive the brothers, hindering those who wish to do so and expelling them from the church.
11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does what is good is of God; whoever does what is evil has never seen God.
12 Demetrius receives a good report from all, even from the truth itself. We give our testimonial as well, and you know our testimony is true.
13 I have much to write to you, but I do not wish to write with pen and ink.
14 Instead, I hope to see you soon, when we can talk face to face.
15 Peace be with you. The friends greet you; greet the friends there each by name.
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Gosh, the thing I’ve always seen that jumps out at me is the respect for the proper leaders and authorities in the church (no sola scriptura here). He is complimenting those who believe the leaders who are faithful to the Church, and not those who are not.

It is a good lesson for this day and age. We are told one of the greatest things we can do is walk in truth and be an example to others. Notice how the “strangers” are impressed enough to testify to their love and how John exhorts them to help the “strangers” continue their journey (into the Church). Isn’t that what modern evangelism for Catholics is all about? Yet here we find it in scripture too.

Just my two cents.
MBS1
 
9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to dominate, does not acknowledge us.
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This verse seems to imply that the Church is authoritative…thats one thing.
 
To me that letter says that in the Church, we need to ask important questions.

Who are you?
Where did you come from?
Who taught you the faith?
By whose authority do you teach?
By whose authority do you assume leadership?

So to me, that letter is about the Great Commission. If you’re not in sync with the teaching of the 11 guys who were on that mountaintop at the Ascension, then you are not teaching the faith of Jesus Christ.
 
MBS1 said:
Gosh, the thing I’ve always seen that jumps out at me is the respect for the proper leaders and authorities in the church (no sola scriptura here). He is complimenting those who believe the leaders who are faithful to the Church, and not those who are not.
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Yeah, I think the RSV says it best

3 John 9 RSV
I have written something to the church; but Diot’rephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge my authority.
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Thanks for the responses. And no, I’m not a sola scriptura person either.

So the primary lesson (at least for us Catholics, no offense to Protestant responders) is one of Church authority?
 
Vaclav said:
Thanks for the responses. And no, I’m not a sola scriptura person either.

So the primary lesson (at least for us Catholics, no offense to Protestant responders) is one of Church authority?
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I dunno. I haven’t studied this epistle using commentaries. I was just reacting on my own account. Did you google it?
 
Since you all thwarted my attempts to be lazy 🙂

Here is what I’ve found:

From the Catholic Encyclopedia:
This short letter, “twin sister”, as St. Jerome called it, to the second of John’s letters, is entirely a personal affair. No doctrine is discussed. The lesson of hospitality, especially of care for the preachers of the Gospel is insisted on. The earliest certain recognition of this letter as Apostolic is by St. Denis of Alexandria (third century). Eusebius refers to the letters called “the second and third of John, whether these chance to belong to the evangelist or to someone else with a name like to his” (“Hist. eccl.”, III xxv; Schwartz, II, 1, p. 250). The canonicity of the letter has already been treated. The greeting and ending of this letter are internal evidence of composition by the author of the previous Johannine letter. The simple and affectionate style, the firmness of the rebuke of Diotrephes are strictly Johannine. Nothing certain is known as to time and place of writing; but it is generally supposed that the two small letters were written by John towards the end of his long life and in Ephesus.
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Here is an interesting snip from Haydock’s Catholic Bible Commentary:
There is great probability that this letter was carried by the converted Jews, who travelled to diffuse the gospel, and who made a religious point not to enter among the Gentiles, and not to receive any thing from them. It may then be considered as a recommendatory letter in favour of these apostolic men. It appears that great pains were taken to remove the antipathy that existed between these two parties, even after their conversion. The same seeds of division are discernible in St. Paul’s epistles between the Jews and the converted Gentiles: and one of the earliest concerns of this apostle was, to suppress in the Jews all sentiments of vanity and self-sufficiency, which made them prefer themselves to the Gentiles; and in Gentiles a different kind of pride, which caused them to despise the Jews.
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'Here is the charm with which a person in authority in the early Church speaks with a friend. Characters stand out: ‘each personal trait speaks of a fullness of knowledge behind, and belongs to a living man’ (Westcott). Gaius ‘keeps truth and love’; he has been charitable to stranger-brethren, probably itinerant preachers sent by John. As they would not ask money from the pagans to whom they preached, they relied on the charity of the brethren, who thus contributed to the spread of the faith. But the jealous Diotrephes, head or ambitious to be head of the local church, would cut off the community from the elder himself and these life-giving outside influences, and bully those who offer hospitality. The elder will come and deal with him. He warmly commands Demetrius, perhaps a preacher and bearer of the letter, and hopes to see Gaius soon."

A New Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture; pg. 1262
 
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