- Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
I start with this enigmatic quote from Hebrews because in an oblique way it reminds me of the challenge that Gaius’s example in 3 John presents to my faith. Gaius was a leader of the early church who was willing to entertain strangers, be they fellow Christians who were travelling evangelists, or elder teachers like John, to honor God and further the gospel message of Jesus Christ.
Before we analyze this epistle from John, take a moment and read it in its entirety. Imagine that you are Gaius. Note the depth of personal concern that John expresses with such brevity:
3 John:
1 The elder,
To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3 It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. 7 It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. 8 We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.
9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. 10 So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.
11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. 12 Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.
13 I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.
Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.
So let’s start with the salutation:
- 3 John 1 The elder, to the beloved Gaius whom I love in truth.
Who is Gaius?
Gaius was a common surname in the early church, perhaps because Gaius was the surname of Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar. In Latin Gaius is likely derived from “gaudeo” which means “rejoice, delight”. In the New Testament there are likely 4 distinct men that share this name: [1]
- Paul’s travelling companion, Gaius of Macedonia, who was captured at the riot in Ephesus (see Acts 19:29).
- Gaius who was from Derbe in Lycaonia, another companion of Paul (see Acts 20:4).
- Gaius the Corinthian who was baptized by Paul, and who was his host in Corinth (see Rom. 16:23; 1 Cor. 1:14).
- The “Beloved Gaius” the recipient of John’s third epistle.
Gaia, the Greek Mother Earth goddess, was said to be the first one to spring from the void of chaos. A Roman bride and groom at their wedding ceremony would pledge to one another: “As you are Gaius, I am Gaia”.
So John referring to “Beloved Gaius” within the Roman culture was making a plain reference to a bridegroom. As with the “Lady (Kurios)” of 2nd John, it seems that John has again chosen a unique universal way to address the entire church, through addressing an individual, “the Beloved Gaius whom I love in truth”.
- 3 John 2 Beloved, I pray that in all respects that you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.
It is nice to see that simple heartfelt prayers for the good health of others are biblical. Often I have found that illness and physical ailments are significant challenges that consume our time and energy and even our joy. God can use these disheartening situations to redirect us to yearn for and rely on Him.
- 3 John 3 It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified to your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.
What brings great joy to you?
We get a window here into the soul of John. He finds exceeding joy in the true spiritual progress of his brothers in the faith. The emphasis in the text is upon TRUTH. The word for truth actually appears twice in this verse. Here is my more literal translation: “Indeed I myself rejoiced exceedingly at the arrival of brothers, namely those bearing witness to the truth of the degree that you are walking in truth.”
I do find great joy when I’m able to converse with people about Jesus and help them to grow in their relationship with Him. Ultimately Paul says that Jesus is the source of joy; joy is a fruit of his Spirit, a gift to us. (see Galatians 5:22)
- 3 John 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
John is expressing tenderly his loving heart of compassion for Gaius. John said that he was overjoyed to hear report of Gaius “walking in truth” and now he says there is “no greater joy than seeing your children walking in truth.” The implication is that John considers Gaius his own child!
Do we let other people into our “family” or do we follow the culture and keep an “us and them, not my blood” attitude?
It gave John joy to realize that he had a role in helping Gaius learn about Jesus. As long as we do not become prideful or seek glory for it, I do think that God working through us is where we find the most joy in this life. Joy is found in discovering and living for God’s purposes, being filled with God’s power and blessed by His presence.
- 3 John 5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you.
John is commending the past actions of Gaius and encouraging him to follow through and send the Christian brothers on their journey with the kind of generosity of provision, prayer and encouragement befitting true brothers. Sometimes we start well with greeting and welcoming strangers, perhaps in the lobby of our church, but then do not follow through showing genuine love and hospitality, for instance by inviting them to be part of our lunch plans. There is a temptation to avoid the new people and to hang out with familiar people because new folks make us feel uncomfortable. We may even justify our aversion rationalizing that we don’t see our friends very much, or thinking, surely they are busy. We all experience this struggle to some degree, but I think the reasons are varied. For some it is a stranger-danger response, for others it is a fear of rejection from new people, or a fear of being ostracized by old friends. Hidden behind these fears is a desire for affirmation, inappropriately seeking from people the acceptance we should find from God. Rather than owning our fears and insecurities and facing them, it has become common to claim to be an “introvert” or “shy” in an attempt to justify a habitual pattern of avoiding new people and thereby exhibiting a sinful lack of hospitality.
