3 John

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3 John 1:9-10,  I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. 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.

John’s third letter is the shortest book in the Bible.  Unlike 2 John, which is addressed to a whole church, this letter is addressed to an individual named Gaius but also includes references to two other people – Diotrephes (the troublemaker) and Demetrius (probably the bearer of the letter).  There isn’t a lot of theological meat in the letter but it does give insight into church dynamics, particularly personality conflicts and the fact John fears his authority is being dismissed.

If you read through the text (and I hope you all do), the general sense of the letter is one of encouragement and praise up until we get to today’s focus verses.  It seems there is a problem that John feels the need to address.  Diotrephes is refusing to host the missionaries that John is sending to the church; a failure to show hospitality would have been shocking in their culture and certainly embarrassing for John.  The phrase “who loves to be first” might be better understood as the one who wants the authority for himself.  His refusal of the missionaries wasn’t just a rejection of the missionaries but truly disrespect and rejection of John himself.  Plus, Diotrephes is spreading gossip and refusing to welcome other believers.  He is ruling the church with an iron fist.  No wonder John feels the need to address this issue immediately.  This has the potential to destroy the young church and damage their witness for Jesus in the community.

I know this will be shocking but ambition, arrogance, and gossip still have a tendency to find their way into the church (I know, gasp!)  They are just as damaging, just as destructive, just as heart-breaking today as they were then.  I’m guessing that all of us know at least one person who was hurt by a church-goer who was too heavy-handed, patronizing, dehumanizing, or just plain mean.  People leave churches all the time because of these things.  For me, it is literally painful to think about.  And yet, I totally get it.  Churches are filled with humans and humans are sinful.  So what’s the answer?  How do we get a group of sinful people to live the faith and not be all about themselves?  The only answer is Jesus within us.  It was the only answer in John’s day and it’s the only answer now.  We must actually have the desire and the motivation for Jesus to transform us, I mean really change our hearts.  We have to repent of our selfishness, humble ourselves, and allow God to use us as HE pleases. 

Let’s pray…Jesus, How we need you.  Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me.  More of you and less of me.  Amen.