As in 2 John, the author of this very short letter identifies himself simply as “the elder,” and once again, the style and language in the letter point to the Apostle John as the author. And, similar to 2 John where John addressed his letter to an unnamed “chosen lady,” in 3 John the letter is addressed to a specific individual whom John identified as the “beloved Gaius.” Similarly, as 2 John contained only 13 verses, 3 John contains only 14 verses.

All three of John’s letters focus on the issue of “fellowship.” In 1 John, the Apostle encouraged his readers to have fellowship with God; in 2 John, he forbids “the chosen lady” to have fellowship with false teachers; and in 3 John, he encourages Gaius to have fellowship with Christian brothers and sisters. In this last letter, John prays for God to “prosper” Gaius in every way, including his health and his soul (3 Jn. 2). And then notice how John encourages Gaius in his personal walk with God,

“For I was very glad when brethren came and bore witness to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth” (3 Jn. 3-4).

It is clear that John’s true joy came from seeing his “children” in the faith walk in the truth about Jesus about whom he had previously taught them. But there is more,

“Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; and they bear witness to your love before the church; and you will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God” (3 Jn. 5-6).

How blessed Gaius must have felt when John addressed him as “beloved,” and then to affirm his love for those “strangers” who had come into the fellowship from another city or region. His hospitality toward them was continually affirmed by John. But there was a problem in the church with an individual named Diotrephes. There is evidence that John had written another letter to the church (a “lost” letter) and it was received by Diotrephes who refused to read it to the church. Notice John’s words to Gaius,

“I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say” (3 Jn. 9).

Now we see why John had to write to Gaius, a trusted follower of Christ and close friend of John. Because Diotrephes was full of pride and loved to be “first” in the congregation, neither the church nor Gaius had received John’s “missing” letter. So, John needed to tell Gaius that he was hoping to come soon and address the congregation himself.

“For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words, and not satisfied with this, neither does he himself receive the brethren, and he forbids those who desire to do so, and puts them out of the church” (3 Jn. 10).

Wow! Diotrephes was really doing damage to the church. Unjust accusations toward John using “wicked words;”  turning faithful visiting brethren away from the fellowship; and throwing faithful members out of the church are just a few of his actions. At the end of this short letter, John commends another faithful disciple, Demetrius, for his solid testimony of the truth, saying,

“Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself…” (3 Jn. 12).

Finally, John informed Gaius that he hoped to see him soon so that they could speak “face to face.” And then, John asks Gaius to greet each of their friends by name. I love John’s attention to the value of every individual, and how a true shepherd will care for his flock. And as John oversaw many churches in Asia Minor, not only was each one special to him, but so were the individual members of each church.

My encouragement to each of us today is to examine our own lives to see if we exhibit a “spirit” of Diotrephes who was a “divider,” or a spirit of Gaius, who was a “reconciler.” Such a spirit stems from our acceptance or rejection of the “truth” of which John always spoke. Let’s follow the path of Gaius, one who accepted the “truth” (who is Jesus Himself), and thereby expressed genuine Christian love to others, even strangers.

Peggy and I send our love to each of you, and pray that you have a wonderful weekend. And, a blessed Mother’s Day to all of you who are mothers.