John is congratulating Gaius on treating people that he does not know hospitably, as he would treat close friends, and setting the example for everyone of how we should treat strangers.
In Greek verse 5 and verse 6 are one sentence.
- 3 John 6 They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God.
Sometimes our testimony is to the church, not to the world. Here we find that these traveling brothers, strangers to Gaius, stood up in the church and expressed gratitude for the love they received from Gaius. The ultimate “payment” we should desire is not the praise of the church, but rather that our good deeds and loving acts should result in praise and worship to God whom we love and represent. Surely this is what followed such a testimony in the church gathering!
- 3 John 7 It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans.
In the name of Jesus Christ they were going out to spread the word. Hashem in Hebrew literally means “the name”. Even today Jews say either “Hashem” or “Adonai” in place of YHWH when they read the Old Testament text as a way to reverence the holiness of God’s name. So for John to say, “they went out for the sake of “the Name”” is a loaded phrase. A Jew would understand that John believes that Jesus (Yeshua) is now “the Name” that is used to honor God (YHWH)!
As we go out to share about Jesus we need to pray and analyze our hearts. Do we desire to glorify Christ or do we have other motives, like money and fame, following the spirit of the antichrist? If you are expecting the pagans to support you, you will likely be disappointed. Even though we are ministering to them, I do not expect the pagan people of the culture to help the Christians.
When a non-Christian does help a Christian evangelist, it is miraculous and a sign that God is at work in their hearts. Thankfully, God has promised to provide for His work, and often this comes through the generosity of the members of His church (see Philippians 4:19, 1 Corinthians 9:14).
- 3 John 8 We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.
“Work together” doesn’t quite capture the passive tense in the Greek text. The promise is that when we receive brothers on faith and show hospitality as Gaius did, the Holy Spirit knits us together in the truth. This is not our action, instead the idea is that we are made into comrades or partners or fellow laborers by the Holy Spirit. This assistance to missionaries, evangelists and other mobile ministering Christians is essential to their success.
- 3 John 9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us.
It is a sad thing when members and leaders of the church are hindering the message of Jesus. I started with a naive view of this, but have learned that you need to be prepared to confront evil both inside and outside the church. Jesus himself warned that wolves in sheep clothing would infiltrate the church (Matthew 7:15). Satan is constantly looking for a foothold. Pride, such as Diotrephes evidenced, is a real spiritual cancer and a warning sign. The King of the Gods of the Greek pantheon was Ζευς (Zeus), and in the genitive (possessive) form his name is Dios (Διος). Trephes means nourished or cherished. So Diotrephes means “nourished or raised by Zeus”. Diotrephes embodies the opposite spirit from Gaius toward strangers: hostility, even rejection of not just the strangers, but those who are hospitable to them. With good reason we are told to judge those inside the church (see 1 Cor 5:12)!
The issue isn’t when leaders make a mistake, or even sin, though these things must ultimately be brought to light and repented of, but when leaders actively foster hatred, or spread false or misleading teachings or attempt to suppress the truth, for example by barring or withholding John’s letters. John was profoundly grateful for men like Gaius who could be trusted to get his message out!
- 3 John 10 (NASB) For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with malicious words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brothers either, and he forbids those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.
The Greek appears to me to be a thinly veiled question. The NASB translation above captures the “if I come” nuance missing in the NIV. I think that John is tactfully asking Gaius, “Should I come because of this and bring to light Diotrephes’ works and the evil words he babbles about us?” It is a wise leader to be open to input from others, particularly those closer to the situation, about how to handle conflict. John lays out the unfortunate behavior, to make sure the gravity is clear, and what he thinks should be done, offering his assistance.
Forbidding hospitality and having a strong arm in leadership by disfellowshipping people who disagree with you, is diametrically opposed to the unity found in prayer and the Holy Spirit that Jesus desires for his church. There is understandable concern from John that the poor example of a leader like Diotrephes not dissuade Gaius and other Christ hearted men from practicing hospitality.
- 3 John 11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.
The Greek verb is passive, so it literally says “do not be made to imitate “the evil” but “the good”. The definite article reminds me of Matthew 5:13 where most modern translations now translate the Lord’s Prayer: “deliver us from the evil one”. So John is saying “Don’t be made to imitate the evil one, but instead the good one.” Because of the passive tense this feels like a binary option: either you are being conformed to imitate Satan or to imitate God.
