Down with Diotrephes; Long Live Demetrius!
THIRD JOHN DIFFERS FROM 2 John in many ways.1 One key difference is that 2 John is written to a group of people, while 3 John is written to a single individual, Gaius. As in the previous letter, John calls himself “the elder.” In addition to the recipient, Gaius, two other individuals appear in this letter: Diotrephes and Demetrius. We cannot identify any of these names with anyone bearing these names in the New Testament since there is not enough information given by John to do so. The name Gaius, a common name in the first century, occurs four times in the New Testament (Acts 19:29; 20:4; 1 Corinthians 1:14; Romans 16:23). The “brothers” whom John mentions in verse 3 and again in verses 5–8 can be identified as itinerant teachers. Whereas 2 John is negative in tone with respect to itinerant false prophets, 3 John is positive about those who teach the truth. Unlike 2 John, where itinerant teachers who were false prophets are denounced, these teachers are highly recommended to Gaius by John. Stott is correct in suggesting that 2 and 3 John “must be read together if we are to gain a balanced understanding.”2 In 3 John the problem addressed is one of authority in church leadership and its abuse. Diotrephes is singled out by John for his pride, stubbornness, and desire for personal aggrandizement. John becomes a perfect example to all pastors and church leaders today in that in both of these short letters, his authority as an apostle is balanced with his love for the church. John is an “elder” in age but also as a church leader. He teaches us how to speak the truth in love with respect to difficult church problems.
John loved Gaius and trusted him to do the right thing in the problem situation in the church. Four times in this short letter John addresses Gaius as “beloved” (vv. 1, 2, 5, 11). The emphatic use of the personal pronoun “I” in verse 1 emphasizes John’s love for this man.
It is not possible to determine from the letter alone whether Gaius and Diotrephes were members of the same church. They may have belonged to neighboring congregations. Whatever the case, John felt concern that Gaius might be overly influenced by Diotrephes.
The itinerant teachers were probably somewhat under the direction of John. Their ministry to the local churches was vital at a time when all of the apostles but John had passed from the scene. Pastors can identify with Gaius’ predicament if he were caught between loyalty to John and some of the local leaders such as Diotrephes. It is not clear from the letter whether doctrine was involved in this problem and whether perhaps Diotrephes may have been in cahoots with the false teachers. This is probably not the case. The problem is a practical one relating to personalities and personal agendas.
Pastors and other church leaders are not immune from the temptations of pride and personal aggrandizement. In fact, just the opposite is the case! Pastors are probably more prone to these temptations and must guard against them at all costs.
The structure of this letter is simple and clear. Verses 1–4 comprise the opening of the letter and contain three parts: a somewhat standard opening address identifying the writer and recipient, a blessing, followed by a statement of encouragement that John’s readers are living out the truth of the gospel. Verses 5–12 constitute the body of the letter, with verses 13–15 functioning as the closing. The purpose of the letter can be discerned from its contents. Diotrephes had on some unspecified earlier occasion rejected John and the itinerant teachers whom John calls “brothers.” John desired Gaius and the church or churches he represents to support and show hospitality to them and to mark out Diotrephes for the troublemaker he is. The three exhortations found in verses 6, 8, and 11 are key in the letter. Of these four, the most important is verse 11: “Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good.”
Greeting (vv. 1–4)
Following the opening introduction of verse 1, verses 2, 3 introduce John’s prayer for Gaius. John desires for Gaius to experience good physical health in the same way that his spiritual life (“soul”) is healthy. External health is important, but not nearly as important as our spiritual health. Spiritual health should come first. Yet many people today are far more concerned about their physical health than their spiritual health. George Whitfield has a fascinating sermon on this verse that is worthy of our consideration. He asks and answers the question of how we can know that our soul prospers. He talks about the sad condition of many people who are more concerned about a pimple on their face than the rottenness in their heart.3
Witness the burgeoning health spa industry. Witness also the growing influence of the so-called Word of Faith movement today. One of its chief theological errors is the notion that if you are sick, it is due to sin and/or your lack of faith. Much of the preaching in the Word of Faith movement focuses on physical health and wealth rather than on spiritual health and wealth.4 As I write these words, my own precious wife begins chemotherapy treatment this week for colon cancer. Though her physical health is currently diminished, she has never been in better spiritual health! The Great Physician not only cares about our physical health but, even more importantly, has brought to us the remedy for our sin in Christ’s death on the cross on our behalf. For those who know Christ, the cancer of the soul has been dealt a death blow.
