3 Johnchapter 1
14 verses · John, by tradition · AD 85 to 95 · The general letters
The elder, To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth:
Introduction
John, by tradition, The general letters, 3 John Overview.
This is the shortest book of the New Testament, a private letter of fourteen verses. Its writer calls himself only the elder, and the church has long read him as the apostle John in his old age. He writes to a believer named Gaius, who opened his house to Christian workers travelling from town to town. A leader in Gaius's own church was turning those same workers away. Listen for the word truth, and for the three men the letter names one after another. Read it as a lesson in welcoming the Lord's servants and in judging a leader by his deeds.
Context
- Who
- One householder, and behind him a church being run by a man who refused to share it
- What
- A personal letter from the elder to Gaius, praising his welcome of travelling Christian workers and warning him about Diotrephes.
- Where
- Probably sent from Ephesus, where early tradition places John's last years, to a house church in the Roman province of Asia.
- When
- Near the end of the first century, most often placed between AD 85 and 95 with 1 and 2 John, since the letter carries no date.
- Why
- To encourage Gaius to keep supporting the workers Diotrephes refused, and to commend Demetrius to him.
Historical context
Sending travelers on their way 'in a manner worthy of God' names a specific custom: a host provisioned a departing guest with food, money, letters of introduction, and sometimes a companion for the road. It was the difference between a safe journey and a dangerous one.
Show the rest of the historical context, 3 more paragraphs
The missionaries in question accepted nothing from unbelievers, which meant they had no other income. If the believing households did not supply them, the work stopped. That is why hospitality is treated here as partnership in the truth rather than as a courtesy.
Letters of recommendation were the standard way a stranger proved he was who he claimed. This letter is functioning as one for Demetrius, who is vouched for by everyone, by the truth itself, and by the elder personally.
Diotrephes is the picture of the problem. As the man whose house held the meeting, he controlled who spoke and who was admitted, and he was expelling members who welcomed the elder's people. A house church had no structure to overrule him, which is why the elder says he will deal with it when he comes.
Significance
For Gaius, the note was public backing. He had been hosting travelers against the wishes of a powerful man in his own congregation, and this letter told him he was right and that the elder knew.
Show the rest of the significance, 1 more paragraph
The letter's whole weight rests on a small sentence: imitate what is good, not what is evil. Two named men stand on either side of it, and everyone hearing it knew both.
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
Gaius: Walking in Truth, Hosting Strangers Well
3 John 1:1-2
the beloved Gaius: The elder writes to the beloved Gaius, and agapētos, beloved, comes four times in the letter, at verses 1, 2, 5 and 11. The wish that you may prosper and enjoy good health is the usual opening of an ancient letter. Its measure is as your soul also prospers.
3 John 1:1
“I personally, for my part. On Gaius or Caius, see my Introduction before Second Epistle. love in the truth-- (2Jo 1). "Beloved" is repeated often in this Epistle, indicating strong affection (3Jo 1, 2, 5, 11).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
2 more voices on this verseWhat preachers and commentators have said about this verse, in their own words.
3 John 1:1
“The elder unto the well beloved Gaius,.... The elder is the writer of the epistle, the Apostle John, who so styles himself on account of his age, and office, as in the preceding epistle. The person to whom he writes is "the well beloved Gaius"; not that Gaius, who was the Apostle Paul's host, Rom 16:23, for though their characters agree, being both hospitable men, yet neither the place nor time in which they lived.”
3 John 1:1
“Caius was probably that Caius of Corinth whom St. Paul mentions, Rom. xvi, 23. If so, either he was removed from Achaia into Asia, or St. John sent this letter to Corinth.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
prosper and enjoy good health: The soul sets the measure. Adam Clarke finds three requests in the prayer: health of body, health of soul and success in Gaius's affairs. Matthew Henry adds that grace improves health and that health gives grace its work.
3 John 1:2
“This supposes regeneration, and an inward fund of spiritual life; this stock is increasing, and, while spiritual treasures are advancing, the soul is in a fair way to the kingdom of glory. His good wish for his friend that his body may prosper and be in health as well as his soul. Grace and health are two rich companions; grace will improve health, health will employ grace.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
1 more voice on this verse
3 John 1:2
“I wish above all things - Περι παντων ευχομαι· Above all things I pray that thou mayest prosper, and be in health, και ὑγιαινειν· to which one MS. adds εν αληθεια, which gives it a different meaning, viz., that thou mayest be sound in the truth. The prayer of St. John for Caius includes three particulars: 1. Health of body; 2. Health of soul; and 3. Prosperity in secular affairs. That thou mayest Prosper and be in Health, as thy Soul Prospereth.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
3 John 1:3-4
your devotion to the truth: The elder's evidence is the word of travellers: the brothers came and testified about your devotion to the truth, in which you continue to walk. He has no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth, the verb in the present tense.