It is an encouraging revelation that the good we do is originating from God (literally “is out of God”) as we are being transformed into the image of his Son, Jesus! It is sobering to realize that the one doing evil “has not truly perceived God”. This verb translated “to see or perceive” is in the perfect tense. So the idea is that the one doing evil has not seen him in a life changing way that carries forward and allows them to continue to see and imitate Him. The flip side is a promise, that seeing God truly at one point in time has ramifications for all future times changing the way you see the world. If there is no change, you didn’t really see Him.
So I guess the follow up question would be: how do we truly see God?
For me, it came from encountering Jesus. More than just reading about him, though that is undeniably the place to start, but through prayer I had a supernatural experience of his presence. This “perceiving” that he is real and present and listening and speaking and knowing that he is good and loving changes everything.
I know the God is gracious and desires to reveal himself to those who earnestly seek him. If you long for this experience, pray and ask Jesus to forgive your sin and to reveal himself to you. When you do this something miraculous happens:
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
The truth is that you are given a new identity, a new nature, when you trust Jesus for your salvation.
Even if you have experienced Jesus in a real, undeniable way, it is still easy to make mistakes and sin. When we do that, there is a definite temptation to fall into what I call an identity problem, where you view your mistakes and sin as more of a part of your identity than the new nature that Christ gave you when he redeemed you. You literally became a new creation in Christ, however, the “old” man keeps rearing his ugly head. Slowly, with the repeated encouragement of scripture and the Holy Spirit, we come to believe Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
That is a good memory verse to meditate upon for those moments of identity crisis we all face.
- 3 John 12 Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone – even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.
It is an awesome thing to realize that Truth himself can commend people to us! What a cool thing to have the Holy Spirit witnessing about the character of people. I don’t generally trust the crowd, but do appreciate a personal testimony like John gives!
Who has Jesus commended to you or entrusted you to commend to others?
- 3 John 13 I have much to write to you but I do not want to do so with pen and ink.
I have mixed emotions about this. Sometimes we choose not to write because it is too much effort and we are thinking we will get the chance to say everything in person. In truth we may be resisting the prompting of the Spirit. I suspect that God allowed Paul to face jail time so that he would be forced to write many of the letters that are now our Bible! What a treasure it would be if John had written those letters to Gaius!
While I agree that face to face interaction is important for relationship, sometimes a written letter has more force. You can stop, rewind, reread, or even pray as you read. You can’t argue with a letter; you are forced to listen to the other person’s perspective. In person it really does take wisdom and discernment to get the balance right of speaking and listening. Hence James warns:
- James 1:19b “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”
John is right, however, that speaking in person is a much more effective method of communicating correction, because it allows the speaker to convey non-verbal cues that communicate care and concern for the person despite even difficult words of rebuke.
Even in a teaching setting there is an advantage to face to face interaction. A good teacher can read their audience to know what to emphasize, and when to slow down and elaborate. For instance, reading class notes (even prepared by the professor) are typically a poor replacement for a missed college lecture.
- 3 John 14 I hope to see you soon and we will talk face to face.
There is a “hope” which is a wishful desire that is fleeting, and another Hope, which the word of God speaks about, which is sure because it rests on the power and promises of God. We need to understand the difference. My thinking is that John believed in faith that God would bring him to Gaius knowing that it would greatly benefit his faith. This sort of trust is more akin to biblical hope than a worldly wish. Aside: The text says literally “to talk mouth to mouth”! I guess that makes sense for an idiom, really. John is longing for fellowship with Gaius, which is an important part of our faith, because we are made to be in relationships with one another.
- 3 John 15 Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.[2]
This word for “greet” is literally to “unite by enfolding in arms”. So the greeting and welcoming salutation is a hug! It is nice to see that hugs are important even in God’s word.
[1] The geography would suggest Derbe and Macedonia are distinct, but there is a minor textual variant on the Acts 20 manuscript that suggests rather than “Derbe” the word is Δοβήριος (Dobērios) or “from Doberus”, a town in Macedonia rather than Derbe. This would make the Gaius of Acts 19:29 and the Gaius of Acts 20:4 the same man. While possible, this seems dubious to me.
[2] The grammar is weird. There are two possibilities from this middle/passive verb. Passive: “The friends are being hugged by you” or middle: “the friends hug themselves on account of you.” Neither is exactly the English translation we see! Likewise, the final phrase is either imperative passive: “You are to be hugged by the friends by name” or middle: “you are to hug yourself by name”. Honestly I think I like the simpler rendering in the NIV! That is probably what these meant idiomatically.
Atheist to Elder 