1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. 2 Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 3 For I was very glad when brethren came and testified to your truth, that is, how you are walking in truth. 4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth. (3 John 1–4)
Gaius is not Paul’s trusted traveling companion, but John’s “beloved” acquaintance in a body of believers somewhere in Asia. This is a personal letter to be delivered by a select group of John’s brethren to encourage Gaius to address the Diotrephes problem (v.9) in his church.
Just a few things on the terms John uses. Walking requires movement in a particular direction. What we learn of Gaius, how he is characterized, is that this activity was “in truth.” We also learn that, in addition to being a discernible and desired pathway, truth itself can be possessed. Gaius walked in truth because he possessed the truth. The fact is, we all should be described as walking in and possessing the truth. In doing so, we prosper!
5 Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; 6 and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth. (3 John 5–8)
John expected his messengers, who were strangers to Gaius, to be treated as men “who went out for the sake of the Name,” as “fellow workers with the truth,” “accepting nothing from the Gentiles,” meaning they exclusively relied on the Lord and his followers for support. (3 John 7)
Perhaps we take it for granted that all those around us are true Christians and trustworthy, with good intentions, but in the days of the early church, and even now, Christians ran the risk of cozying up to “wolves in sheep’s clothing” without realizing it. There were dangers from within and without. Paul referred to these dangers in his second letter to the Corinthians, “For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within. (2 Corinthians 7:5)
9 I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. 10 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, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church. 11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. (3 John 9-11)
In vivid contrast to trustworthy Gaius, John now addresses the antics of Diotrephes, “who loves to be first among them.” Today, we’d call him a “Karen,” or think of him as a power-drunk HOA president. In all seriousness, the Apostle John previously wrote a letter to the church, and Diotrephes “sat on it.” He seems to be the prototype of what John had in mind when he wrote, “Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.” (2 John 9)
At the heart of this issue may have been Diotrephes’ resentment of John’s involvement in the affairs of “his” church. It appears that Diotrephes was unjustly accusatory, rebuffing John’s messengers (actually, itinerant missionaries) to the point of kicking them out of the church, and stubbornly holding the door shut when they pleaded to come back in. These actions were in obvious contradiction to the Lord’s teachings and those of John, who was the “elder” responsible for this local body, and rightfully so.
John’s take was crystal clear: “The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.” (3 John 11) From these words, John was calling on Gaius to introduce “truth,” fairness, and sound thinking into the government of this local body. To do so, he’d have to “bow his neck” and go head-to-head with this man, which would be for a man like Gaius, out of his comfort zone.
Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true. (3 John 12)
John then suggests to Gaius that he might want to join forces with one of his messengers (or a fellow leader in the church) known as Demetrius. I’ll paraphrase his attributes below from John’s perspective, taking some liberties.
Demetrius has always impressed me and others as a man of truth, as you are. You might want to enlist him as your ally to clear up this matter. Two are better than one. Everyone seems to speak highly of him, and his words and actions square with the “truth itself,” and certainly, “our testimony is true.”
It would be hard to argue with John after these glowing words (3 John 12). Such should be how we, without bias, select leaders in our local churches, not on a political basis to forge an alliance of power, but on the basis of a man’s testimony, unbiased by our own motivations or blinded by a “King Saul like” appearance. (1 Samuel 9:2) In sports parlance, we should pick the very best “athlete” available.
13 I had many things to write to you, but I am not willing to write them to you with pen and ink; 14 but I hope to see you shortly, and we will speak face to face. (3 John 13–14)
Since John was planning to come to see the church in person (highly unlikely), in the mean time, the team of Gaius and Demetrius, armed with John’s letter and “the truth,” would iron all this out, and a “peaceful “ friendly spirit would be present when he arrived.
Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name. (3 John 15)
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