In verses 3, 4 John “rejoiced greatly”5 that his dear friend Gaius was faithful to the truth and living out the truth. John’s faithful ministry had given birth to many spiritual children. Some of these no doubt came to faith in Christ through John’s direct ministry. Since John was an apostle, all were in some way under his spiritual leadership. Like an old professor who learns that his former students have now distinguished themselves in their respective disciplines, nothing provides John any greater joy than to hear reports that “my children are walking in the truth.” I have had the privilege of serving the Lord and his church as a youth pastor for five years from 1977–1981, as a pastor for over twenty-one years (1982–2004), and as a professor of preaching and New Testament (adjunctively and full-time) since 1985. One of my greatest joys is to receive emails from former members of my youth group and churches or my former students telling me what my preaching and teaching has meant to them. When I hear they are “walking in the truth,” living a life consistent with the gospel, my joy cup is full! May God help us all to be like Gaius in our own Christian conduct, daily reflecting Christ in all we say and do.
Notice all of the emotive terms in these first four verses: John loves Gaius; he is concerned for his physical and spiritual welfare; he rejoices in his spiritual progress. John’s own warm heart of love for the Lord and for fellow Christians oozes from these verses.
Support for Itinerant Teachers (vv. 5–8)
In the body of the letter (vv. 5–12), John addresses three problems: 1) his request that support be shown to the itinerant teachers that John himself had sent to the church had been denied by Diotrephes and others; 2) John was concerned that Gaius might be influenced by the behavior of Diotrephes; and 3) he needed to secure Gaius’s help for the itinerant teachers. In verses 5–8 John praises Gaius for his hospitality toward the itinerant teachers. “It is a faithful thing you do for all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church.” Gaius acted toward the traveling teachers consistently with what he believed. They were “strangers” to him, people whom he had never met before. In the culture of the first century, a stranger was viewed as a potential threat to the community. The modern-day concept of hotels and motels did not exist. Strangers had no standing by custom or law. They needed a patron to vouch for them. Letters of recommendation were important in such a culture. Refusal to accept the recommended stranger was tantamount to refusing and dishonoring the one who commended him.6 These “strangers” were Christian brothers who deserved to be treated in a Christian manner. Gaius showed them hospitality, and these “brother strangers” gave public testimony to the church about how Gaius had helped them. What Gaius did for these traveling teachers was valuable not only for themselves but also for the Christian community. He provided the necessary material means for their travel and ministry. Gaius did this “in a manner worthy of God”; that is, since the teachers are emissaries of Christ, they should be treated as one would treat God himself or in the same way as God would treat them.
Gaius was right to do what he did because these traveling teachers had gone out in the name of Jesus and for his sake to fulfill his purpose. One purpose of their travel was evangelistic. Furthermore, these teachers had not taken or received any support from unbelievers in the process. When John uses the word “Gentiles” here, he is using it in the sense of those who do not know Christ. Non-Christians are under no obligation to support Christian missions, but we Christians are! That’s why John says in verse 8 that “we ought to support people like these” traveling teachers. The verb is in the present tense and expresses our continual obligation to support them. Because of their work, and because they do not receive support from nonbelievers, John solicits for them not only hospitality but financial support. When we render this kind of aid, we become “fellow workers for the truth.” We may not be able to travel to foreign lands to carry the gospel, but when we support those who do with our prayers, our finances, and our encouragement we become fellow laborers with them in the gospel. Gaius opened his heart, his home, and his hand to fellow Christian teachers, and we should do the same.
Rebuke of Diotrephes (vv. 9–11)
Now John turns his attention to address the problem that motivated his writing to Gaius in the first place. A man named Diotrephes spurned John’s authority, slandered John with “wicked nonsense,” refused to provide the necessary hospitality to the traveling teachers, prohibited those within the church who desired to show hospitality to those teachers, and even worked to expel them from the fellowship (vv. 9, 10)! Obviously Diotrephes carried significant authority in the church. In verse 9 John mentions a letter he had written to the church. This letter cannot be the current letter or 1 or 2 John. What letter is he referring to? There is no way to know. John had written to commend the traveling teachers, but Diotrephes rejected John’s instructions. Not only that, but he then proceeded to defame the character and authority of John verbally by “talking wicked nonsense” against John. The Greek phrase literally reads “gossiping evil words against us.” Diotrephes was bad-mouthing John with his unjustified charges, but his gossip was nothing more than verbal nonsense.
John doesn’t mince words in his condemnation of Diotrephes’ unchristian actions. In fact, he is so miffed about it that he hopes to come and confront Diotrephes personally to rectify the situation.7 Public exposure is John’s plan when he arrives. This is John’s meaning when he writes, “I will bring up what he is doing.” This old “Son of Thunder” can still live up to his nickname!