3 John 1:3
“For I rejoiced greatly when the brethren came - Who these were is not certainly known. They may have been members of the same church with Gaius, who, for some reason, had visited the writer of this Epistle; or they may have been the “brethren” who had gone from him with a letter of commendation to the church, 3Jn 1:9, and had been rejected by the church through the influence of Diotrephes, and who, after having been hospitably entertained by Gaius, had again returned to the writer of this Epistle.”
1 more voice on this verse
3 John 1:3
“For - I know thou usest all thy talents to his glory. The truth that is in thee - The true faith and love.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
my children: The elder speaks as a father to those in his care. Adam Clarke notes that the word may mean his converts or those under his pastoral charge, whom an old man could rightly call his children. Charles Spurgeon hears a spiritual father whose joy rests on their walk.
3 John 1:4
“I have no greater joy,.... Nothing that causes greater joy. The Vulgate Latin version reads "grace" or "thanks"; and then the sense is, that he had nothing to be more thankful for: than to hear that my children walk in truth; meaning his spiritual children, those whose conversion he had been the instrument of; and among these it seems Gaius was one.”
2 more voices on this verse
3 John 1:4
“JOHN speaks of himself as though he were a father and, therefore, we concede to parents the right to use the language of the text. Sure am I that many of you here present, both mothers and fathers, can truly say, "We have no greater joy than to hear that our children walk in truth" [the Truth of God.] But John was not after the flesh, the father of those of whom he was writing—he was their spiritual father. It was through his ministry that they had been brought into the new life.”
3 John 1:4
“To hear that my children - From this it has been inferred that Caius was one of St. John’s converts, and consequently not the Corinthian Caius, who was converted, most probably, by St. Paul. But the apostle might use the term children here as implying those who were immediately under his pastoral care, and, being an old man, he had a right to use such terms in addressing his juniors both in age and grace; and there is much both of propriety and dignity in the appellation coming from such a person.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
3 John 1:5-8
for the brothers: Gaius cared for brothers who were strangers to him. To send them on their way, propempsas, meant supplying them, since they went out on behalf of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. So we ought to support such men, the other side of 2 John 10.
3 John 1:5
“Beloved, thou doest faithfully,.... Or a faithful thing, and as became a faithful man, a believer in Christ; in all his beneficence and charity he acted the upright part; he did not do it in an hypocritical way, to be seen of men, and gain applause from them, but from a principle of love, and with a view to the glory of God: whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers; which may design either different persons; and by "brethren" may be meant the poor brethren of the church that.”
2 more voices on this verse
3 John 1:5
“Beloved, thou doest faithfully - In the previous verses the writer had commended Gaius for his attachment to truth, and his general correctness in his Christian life. He now speaks more particularly of his acts of generous hospitality, and says that he had fully, in that respect, done his duty as a Christian. Whatsoever thou doest - In all your contact with them, and in all your conduct toward them. The particular thing which led to this remark was his hospitality; but the testimony respecting his general conduct had been such as to justify this commendation.”
3 John 1:5
“He was hospitable, good to the brethren, even to strangers; it was enough to recommend them to Gaius's house that they belonged to Christ. Or he was good to the brethren of the same church with himself, and to those who came from far; all who were of the household of faith were welcome to him.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
send them on their way: Such care was costly. John Wesley glosses the sending as seeing the workers supplied with what they need for the road. Adam Clarke reads the brothers and strangers as travelling evangelists, and a manner worthy of God as a way God can approve.
