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3 John – Following Good Examples. “But it has been the lot both of the minor prophets and the minor epistles to be generally neglected; for with many readers bulk is every thing; and, no magnitude, no goodness.” (Adam Clarke, on the shorter books of the Bible)
John referred to himself in his gospel as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 21:20), a title that highlights one of the great themes of all John’s biblical contributions, including 3 John—the love of God working itself out in the lives of human beings.
- Invitation to 3 John. Purpose. 3 John encourages a specific individual, Gaius, as he faithfully follows the Lord, warning him about a wicked man in the church and pointing to another faithful example in the church.
- Greeting (1–4) On the use of the term “elder” see comments on 2 John 1. Gaius was a common name, making it unlikely that this is the same Gaius mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:14 and Romans 16:23.
- Commendation for Support of Missionaries (5–8) Using his term of endearment (“beloved”) once more, John commends Gaius for his support of the traveling preachers who have come through his region.
- Critique of Diotrephes (9–10) Even though John finds much to commend about this church, some trouble still exists, as is usually the case. One member, Diotrophes, is exalting himself, rebelling against apostolic authority, opposing the travelling preachers, and putting out those who want to support the missionaries.
- From the leader to Gaius (3 John verses 1-4) v1 From the *elder. To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love because of the *truth. v2 My dear friend, I pray that everything may go well for you.
- Continue in the good work (3 John verses 5-8) v5 My dear friend, you are so loyal in the work that you do for other Christians. You help them even if they are strangers to you.
- Problems with Diotrephes (3 John verses 9-10) v9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes does not respect us. He loves to be the most important one among them.
- Copy good men in the way that you live (3 John verses 11-12) v11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil. But imitate what is good. The person who does good things is from God.
Read 3 John commentary using Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete). Study the bible online using commentary on 3 John and more!...
Third John shows us something of the problem of personalities within the church, and three people are mentioned here. There is a man named Gaius, to whom this letter is written; another man named Diotrephes, and a third individual named Demetrius.
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Jesus promised that even the help offered in a cup of cold water to one of His children would not be forgotten when God brings His reward ( Matthew 10:42 ). iii. This also explains why John would pray for the prosperity of Gaius: he used his resources in a godly way, being a blessing to others.
