May 3, 2015

Background Scripture: 3 John

Devotional Reading: 2 Timothy 2:14-19

People often make the mistake of assuming the epistles of 1 John, 2 John and 3 John were written by the same person to the same congregation, concerning the same problems and offering the same solutions.

While one person might have written all three epistles, some scholars believe there is evidence suggesting they could also have been written by two or three different authors, one or more of whom may have been the author of the Gospel According to John. It was not uncommon in those days for a disciple to write not in his own name, but in the name and to the honor of his teacher.

When studying any passage of scripture there are two questions we need to ask. The first of these is: What is the situation to which the writer is addressing himself?

In 3 John the purpose is evident: a member of the congregation, Diotrephes, is dividing the church and defying authority (vs. 9,10).

But it is not Diotrephes alone: “For certain individuals among you, people who long ago were designated for this condemnation as ungodly, who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (v.4).

So that brings us to the second question: What then does 3 John have for us today? ”I have written something to the church; but Diotrephes who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge my authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, prating against me with evil words.

“And not content with that, he refuses himself to welcome the brethren, and also stops those who want to welcome them and puts them out of the church” (1:9-13).

Our ‘Diotrephes’

Notice that although the writer recognizes the danger to the church and the culpability of Diotrephes, he does not neglect to display the love that is distinctive of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

That doesn’t mean that he will pat his detractor on the head and assure him “It’s okay!” He recognizes the seriousness of the situation. It is not “okay,” but the elder will confront this man face to face and seek to deal with him as a brother in Christ, not as the enemy.

As a pastor I did not have to deal with itinerating missionaries and evangelists, but I encountered some of Diotrephes’ sisters and brothers. In fairness to those who may have resented my leadership, I would have to admit they may have had good reason to.

Fresh out of seminary – and I do mean “fresh” – my bishop sent me to a rural church that was about to become suburban. I was to supervise the construction of a new building to replace the little white frame church that had stood on that lonely spot since Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden. I soon found there were some parishioners who didn’t want a new and changed church.

Today, 60 years later, it pleases me to know the church building we built has been substantially enlarged. In addition to the assigned minister there is a staff of several clergy, and the church serves the community and environs in laudable fashion. In retrospect, who was “right” and who was “wrong?”

I suspect the bishop was right in his vision for that church, but wrong in not preparing the congregation for that momentous change. I think the people were wrong in not speaking-up to the bishop before I was sent there.

I think I was right in trying to carry out the mission I had accepted, but wrong in not knowing how to lead them in a direction they feared.

Further, my seminary did a good job in preparing me for the pastorate, except it gave me no tools with which to handle conflict. Eventually, love won out.

An ‘inside job’

3 John also warns us there are likely to be individuals who, like Diotrephes, will think of the church as “MY church.” The church does not really belong to them, nor does it belong to the bishop, the presbytery, the synod, the pastor or the even the congregation.

It does belong to Christ, and that is something of which all of us need to be reminded constantly. There are lots of hazards to threaten the churches, but usually the problem is “an inside job.”

I believe that today the greatest spiritual dangers are not so much from outside religious groups as from that influences of our secular society that each of us unknowingly brings to our religion. This allows secular values to become part of what we regard as our “faith” without us recognizing the difference.

For example, in the days of the Soviet Union, many members of the Orthodox Church believed support of Communism was an essential part of their faith. Well, of course, we knew that was so. But, what many of us don’t recognize today is that the mixture of religion and politics in our own country not only compromises our Christian faith, but also paralyzes our government and undermines our Constitution.

The writer or writers of the three epistles of John were aware of the dangers within and without the churches, but they also recognized that meeting these challenges required more, not less, love.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Rev. Althouse may write to him in care of this publication.