Diotrephes’ action was causing a serious division within the church that had to be addressed. John gives us an insight into the motivation for Diotrephes’ actions. He was a man who “likes to put himself first.” This is a fascinating word that occurs only here in the entire New Testament.8 The word connotes the idea that Diotrephes loved to be the leader and to exercise authority in the church. He wanted to control others, like some people in the church today. This is ambition for leadership, and it is especially problematic with someone who is unqualified to lead! I have seen this problem many times in churches, and it is not limited just to laypeople either! Sometimes pastors or church staff members are afflicted with the “I want to be first” syndrome. This was the problem with some of history’s great leaders. George Armstrong Custer, for example, finished last in his class at West Point. Just two years later, at the age of twenty-three, because of his exploits during the Civil War he had been named a brigadier general. Like Diotrephes, he was an “impulsive blabbermouth” with an ego the size of the eastern Montana Territory, where he ingloriously lost the Battle of Little Bighorn along with his life in 1876.9 There is only one who is preeminent in the church, and his name is Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:18). When Peter addressed fellow pastors in 1 Peter 5:1–4, he reminded them that they must shepherd God’s flock, “not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.” A pastor is a shepherd, not a swaggering dictator. I have seen some pastors who are so full of themselves they can strut sitting down! Diotrephes is still among us, unfortunately.
Following this sad and sordid description of Diotrephes in verses 9, 10 John inserts a direct command in verse 11, the first and only imperative in the letter: “do not imitate evil but imitate good.” The present tense indicates that the prohibited action has not yet taken place. John desires Gaius not to begin to imitate Diotrephes in his evil actions. Rather Gaius is to imitate good. John’s mitigated appeal in verse 8 (“we ought to support people like these”) is now followed by a direct command. In context, the “good” here has already been stated in verse 8: support the traveling teachers. A general maxim appears at the end of verse 11: “Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.” John’s point is that your character and behavior evidences your relationship with God, or lack of it. The description “has not seen God” means “has not come to know God.” John is speaking of seeing with the mind rather than the eyes. Consistent evil behavior is evidence that one is unregenerate.
Praise for Demetrius (v. 12)
In verse 12 John applies his hospitality point of the letter to a specific person, Demetrius. Gaius and the church are to receive Demetrius and show him hospitality. John provides a threefold testimony to the character of Demetrius. First, he “has received a good testimony from everyone.” Second, by way of personification, he has received a good testimony “from the truth itself.” This means Demetrius lives in a manner consistent with the truth. Third, John adds his own personal testimony concerning Demetrius with an added motivation to Gaius: “you know that our testimony is true.” With such testimony it would be impossible for anyone to refuse to show hospitality to Demetrius.
Yours Sincerely, John (vv. 13–15)
The letter closes with John’s personal statement of his hope and desire to see Gaius and the church soon to talk face-to-face in verses 13, 14. This is followed by a final greeting in verse 15 that, on more careful scrutiny, says much about John, Christian love, and fellowship. “Peace be to you” is an appropriate benediction given the situation John is addressing. “Peace” is nothing more than the experience of “God’s covenant blessing, protection, and provision in all its fullness.”10 John’s fellow believers who are with him when he writes also send greetings to Gaius. The fact that John calls them “friends” may hark back to John 15:14, 15 where Jesus told his disciples that he lays down his life for his “friends.” Finally, John asks Gaius to greet those who are in the church “each by name.” This says a great deal, doesn’t it? John thought of each one of the congregation and included each in his greeting. Can you imagine if you had been there in church the Sunday after Gaius received the letter from John? I can envision Gaius going around and greeting each brother or sister on John’s behalf. “Bill, John told me to give you his greeting!” “Sarah, John sends you his personal greeting!” “Jim, John asked me to give you his greetings personally!” “Mary, John asked me to greet you by name!” How special it must have made all those Christians feel that John would not only send greetings but send greetings to each of them by name! After all, Dale Carnegie was right when he said that if we want to win friends and influence people, we should remember that a person’s name is the sweetest and most important sound in any language to him or her. When you remember someone’s name, you pay him or her a subtle compliment. In Christian fellowship when you remember someone’s name, you show him or her that he or she is special to you and to God’s kingdom work.
Third John may be a short letter, but it is powerfully important for us today. There are many lessons here, both direct and indirect, for Christian living. In closing, are you a Diotrephes or a Demetrius? When people think of you, do they think of someone who is selfless, seeking to give himself on behalf of others in Christian service, or do they think of someone who is selfish, always seeking to be first and in charge? You may think to yourself, I’m not a pastor or church staff member, a deacon, or in any position of leadership in the church. I don’t have any influence. I doubt anyone notices my attitude. You may not be a leader or in a position of leadership, but it would behoove all of us to remember that every Christian is the best Christian that somebody knows. The church and the world are always watching . . . not to mention God.
