Don’t you like the old western cowboy movies when you knew who the good guy was and who was the bad guy. You can pick them out easily in those old movies because the good guy wears the white hat, and the bad guy wears the black hat.
This letter makes it obvious who the good guy is and who is the bad guy. Diotrephes wore a black hat and Demetrius wore a white hat. You can easily pick up who is the good guy and who was the bad guy. Before this letter to Gaius, there may have been some confusion for Gaius on how he responds to these two. In this letter John has helped Gaius clarify the situation.
The apostle John has written much about believing in Jesus. John told us he wrote his Gospel that you might believe. In his letter 1 John he tells us it is about assurance of salvation for those who have believed. Now in the letter we know as 3 John he is writing about the believer’s testimony in the church.
Can you picture a contrast of testimonies in your mind? A situation where there was a believer with a good testimony and one with a bad testimony. John contrasts two church leaders and mentions their testimonies that are a complete opposite.
The elder,
To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 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. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. (3 John 1-4)
We are limited in our understanding in just who Gaius is. There are some good possibilities, but we cannot say for certain. What we can say for certain is that Gaius was a good friend of John. The other thing we know for sure is that Gaius is walking in the truth.
In his younger days John and his brother James were known as the “sons of thunder.” His brother James was the first of the Apostles to die (excluding Judas), and John was the last. John was old when he wrote this letter. It is addressed to Gaius his trusted ministry partner or mentee. John is writing Gaius about a troublemaker church leader impacting the gospel ministry. John is not just writing Gaius about this situation. John is himself tangled up with this troublemaker.
When John wrote this epistle, he was probably in Ephesus and probably already in his eighties. That would mean he was ninety-two when he wrote revelation on the island of Patmos. Because of John’s advanced age I am supposing that this Gaius is not one of the others named Gaius we read in other parts of the New Testament.
There was a traveling companion of Paul named Gaius who was seized in the riot at Ephesus. (Acts 19:28-30) According to how I am dating this epistle, then that riot happened more than thirty years prior to this letter. If that Gaius is still living at the time John wrote this I don’t think John would be so happy at the news he was walking in the truth. Of course, that Gaius would be walking in the truth, there is no joyful surprise there.
There was a man named Gaius that Paul baptized in Corinth, but that Gaius is probably an old man also. I picture this Gaius as a younger man who was a disciple of John.
Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. 7 It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. 8 We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth. (3 John 5-8)
Now that we get past the introduction of John’s letter, we find out what the situation is. Not only does it seem likely that John is writing from Ephesus, as “the elder” there, but it seems John’s ministry extends through Asia.
When the Lord gave John his revelation on the Island of Patmos and a message to the seven churches, these churches, could all be ones that John was helping from his Ephesus base. This would mean that John had a “hall of Tyrannus” type ministry in Ephesus like Paul did twenty-five years prior.
John would send out missionaries who would go out for the sake of the name of Jesus, to start new work and help the churches. This ministry depended on the church giving these itinerant ministers hospitality. If the church members did not help these servants, then no one was going to. Gaius was faithful in hosting these missionaries, even though he did not already know them. In doing this John, the missionaries, and Gaius were all working together as a team for the cause of Christ.
I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. 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. (3 John 9-10)
The background seems to be that John had sent some itinerant speaker to the church and Diotrephes who loves to be first (vs 9-11) Will have nothing to do with John or the brothers John was sending to the church. Diotrephes was gossiping maliciously about John. This guy Diotrephes stops anyone who welcomes who John send and puts them out of the church. Yep, Diotrephes is the bad guy.
The problem was that Diotrephes was not a team player. He was putting himself first and it was hurting the cause of Christ. Not only was Diotrephes not helping the visiting missionaries, but he was not intending to help or host John when he traveled there. Not only this, but Diotrephes is spreading malicious nonsense about John and the Lord’s faithful servants.
Diotrephes did not give hospitality to the missionaries, also he put anyone out of his church who was hosting them. Diotrephes had let his “me first”, territorialism destroy his ministry.
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. 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. (3 John 11-12)
We have to deal with all kinds of people in life. Even in the church there are those who do what is evil (that is how john put it) and those who do what is good. Do you want your church to be a New Testament church? Well, we have a New Testament church right here in this letter 3rd John. But this New Testament church had a self-seeking, gossiping manipulator in the center of activities. It is a reminder that the New Testament churches had plenty of problems. Much of the New Testament are letters dealing with the problems.
Poor Gaius found himself in a very difficult situation. But probably there is an important reason this letter is given to us in the Bible. I suspect it is because we will often find ourselves in this kind of situation where we need to discern who is the good guy and who is the bad guy in ministry.
When Jesus walked the earth, he criticized the Pharisees. They said his work was from the devil. Paul was criticized by the false apostles. Peter and John were criticized by some faction of the church. How do we know who is wearing the white hat and who has the black hat on?
John 13:34-35 says, people will know you are disciples that you love one another. That does not mean we should be getting friendly with self-seeking malicious gossips like Diotrephes. John has such an issue with this troublemaker. He is not telling Gaius to love him but watch out for him.
I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. 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. (3 John 13-14)
The good guy is Demetrius. He has a wonderful testimony. He is well spoken of by everyone, and by the truth and by John.
Now Gaius has to navigate the clash of testimonies. John guides Gaius in this. Do not imitate was it evil but what is good. Gaius may have some tough choices in navigating the relationships in the churches, but they are clear. Gaius needs to stand with Demetrius and stand up to Diotrephes.
One application that comes from this brief letter is watch your testimony. By all means be the Demetrius that is well spoken of. Do not become the self-seeking malicious gossip.
Gaius was sure on the right path and John could say that others were speaking of Gaius as a man of love and hospitality. As you minister for Christ be discerning.
