Quizzing the New Testament : 2 & 3 John

Answer: The Elder

John does not elaborate on what is meant by "The Elder", but it is generally presumed to indicate a role in church leadership. In fact, none of the letters attributed to John even bear his name. The apostle John has, traditionally, been regarded as their author due to a similarity in style with John's gospel.

Answer: A church congregation

We have no other record of the situation in which John is writing. It is most probable that there is a mother church with various satellite house churches. The "chosen lady" would therefore refer to the central church and "her children" either to the church members or to the other churches.

Answer: Walking in the truth

"It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us." (2 John v. 4)

"It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth." (3 John v. 3)

John may be so overwhelmed with joy that he feels compelled to write about it, but it's also a great way, psychologically, to make the subjects more receptive to what you're about to ask of them!

Truth is one of the words used distinctively by John in his gospel, which is one of the reasons for these letters being attributed to him. There we read verses such as:

"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (John 1 v. 17)

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8 v. 32)

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. (John 14 v. 6)

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth." (John 16 v. 13)

"Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." (John 17 v. 17)

Answer: Obeying God's commands

"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. 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." (2 John v. 5-6)

This is a theme that harks back to John's first letter where, several times, he links love with obedience to God's commands. It is probable that one of his targets was those that distorted the gospel to claim that, if salvation came through faith alone, any behaviour was acceptable. Here, though, it is most likely preparing the ground for the attack he is about to launch on those to whom he is doctrinally opposed.

Answer: They do not acknowledge that Jesus came in the flesh.

"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." (2 John v. 7)

The name of this heresy is Docetism. Its proponents believed that Jesus only appeared in spiritual form. He, therefore, couldn't have had a physical body and couldn't have died on the cross.

Answer: Do not welcome them

"If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him." (2 John v. 10)

This goes against the traditional Christian teaching of practising hospitality, which was inherited from the religion's Jewish roots. It does underline, however, how vital John saw it to protect this church from false doctrine.

Answer: My dear friend

"The elder, To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth." (3 John v. 1)

There is a Gaius mentioned as one of Paul's companions in Acts and also referenced in Paul's letters to the Romans and Corinthians. This was, however, a common name and John gives no further information about Gaius in his letter. It is, therefore, impossible to say whether there is any connection between the two.

It is also impossible to say whether John really was a dear friend of Gaius or whether this is his subtle way of drawing Gaius to his side against Diotrephes.

Answer: Gross immorality

"I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church." (3 John 9-10)

Again, we have no further information about Diotrephes (whose name means "nourished by Jupiter") beyond these verses. All that can, therefore, be said with certainty is that he and John did not agree and that he, too, was in a leadership role having the authority to expel church members. It has been suggested that 2 John indicates a division within John's church with opposing factions and that Diotrephes led a satellite house group. Under this theory, John was keen to promote one point of view, but Diotrephes did not want to take sides and chose to avoid contact with either of the parties. It has also been proposed that Diotrephes was the local bishop.

Answer: Demetrius

"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 v. 12)

Ephesus had a pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis. Demetrius was concerned because he made silver shrines dedicated to the goddess and could see his income tumbling as a result of Paul's preaching. He, therefore, called a meeting of local craftsmen and incited them to riot. The crowd seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's travelling companions, but, after several hours, were persuaded to disperse by the city clerk (Acts 19). It is interesting to note the juxtaposition of the names of Demetrius and Gaius here, just as they are in 3 John, but there is no reason to believe this is anything other than coincidence.

Answer: Face to face

"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." (2 John v. 12)

"I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face." (3 John v. 13-14)

This reinforces the view that John was familiar with those to whom he was writing.