3 John: "Nourished by Jupiter" or Jesus?

Even though 3 John is the shortest book in the Bible, it makes for a fascinating read! Many people overlook it due to it's length. However, if we simply take the time to examine its contents, there is a lot we can take away from what John has written to his dear friend.

John wrote this letter to someone who was obviously a dear friend of his, named Gaius. It seems as though Gaius was at one time a disciple of John's, since John refers to him as one of his children that is now walking in the truth (v.4).

John is taking the time to commend his dear friend by letting him know that he has heard of Gaius' continued faithfulness to Christ. Gaius doesn't simply talk the talk, he walks the walk.

There is not very much substance that pertains to us until we get to verse 9. From here, John tells Gaius about a man named Diotrephes, who is also apparently a part of Gaius' church. It is clear from the text that Diotrephes has some major authority issues. He has placed himself in charge of the church and is forbidding outside Christians from visiting. John even tells us that Diptrephes wanted nothing to do with him even!

We don't really know what the deal Diotrephes deal is...we just know that John doesn't like it. John even encourages his friend Gaius not to imitate what is evil as he is referring to Gaius.

We can't really know what Diotrephes issue is for sure, but I think we can make a pretty good guess. It seems as though Diotrephes was overly afraid of outside influences infiltrating the church....so much so that he doesn't even want anything to do with John. It seems as thought Diotrephes has taken it upon himself to safeguard the Christian community. In the process, though, he has built barriers up between himself and everyone else. He has become judgmental and cold.

What we can take away:

It is interesting to me that Diotrephes never changed his name after he became a Christian. His name literally means, "Nourished by Jupiter," or "Fed by Jupiter." Jupiter, of course was the equivalent of Zeus in Roman theology. He was the King of the gods to the Romans.

There is a very, very strong chance that Diotrephes came from a family of wealth and popularity. No poor family would name their son, "Fed by Jupiter." It wouldn't make sense! It is also very likely, if his family truly is rich, that he would come from a long line of leaders. Most likely, his father was a leader and his father's father...and so on.

All of this to say that, Diotrephes is used to being in charge. He is most likely used to having his way. If that is the case, it is obvious that this is a part of his old self that has not died off yet now that he is in Christ. Now, he wants to rule this church and keep others out...a very tragic thing.

Again, John encourages Gaius not to imitate what is evil (what Diotrephes is doing) but to imitate what is good. He goes from there to say (v.11) that anyone who does what is good is from God and that anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.

And, here is where I would like to end. Those who do good, according to John, are from God...meaning that they have their origin in Him, that they are oriented around Him, that they belong to Him. Those who continue to do evil, though, have not seen God.

Why? Because those who have seen God understand how necessary it is to re-orient their entire lives around Him. John uses the Greek word "oraho" for "see." This has something to do with much more than just seeing with the eyes. It means, "seeing with the mind," or "experiencing." It is the type of seeing that Jesus is talking about in Matt. 6:22-23:

"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But, if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness."

The Point: God is not just some doctrine to be believed. God is not just an idea...a thought. He is a being that we need to "see" and yearn to experience. That, union with Him should be our ultimate good. For, if we don't see Him, all we know is darkness and all we can do is evil.