If you are in a leadership position in someone’s church, and especially if you are a pastor, let me offer a salient word of warning: don’t become a Diotrephes who loves to be first. We all know preachers who are too big for their britches. You know the type. He exudes arrogance, either in the pulpit, outside the pulpit, or both. Joseph Parker, a contemporary of Spurgeon, painted the picture of the prideful person in unforgettable prose: “Here is a little contemptible person who stuffs the unworthy sack, which he calls himself, with the shavings and sawdust of his own self-interest.”11
Probably for most preachers their pride is not that extreme, but it is pride nonetheless. Scripture has much to say about pride. Pride caused Satan to be cast out of Heaven. Pride caused Adam and Eve to sin and be cast out of the garden. It brought down prophets, priests, and kings in Old Testament times. It kept many a Pharisee and Sadducee out of Heaven in Jesus’ day. It caused Pilate to wash his hands concerning Jesus of Nazareth. Pride goes before a fall, Scripture says. Of the seven things God says he hates, first on the list is pride (Proverbs 6:16–19). There are few sins as destructive as pride. The Latin word for pride is “superbia,” which means “aspiring to be on top.” More than one preacher has been brought low by pride. Only God is on top.
Like John, from the early church through today preachers have warned their fellow preachers about pride. John Chrysostom (“the golden mouthed”) called pride the chief sin of preachers. He concluded his rhetorically powerful list of sins with the memorable line, “. . . all these and many other kinds of beasts dwell upon that rock of pride.” You will not read more convicting pages about pride than Charles Bridges’s chapter “The Influence of Spiritual Pride” in his justly famous nineteenth-century work The Christian Ministry.12 Note especially his reference to Cotton Mather’s comments about his own pride when he was a young preacher. And don’t miss Spurgeon’s chapters “The Minister’s Self-Watch” and “The Minister’s Fainting Fits” in his Lectures to My Students. In the latter Spurgeon pungently states, “Be content to be nothing, for that is what you are.”13 Andrew Blackwood, the great homiletician, once stated that among preachers, “pride still remains Soul Enemy Number One.”
C. S. Lewis said concerning pride, “There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves the more we dislike it in others.”14 When we are genuinely humble, we should beware lest Satan smuggle the thought of our own humility into our mind. The experienced demon Screwtape reminded his demonic understudy Wormwood that he must conceal from his patient God’s true end of humility in his life.15 Preachers especially must guard against vainglory and false modesty, which is just another form of pride. Beware when pride shows up in the guise of humility. Leave it to Mark Twain to cleverly drive this point home: “If I ever achieve humility, I’ll sure be proud of it.”
Pride gets around. As Benjamin Franklin said in Poor Richard’s Almanac, 1732–1757, “Pride breakfasted with Plenty, dined with Poverty, and supped with Infamy.”16
The worm of pride is ever threatening to eat into the fruit of the Spirit in your life. The poison of pride ever sits inconspicuously on life’s shelf. Sometimes it takes very little to puff up these proud preacher hearts of ours. A little success, a little prosperity, and we are ready to burn incense to our own accomplishments. Let the world bestow on us a few of its flatteries and we are ready to throw in our lot with it. Pride is ever beside you in the crowded highway and the lonely street. It follows you to the office, to the pulpit, and back home again. It dogs your footsteps when you go to church, kneels beside you when you pray, and whispers in your ear while you preach. It assaults your every relationship, your every sacrifice, and your every sermon. It is your constant companion, arriving early and staying late. It never leaves you night and day ’til death do you part. Pride is the hound of Hell that can only be defeated by the hound of Heaven.
The fact is, most of us just don’t like to humble ourselves. It’s not in our nature. But the Lord knows how to balance our lives. He will allow almost anything to prevent spiritual pride and to quash it when it rears its ugly head in our lives. James reminds us, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you” (James 4:10). If you’re not willing to preach in the basement, you have no business preaching in the bay window. The trick is improving your preaching talent and skills without simultaneously attempting to carve out your own niche in the Preaching Hall of Fame.
Instead of an unwelcome intruder, seek to make humility the spouse of your soul to whom you have wedded yourself forever. To reflect God’s light, don’t seek the limelight. Sometimes we get confused as to who is the light of the world! Even the donkey that brought Jesus into Jerusalem knew the applause was not for him. If you get too big for your britches, don’t be surprised if God gets you a smaller pair of britches. Be very careful that your ambition and your ability do not carry you beyond where your character can sustain you. Let the Diotrephes in us be crucified. Long live Demetrius!
Soli Deo gloria!