3 John 1:6
“Which have borne witness of thy charity - Of thy love and benevolence. Before the Church - The believers at Ephesus; for to this Church the apostle seems to refer. Whom if thou bring forward - If thou continue to assist such, as thou hast done, thou shalt do well. The brethren of whom St. John speaks might have been apostles; the strangers, assistants to these apostles, as John Mark was to Barnabas. Both were itinerant evangelists. After a godly sort - Αξιως του Θεου· Worthy of God; and in such a way as he can approve.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
3 John 1:6
“Who have testified of thy love before the church - The congregation with whom I now reside. Whom if thou send forward on their journey - Supplied with what is needful.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
3 John 1:6
“The testimony or thing testified concerning Gaius--the truth that was in him, the reality of his faith, the sincerity of his religion, and his devotedness to God; and this evinced by his charity, which includes his love to the brethren, kindness to the poor, hospitality to Christian strangers, and readiness to accommodate them for the service of the gospel.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
on behalf of the Name: The Name is the Lord's own. Bede takes it as the name of Jesus Christ, in the way the early church spoke of Him. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note the workers chose to take nothing from the young churches among the Gentiles, so believing hosts had to carry them.
3 John 1:7
“Because that for his name’s sake - The word “his” here refers to God; and the idea is, that they had undertaken this journey not on their own account, but in the cause of religion. They went forth - Or, “they have gone forth” - ἐξῆλθον exēlthon - referring to the journey which they had then undertaken; not to the former one. Taking nothing of the Gentiles - The term “Gentile” embraced all who were not “Jews,” and it is evident that these persons went forth particularly to labor among the pagan.”
1 more voice on this verse
3 John 1:7
“It would have been inexpedient to have taken aught (the Greek "meden" implies, not that they got nothing, though they had desired it, but that it was of their own choice they took nothing) from the infant churches among the heathen: the case was different in receiving hospitality from Gaius.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
fellow workers for the truth: The verb hupolambanein means to take up and carry. It answers verse 7, where the workers took nothing from the Gentiles, so the church takes them up instead. Whoever supports them becomes one of the fellow workers for the truth.
3 John 1:8
“Hence it is said to Gaius through John concerning certain traveling brothers: "For they went forth for the name of Christ, taking nothing from the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such persons, that we may be fellow workers for the truth." For he who provides temporal assistance to those who have spiritual gifts becomes a fellow worker in those very spiritual gifts.”
Gregory the Dialogist · written before 604 · 40 Homilies on the Gospels, Homily 20patristic
2 more voices on this verse
3 John 1:8
“We--in contradistinction to "the Gentiles" or "heathen" referred to, 3Jo 7. therefore--as they take nothing from the Gentiles or heathen. receive--The oldest manuscripts read, "take up." As they "take" nothing from the Gentiles, we ought to take them up so as to support them. fellow helpers--with them. to the truth--that is, to promote the truth.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
3 John 1:8
“We therefore ought to receive such - Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, and have professed the truth at the hazard of their lives, and the loss of all their worldly substance. Instead of απολαμβανειν, to receive, the most ancient and reputable MSS. have ὑπολαμβανειν, to take up, undertake for, or kindly receive. Fellow helpers to the truth - And thus encourage the persecuted, and contribute to the spread and maintenance of the Gospel.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Diotrephes Loves to Be First
3 John 1:9-10
Diotrephes, who loves to be first: , will not accept our instruction, and philoprōteuōn occurs only here in the New Testament. His deeds rise from malicious slander against us to refusing the brothers, forbidding their hosts and putting them out of the church. The elder will only call attention to them.
3 John 1:9
“I wrote unto the church - That is on the former occasion when they went forth. At that time, John naturally commended them to the kind attentions of the church, not doubting but that aid would be rendered them in prosecuting their benevolent work among the Gentiles. The Epistle which was written on that occasion is now lost, and its contents cannot now be ascertained.”
1 more voice on this verse
3 John 1:9
“I wrote--The oldest manuscripts add "something": a communication, probably, on the subject of receiving the brethren with brotherly love (3Jo 8, 10). That Epistle was not designed by the Spirit for the universal Church, or else it would have been preserved. unto the church--of which Gaius is a member. loveth . . . pre-eminence--through ambition.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
putting them out of the church: Diotrephes turned the church's discipline on its own members. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read the putting out as excommunication, which his rank as a leading man let him do. Matthew Henry warns that church censures are often abused, and that many are put out who should be welcomed.
