2 & 3 John: 2 short letters to individuals

2 John

(Summary notes appear at the end of each letter)

v.1-4 Greeting

v.1 The elder, To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth – and not I only, but also all who know the truth –

v.2 because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us for ever:

v.3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.

v.4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us.

[Note: John the elder at Ephesus.  Whether to an individual or a church is unknown. Whoever it is, they are loved by him and all who know them, because they are living ‘in Christ’ holding to the truth. Gifts from God abound in the environment of truth and love, and John has seen the fruit of it – other new believers.]

v.5,6 The Command to Love

v.5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.

v.6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

[Note: He reinforces the old command from Jesus to love one another, with the reminder, love is revealed through obedience to Jesus.]

v.7-11 Reason & Warning

v.7 I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.

v.8 Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.

v.9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.

v.10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. 

v.11 Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.

[Note: This needs saying because there are many giving false leadership and they are of the enemy. Reject them [implied] and hold on to what we have imparted to you; diverting from that, diverts from God. If people come with other teaching, reject them. If you welcome such people you welcome their lies into your life.]

v.12,13 Future Hope & Greeting

v.12 I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

v.13 The children of your sister, who is chosen by God, send their greetings.

[Note: I want to share so much more but will wait until I can be with you. The believers here greet you.]

[Letter Synopsis: Echoes from John’s first letter suggest this is who is writing and he is an elder at Ephesus near the end of the first century.  The cause of his writing is obvious: he worries about the church (individuals or the body) and is aware that there are many around who are bringing heresies and deception that is leading believers astray. He is giving notice of coming to see them sometime but for the moment he wants them to hold on to the fundamental teaching of loving one another. It is that simple in the church. In this very simple letter we see the communication that went on between individuals in the Christian community as well as between churches and the works of the enemy they were continually having to combat.]

3 John

v.1 The elder, To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

[Note: From John, an elder of Ephesus, to an unknown [to us] individual.]

v.2-4 About his feelings for Gaius

v.2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, just as you are progressing spiritually.

v.3 It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.

v.4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

[Note: He brings warm wishes and Gaius has been talked about by mutual acquaintances and it brings him great joy, what he’s heard.]

v.5-10 The Apostles received & rejected

v.5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you.

v.6 They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God.

v.7 It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans.

v.8 We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.

v.9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us.

v.10 So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

[Note: He applauds his faithful love and concern for [what seems] some of the apostolic team that has come to him and who have told about his love. They came to serve God with no support from the world. Generally we ought to support such servants of the Lord. John had already written to the church, where Gaius obviously was, but the leader there doesn’t accept outside ministry well, and wouldn’t welcome the team. So when John comes there he will challenge his malicious gossip about them, and his tendency to isolationism.]

v.11-14 Encouragement & Hope

v.11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.

v.12 Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone – and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.

v.13 I have much to write to you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink.

v.14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.

[Note: Don’t copy such men [implied] and only seek to do good. Another leader [presumably] is very different and everyone speaks well of him. I want to write more but I’ll wait until I see you. I’m hoping to come soon so know God’s peace in the meantime. Greetings from those here.]

[Letter Synopsis: John writes to a believer, Gaius, who is clearly a loved friend, who is in a church somewhere where some of the apostolic team want to go. However, one of the leaders there who dislikes contacts with others, feels threatened by the thought of these men coming and has rebuffed John. There is another leader there who is very different and who John commends. John commends his friend and warns against this negative leader and says he hopes to come to them in the near future. This simple little letter shows us the interaction that went on across the Church and the apostolic role that John still played even in old age.]