The Fullness of Joy Text: 2 John 1:12-13
Introduction: The Embodied Word
We live in an age drowning in disembodied communication. We have text messages, emails, social media feeds, and an endless stream of digital ephemera. We can send more words to more people in an hour than the apostle John could in a lifetime. And yet, for all our connectivity, we are a profoundly lonely people. We have mistaken the transmission of information for the cultivation of fellowship. We have settled for the shadow when the substance is available.
The apostle John, writing here at the end of his short letter, comes to a hard stop. He has more to say, many things in fact, but he refuses to commit them to "paper and ink." This is not because he was running out of parchment or because his hand was tired. It is a profound theological statement about the nature of Christian truth and the goal of Christian fellowship. Truth is not an abstract set of propositions to be downloaded into our brains. It is personal, relational, and ultimately, incarnational. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God did not email us the plan of salvation; He sent His Son.
John, the apostle of love, understands this better than anyone. He has spent this entire letter warning the elect lady and her children about false teachers, deceivers who deny the incarnation, who deny that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. And how does he conclude his warning against a disembodied doctrine? By affirming the absolute necessity of embodied fellowship. He is, in effect, practicing what he preaches. He will not settle for a long-distance, paper-thin relationship. He wants to see them, to speak with them "face to face."
Why? What is the goal? It is not simply to convey more data. The goal is joy. Not a fleeting happiness, not a sentimental feeling, but a deep, settled, robust joy that can only be "made complete" in the presence of the saints. This closing is not a mere travel itinerary. It is a declaration that our faith is tangible. It has hands and feet, a voice and a face. And it is in the gathering of the saints, face to face, that this tangible faith produces its intended fruit: the fullness of joy.
The Text
Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that your joy may be made complete.
The children of your elect sister greet you.
(2 John 1:12-13 LSB)
The Limits of Paper and Ink (v. 12a)
We begin with the first part of verse 12:
"Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink..." (2 John 1:12a)
John acknowledges that his teaching is not exhausted. There are "many things" left to say. This is the heart of a true pastor. He is never done feeding the flock. But he recognizes the limits of his chosen medium. "Paper and ink" are good. They are a gift from God. The written word of God is our foundation, and John himself is writing Scripture. There is no denigration of the written word here. Without it, we would be adrift. The Bible is our anchor.
However, the written word is a means to an end, not the end itself. It points beyond itself to the living Word, Jesus Christ, and to the living fellowship of His people. John's reluctance to continue writing is a calculated pastoral decision. He understands that some truths are best communicated in person. Some instruction requires tone of voice, a look in the eye, the give-and-take of a real conversation. It requires presence.
This is a potent rebuke to our digital age. We think that a blog post or a podcast is a substitute for the local church. We think that online "community" can replace the flesh-and-blood gathering of the saints. John would say that this is a fool's errand. Paper and ink, or pixels and screens, are good for transmitting information, but they are insufficient for cultivating the fullness of joy. They can supplement fellowship, but they can never supplant it. The Christian life is not a correspondence course.
The Primacy of Presence (v. 12b)
John then states his ultimate desire.
"...but I hope to come to you and speak face to face..." (2 John 1:12b)
The phrase "face to face" is literally "mouth to mouth" in the Greek. It is a term of profound intimacy and directness. It is the difference between reading a letter from your wife and having her in the room with you. Both are good, but one is clearly better. One is the appetizer, the other is the feast.
This desire for embodied presence is woven throughout Scripture. Moses longed to see God's glory, and God spoke with him "face to face, as a man speaks to his friend" (Exodus 33:11). Paul expressed a similar longing to see the Roman and Thessalonian believers in person (Romans 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 2:17). And ultimately, our final hope is to see our Savior face to face. "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:12).
John's hope to visit this church is a small echo of that great eschatological hope. The gathering of the saints on the Lord's Day is a foretaste of the great gathering at the end of the age. When we see each other, sing with each other, hear the Word preached together, and come to the Table together, we are rehearsing for Heaven. We are reminding ourselves that our faith is not a private, mystical affair. It is corporate, visible, and tangible.
The Goal of Fellowship: Full Joy (v. 12c)
And what is the purpose of this face-to-face meeting? John states it plainly.
"...so that your joy may be made complete." (2 John 1:12c)
The goal is the completion, or the "filling up," of their joy. Notice, he does not say "so that you might become joyful." They already have joy. They have joy because they are walking in the truth and abiding in the doctrine of Christ. But this joy is incomplete. It is like a vessel that is only partially full. What will top it off? What will bring it to overflowing? Embodied fellowship.
Christian joy is not the same as worldly happiness. Happiness is circumstantial; it depends on things going well. Joy is theological; it is rooted in the objective reality of our salvation in Christ, regardless of circumstances. But this joy is designed to be experienced and expressed in community. It is a shared reality. When one member rejoices, the whole body rejoices with them (1 Corinthians 12:26).
This is why regular, committed, face-to-face church life is not an optional extra for the keen Christian. It is essential fuel. It is where our theological joy becomes experiential. Hearing the rumble of men's voices singing the psalms next to you, seeing the faith of an elderly saint who has weathered decades of trials, sharing a meal with a family after the service, these are the ordinary means of grace that God uses to fill our joy to the brim. To neglect the assembly is to choose to live with a half-empty tank.
The Communion of the Saints (v. 13)
The letter concludes with a simple, yet profound, greeting.
"The children of your elect sister greet you." (2 John 1:13)
This is the final piece of the puzzle. Just as the "elect lady" is likely a local church, so her "elect sister" is the church from which John is writing. This is not just John sending his personal regards. This is one church greeting another church. The "children" are the individual members of John's congregation. They are all in this together.
This simple sign-off demonstrates the interconnectedness of the early church. They understood themselves to be part of one universal body, manifested in local congregations that were like sister families. They shared the same Father, the same elder brother in Christ, and the same struggles against the world, the flesh, and the devil. And so, they greeted one another. They prayed for one another. They supported one another.
This is a picture of true catholicity. We are not isolated islands. The church in Moscow, Idaho, is a sister to the church in London, England, and to the persecuted church in rural China. We are all children of the same family. This greeting reminds the recipients that they are not alone in their fight for the truth. Their brothers and sisters elsewhere are standing with them, praying for them, and sending their love. This too is a source of joy. To know that you are part of a vast, global, historic family is a tremendous encouragement. And so the letter ends as it began, rooted in the twin realities of truth and love, expressed not in abstract theory, but in the real lives of real saints in real churches.