Verse 9
I wrote unto the Church - The Church where Caius was; but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the pre-eminence, φιλοπρωτευων, who loves the presidency, or chief place in the Church. He was doubtless an officer in the Church, at least a deacon, probably a bishop; and, being one, he magnified himself in his office; he loved such eminence, and behaved himself haughtily in it.
Receiveth us not - Does not acknowledge the apostolical authority. As some MSS. supply αν after εγραψα, and several judicious critics believe it is implied, the translation will run thus: I would have written to the Church to receive these men kindly, but Diotrephes, who affects the presidency; and into whose hands, if I wrote to the Church, my letter must come, receiveth us not - would not acknowledge my authority to interfere with any of the matters of his Church; and therefore I have written unto thee, whose love to the brethren and general hospitality are well known, that thou wouldst receive those strangers and persecuted followers of our common Lord.
Verse 10
If I come, I will remember - I will show him the authority which, as an apostle of Jesus Christ, I possess.
Prating against us - Diotrephes might have been a converted Jew, who was unwilling that the Gentiles should be received into the Church; or a Judaizing Christian, who wished to incorporate the law with the Gospel, and calumniated the apostles who taught otherwise. This haughty and unfeeling man would give no countenance to the converted Gentiles; so far from it, that he would not receive any of them himself, forbade others to do it, and excommunicated those who had been received into the Church by the apostles. This appears to be the meaning of neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the Church. He had the complete dog in the manger principle: he would neither do, nor let do; and when good was done that he did not approve, he endeavored to undo it.
Verse 11
Follow not that which is evil - Μμ μιμου το κακον· Do not imitate that wicked man, i.e., the conduct of Diotrephes; be merciful, loving, and kind. For whatever profession any man may make, it will ever appear that he who doeth good is of God - he alone is the person who uses rightly the grace received from God, and he alone shall enjoy the Divine approbation;
While he that doeth evil - He who is unfeeling, unmerciful, unkind, hath not seen God - has no proper knowledge of that God whose Name is mercy, and whose Nature is love.
Verse 12
Demetrius hath good report - Perhaps another member of the Church where Caius was; or he might have been one of those whom the apostle recommends to Caius; or, possibly, the bearer of this letter from John to Caius. He seems to have been an excellent person: all testified of his righteousness; the truth - Christianity, itself bore testimony to him; and the apostles themselves added theirs also.
Verse 13
I had many things to write - That is, I have many things that I might write; but having the hope of seeing thee shortly, I will not commit them to paper. Ink and pen are here mentioned; paper and ink in the preceding epistle.
Verse 14
Peace be to thee - Mayest thou possess every requisite good, both of a spiritual and temporal kind.
Our friends salute thee - Desire to be affectionately remembered to thee. Greet the friends by name - remember me to all those with whom I am acquainted, as if I had specified them by name. This is a proof to me that this epistle was not sent to Corinth, where it is not likely John ever was; and where it is not likely he had any particular acquaintances, unless we could suppose he had seen some of them when he was an exile in Patmos, an island in the Aegean Sea.
For other particulars concerning John, the reader is requested to refer to the preface to his gospel.
Instead of φιλοι and φιλους, friends, the Codex Alexandrinus and several others read αδελφοι and αδελφους, brethren. The former (friends) is a very singular appellation, and nowhere else found in Scripture; the latter is of frequent occurrence.
Subscriptions in the Versions: -
In the ancient Syriac. - Nothing.
The Third Epistle of John the apostle is ended. - Syriac Philoxenian.
Aethiopic. - Nothing.
Vulgate. - Nothing.
The end of the epistles of the pure Apostle and Evangelist John. - Arabic.
The Third Epistle of St. John the apostle is ended. - Latin text of the Complutensian.
The end of the Third catholic Epistle of St John. - Ditto, Greek text.
Subscriptions in the Manuscripts: -
The third of John. - Codd. Alex. and Vatican.
The Third catholic Epistle of John the evangelist and divine.
The third of John to Caius concerning Demetrius, of whom he witnesses the most excellent things.
I have already shown in the preface to those epistles termed catholic, that the word καθολικος is not to be taken here, and elsewhere in these epistles, as signifying universal, but canonical; for it would be absurd to call an epistle universal that was written to a private individual.
We seldom hear this epistle quoted but in the reproof of lordly tyrants, or prating troublesome fellows in the Church. And yet the epistle contains many excellent sentiments, which, if judiciously handled, might be very useful to the Church of God. But it has been the lot both of the minor prophets and the minor epistles to be generally neglected; for with many readers bulk is every thing; and, no magnitude no goodness.
This and the preceding epistle both read over in reference to a new edition, Jan. 3rd, 1832. - A. C.