Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Titus 1:7-16 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lu…
Luke 22:24-27 And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.
Matthew 23:4-8 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of th…
Luke 9:48 And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: f…
Matthew 10:40-42 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
Mark 9:34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.
Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
Philippians 2:3-5 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 3 John 1:9-11
I. Diotrephes, unlike Gaius, loved preeminence and refused apostolic authority, spreading malicious words. He did not accept John’s letter and discouraged others from showing hospitality, casting them out of the church. John warns that he will address this behavior when he visits. II. John cautions against following Diotrephes’ evil example and encourages believers to imitate what is good, for those who do good are of God, while those who do evil have not seen God.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 3 John 1:9
I wrote--The oldest manuscripts add "something": a communication, probably, on the subject of receiving the brethren with brotherly love (Jo3 1:8, Jo3 1:10). That Epistle was not designed by the Spirit for the universal Church, or else it would have been preserved.
unto the church--of which Gaius is a member.
loveth . . . pre-eminence--through ambition. Evidently occupying a high place in the Church where Gaius was (Jo3 1:10).
among them--over the members of the Church.
receiveth us not--virtually, namely, by not receiving with love the brethren whom we recommended to be received (Jo3 1:8, Jo3 1:10; compare Mat 10:40).
Adam Clarke on 3 John 1:9
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…
I wrote unto the church,.... Where Gaius was a member: those who take Gaius to be the same with Paul's host, and whom he baptized at Corinth, think the church at Corinth is here meant; but it seems rather to be meant of some church in Asia nearer Ephesus; nor is it likely that John's first epistle should be here intended, which makes no mention of relieving the brethren, the ministers of the Gospel, that came from Judea: and that this epistle should not be preserved, need not seem strange; for it cannot be thought that everything that was written by him to particular persons, or churches, should be continued. The Alexandrian copy and one of Stephens's read, "I wrote something to the church";…
The Church Fathers
This verse teaches us that we ought to bear the abuse of those who insult us with equanimity, but sometimes we have to protest it because if we do not do so, these people will corrupt the minds of those who might otherwise have heard something good about us.
I would have written to the church, but he who loves to have the preeminence among them, etc. Diotrephes, it seems, was an arch-heretic of that time, someone proud and insolent, preferring to usurp the preeminence of knowledge by teaching new doctrines, rather than humbly listening to the commands of the ancient holy Church, which John preached. Hence, aptly, Diotrephes is humorously derided, or interpreted as "mad elegance," to signify with his name even the perfidy of his heart.
I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I will bring to light the works he is doing, gossiping wickedly about us. And not content with that, he not only does not receive the brothers himself, but also forbids those who want to receive them and expels them from the congregation. "I will bring to light the works he is doing." If it is commanded that evil should not be repaid with evil (Rom. 12:17), what is it that he now threatens? Therefore, we say that this command is so that we do not repay evil to him who has sinned only against ourselves: For if it is a sin against us, and it brings an obstacle to faith, it should be referred to such, as Paul did to Elymas who was perverting the ways of the Lord. (Acts 13:10) "gossiping wickedly." That is, throwing insults and cursing.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
In these verses, John condemns Diotrephes and presents Demetrius as the model of a faithful Christian who lives according to the truth. Gaius is urged to emulate Demetrius.
1:9 I wrote to the church about this: This could refer to 1 John or to a letter that is now lost. • Diotrephes was full of pride and self-importance (cp. 1 Tim 3:6), motivated by selfish ambition. • refuses to have anything to do with us: This dissidence was one of the key issues John dealt with in 1 John (see, e.g., 1 Jn 2:19; 4:5-6). Diotrephes rejected the teachers sent by John and excommunicated any members of the church who did accept them. He wanted to rule the local church without answering to any outside authorit…
