Overview of the Book of 3 John

The overview of the week for this Sunday is the book of 3rd John. So this letter contains less than 300

Greek words, so it's very short. 3rd John and 2nd John shortest epistles in the

New Testament. The Apostle John is the author, written around the same time as his other letters or books around 90

AD, give or take. John is writing to his friend Gaius and he begins the letter with the words, the elder referring to himself to the beloved

Gaius, whom I love in truth, beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health just as your soul does prosper.

And really, this is just a simple greeting that, hey, I hope you're doing well. It's not a guarantee for health and wealth as some modern preachers have tried to claim.

But John continues, for I greatly rejoiced when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth, and I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

So that's sort of the theme of the letter walking in truth. Another man, Demetrius, is mentioned and he's contrasted

Gaius and Demetrius is contrasted with this other man who's not walking in the truth, a man named

Diotrephes. But John refers to himself, he starts the letter referring to himself as the elder.

This is not a reference to a church office. Rather, John is just an old man and he sees

Gaius as his child or his son in the faith, as well as those in the churches in which

John had oversight. So this brings him great joy to see that these believers are walking with the

Lord. Some evidence that they're walking in the truth is how they would show hospitality to Christian teachers who had traveled from place to place, sort of like missionaries do today.

However, there was a man named Diotrephes who did not show hospitality to the brethren.

So John mentions this man. In fact, Diotrephes refused to receive other teachers in the church, basically because he wanted to be the big shot.

He wanted to be the head honcho. He even went as far as slandering the apostle

John in an attempt to exalt himself. Diotrephes would also kick anyone out of the church who did show hospitality to these traveling preachers simply because they were associated with the apostle.

So because of this, John calls Diotrephes out by name.

And he says in verse 10, therefore, if I come to you, I will call to mind his deeds.

You know, it takes some nerve for a preacher to run down an apostle of Jesus Christ.

And yet he did it and people still do it today at times. Usually the vitriol today is directed at the apostle

Paul, but back then this man didn't think too highly of John. John goes on and he says, beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good.

He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen

God. So in conclusion, this letter shows us a pattern of how to handle good behavior contrasted with the bad behavior.

For how we treat one another says a lot about whether or not we are walking in the truth of Jesus Christ.

Because remember, Jesus gave to his followers a new commandment that we should love one another.