3 John 1:10
“Church-power and church-censures are often abused. Many are cast out of the church who should be received there with satisfaction and welcome. But woe to those who cast out the brethren whom the Lord Christ will take into his own communion and kingdom!”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
1 more voice on this verse
3 John 1:10
"The brethren" are the missionaries on their journey. forbiddeth them that would--receive them. casteth them--those that would receive the brethren, by excommunication from the Church, which his influence, as a leading man (3Jo 9) in it, enabled him to do.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
3 John 1:11-12
do not imitate what is evil: The one who does good is of God, so Gaius is to imitate the good and not the evil. Demetrius is the example, with a threefold witness from everyone, from the truth itself and from the elder, the standard of Deuteronomy 19:15. Diotrephes and Demetrius are the letter's two leaders.
3 John 1:11
“Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good - There can be no doubt that in this exhortation the writer had Diotrephes particularly in his eye, and that he means to exhort Gaius not to imitate his example. He was a man of influence in the church, and though Gaius had shown that he was disposed to act in an independent manner, yet it was not improper to exhort him not to be influenced by the example of any one who did wrong. John wished to excite him to acts of liberal and generous hospitality.”
1 more voice on this verse
3 John 1:11
“But here his name will live. A name in the gospel, a fame in the churches, is better than that of sons and daughters. His character was his commendation.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Demetrius Well Reported; Face to Face Soon
Demetrius: is the good example verse 11 asks for. Andreas of Caesarea took him for the silversmith of Ephesus who stirred a riot against Paul in Acts 19. John Gill judges him a different man and names a second option, the one who carried this letter from the elder.
3 John 1:12
“Happy are those whose spirit and conduct commend them before God and men. Confirmed by the apostle's and his friends' testimony: Yea, and we also bear record; and that with an appeal to Gaius's own knowledge: And you (you and your friends) know that our record is true. Probably this Demetrius was known to the church where the apostle now resided, and to that where Gaius was.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
2 more voices on this verse
3 John 1:12
“In my opinion this Demetrius is the same man who made silver idols of Artemis and who once led a riot against the apostle Paul.”
Andreas of Caesarea · written before 614 · CATENApatristic
3 John 1:12
“Demetrius hath good report of all men, This man was of a quite different cast from Diotrephes, and therefore the apostle makes mention of him to Gaius, to be followed by him, and not the other; he was either the same with Demas, which is a contraction of this name, or the person that John sent from Ephesus with this letter: we read of an Ephesian of this name, Act 19:24; though not the same person; or else one that also was a member of the same church with Gaius and Diotrephes; and he being kind and beneficent, obtained a…”
3 John 1:13-14
with pen and ink: The close nearly repeats 2 John 12, with pen and ink set aside for a hope to speak with you face to face. It ends with Peace to you and a greeting to each of our friends by name, as the shepherd of John 10:3 names his sheep.
3 John 1:13
“I have many things to write,.... With regard to churches, and particular persons, and concerning hospitality to the poor brethren: but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee; suggesting he should take another method of communicating his mind to him, which he next mentions.”
1 more voice on this verse
3 John 1:13
“I had many things to write ... - This Epistle closes, as the second does, with a statement that he had many things to say, but that he preferred waiting until he should see him rather than put them on paper. Perhaps there were some things which he wished to say which he would not like to have exposed to the possibility of being seen by the public eye. But I will not with ink and pen ... - Notes at 2Jn 1:12.”
Peace to you: The parting word answers the quarrel the letter has named. Peace to you follows the slander and expulsions of Diotrephes in verse 10, and the friends are greeted each by name.
3 John 1:14
“Peace be to thee - Mayest thou possess every requisite good, both of a spiritual and temporal kind. Our friends salute thee - Desire to be affectionately remembered to thee. Greet the friends by name - remember me to all those with whom I am acquainted, as if I had specified them by name.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
3 more voices on this verse
3 John 1:14
“The lowest in the church of Christ should be greeted. And those may well salute and greet one another on earth who hope to live together in heaven. And the apostle who had lain in Christ's bosom lays Christ's friends in his heart.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
3 John 1:14
Do not let quarrelsomeness with its love of empty victory creep into our midst, for our aim is the elimination of all discord. Surely this is the meaning of the expression "Peace be to you."
Clement of Alexandria · written before 215 · The Instructor Book 2patristic
3 John 1:14
“Salute the friends by name - That is, in the same manner as if I had named them one by one. The word friend does not often occur in the New Testament, being swallowed up in the more endearing one of brother.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
How this psalm is built
The form: A personal letter from the elder to one believer, with the greeting and health wish at verses 1 to 4, the matter of the travelling workers at verses 5 to 12, and the closing greetings at verses 13 and 14, as Barnes classes it.
The patterns in this chapter
| Device | What it does | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| Beloved, four times | The elder calls Gaius beloved in the first verse and then opens verses 2, 5 and 11 with the same word. Each time it begins a new part of the letter: the prayer for his health, the praise of his welcome and the one command. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read the repetition as a mark of strong affection.Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871, on 3 John 1. | 3 John 1:1, 3 John 1:2, 3 John 1:5, 3 John 1:11 |
| The truth, five times | The word truth stands in verses 1, 3, 4, 8 and 12 of the Berean text, and verse 12 closes on the word true. Gaius is loved in the truth and walks in it, and by his welcome he becomes a fellow worker for it. At verse 12 the truth itself is a witness for Demetrius. John Wesley reads the truth in Gaius as his true faith and love.John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, 1755, on 3 John 3. | 3 John 1:1, 3 John 1:3, 3 John 1:4, 3 John 1:8, 3 John 1:12 |
| Three men set side by side | The letter names three men. Gaius welcomes the travelling workers, Diotrephes refuses them and puts out those who would, and Demetrius has a good testimony from everyone. John Gill reads Demetrius as named for Gaius to follow in place of Diotrephes, and the command of verse 11 stands between the two.John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament, on 3 John 12. | 3 John 1:1, 3 John 1:9, 3 John 1:12 |
| Witness given and received | The words testify and testimony come five times, in verses 3, 6 and 12. Travelling brothers testify to Gaius's walk and to his love, and at verse 12 three witnesses stand behind Demetrius: everyone, the truth itself and the elder. Matthew Henry notes that the elder appeals to Gaius's own knowledge that the record is true.Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710, on 3 John 12. | 3 John 1:3, 3 John 1:6, 3 John 1:12 |
The structure
9 more paragraphs on the patterns
The letter follows the pattern of a private letter of its day. Verses 1 to 4 give the sender, the one addressed, a prayer for his health and the writer's joy. Verses 5 to 8 praise Gaius for his welcome of the travelling workers and ask him to send them on. Verses 9 and 10 report Diotrephes, verse 11 gives the one command, and verse 12 commends Demetrius. Verses 13 and 14 close with the hope of a visit and with greetings, in words close to the end of 2 John (Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on 3 John 13).
Who the elder was
The writer names himself only as the elder, as in 2 John 1. John Gill reads him as the apostle John, so called for his age and his office (Exposition of the New Testament, on 3 John 1). Irenaeus quotes 2 John as the words of John the Lord's disciple (Against Heresies, Book 1, Chapter 16, Section 3). Eusebius lists the second and third letters among the books spoken against, whether they belong to the evangelist or to another man of the same name (Church History, Book 3, Chapter 25), and he records from Papias a second John called the elder (Church History, Book 3, Chapter 39). Jerome reports that some held the two shorter letters to be the work of John the elder (Lives of Illustrious Men, Chapter 9). The case for the apostle rests on the letters' shared words and themes with 1 John and the Gospel. The case for another John rests on the title the writer chose and on the doubt Eusebius records.
Diotrephes and his place
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read Diotrephes as a leading man whose influence let him put members out of the church (Commentary Critical and Explanatory, on 3 John 10). Adolf von Harnack read him as an early single bishop resisting the elder's authority over the churches (Über den dritten Johannesbrief, 1897). The text names his ambition and his deeds and gives him no title, so the office he held is read from what he did.
The words and the manuscripts
At verse 8 the oldest manuscripts read a verb meaning to take up or support, where later copies read to receive (Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible, 1832, on 3 John 8, and Jamieson, Fausset and Brown on the same verse). At verse 9 the oldest manuscripts add the word something, so the elder says he wrote something to the church (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, on 3 John 9). At verse 2 Clarke records one manuscript that adds in truth to the prayer for good health, which would make it a prayer that Gaius be sound in the truth.
Where to go deeper
The office behind the writer's title is set out at /featured/elders-and-deacons, and the church that met in houses at /featured/the-church.
Keep studying
Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The form and classifications
Albert Barnes and John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament, on 3 John 12.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament; Andreas of Caesarea, Catena; Bede, Commentary on the Catholic Epistles; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1148, "The Parent's and Pastor's Joy"; Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor, Book 2; Gregory the Great, Forty Homilies on the Gospels, Homily 20; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.