Commentary - 3 John 1:9-10

Bird's-eye view

In these two verses, the apostle John puts his finger on a recurring problem in the life of the church, a problem that began just as soon as there were churches. The problem is that of domineering and proud men who, for the sake of their own preeminence, are willing to disrupt the peace, unity, and mission of the body of Christ. John identifies one such man, Diotrephes, as a case study in this kind of carnality. This is not a theoretical problem; it is a personal one, and John addresses it head-on. He contrasts the faithful hospitality of Gaius (mentioned earlier in the letter) with the arrogant and inhospitable behavior of Diotrephes. The issue is authority. Does the church operate under the authority of the apostles and the gospel they preach, or does it submit to the tyrannical whims of ambitious men within its own ranks? John makes it clear that apostolic authority must prevail and that such wickedness must be confronted directly and publicly.

The conflict described here is not a simple personality clash. It is a theological crisis. Diotrephes is not just rejecting John; he is rejecting the authority of Christ's appointed apostle and, by extension, the gospel itself. His actions, which include slandering John and excommunicating faithful believers, are the rotten fruit of a love for self-glory rather than a love for God and His people. John's response is not to shrink back but to promise a direct confrontation. This is a necessary part of pastoral ministry. False authority must be exposed and true authority must be exercised for the health and protection of the flock. This short passage serves as a permanent warning against the sin of prideful ambition in the church and as a model for how godly leaders must deal with it.

Outline

Context In 3 John

This short letter is intensely personal. John writes as "the elder" to a beloved brother named Gaius, commending him for his faithfulness and his hospitality to traveling missionaries. The letter is a study in contrasts. We have the faithfulness of Gaius, the wickedness of Diotrephes, and the good testimony of Demetrius. The central theme is the relationship between truth and love, and how that relationship is expressed in the practical life of the church, particularly in how believers treat one another.

The verses immediately preceding our text praise Gaius for supporting Christian workers, whom he has sent on their way "in a manner worthy of God." This act of hospitality is presented as a partnership in the work of the truth. It is against this backdrop of faithful, truth-loving hospitality that the behavior of Diotrephes appears so stark and ugly. He represents the opposite spirit: a spirit of selfish ambition that despises apostolic authority and disrupts the fellowship of the saints. The issue with Diotrephes is therefore not peripheral; it cuts to the very heart of what it means to walk in the truth.

Verse by Verse Commentary

Verse 9: I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not welcome what we say.

John begins by noting that he has already communicated with this local congregation. "I wrote something to the church." We do not have this earlier letter, but its purpose seems clear enough from the context. It was likely a letter of commendation for the traveling brothers, instructing the church to receive them. But this apostolic instruction was intercepted, or at least ignored. Why? Because of one man: Diotrephes.

The diagnosis of the man's soul is precise and devastating. He is one "who loves to be first among them." The Greek is philoprōteuōn, a compound word that gets right to the point. He is a lover of the first place. This is the root sin. All the other problems flow from this one corrupt fountain. Pride is the original sin, the desire to be as God, to be number one. When this sin takes root in a man in church leadership, it is a cancerous thing. He sees the church not as Christ's flock to be served, but as his own little kingdom to be ruled. His own reputation, his own authority, his own agenda, these are the things that matter to him, not the glory of Christ or the good of the saints.

Because he loves to be first, he "does not welcome what we say." He rejects John's authority. Of course he does. Apostolic authority is a threat to his own self-made authority. If the church listens to John, then Diotrephes is not in the first place; Christ and His appointed messengers are. So he sets himself up in opposition. He refuses to receive the apostle's words. This is not a mere disagreement over a fine point of theology. This is rebellion. It is an attempt to sever the local church from the broader communion of the saints and the authority structure that Christ established.

Verse 10: For this reason, if I come, I will bring to remembrance his deeds which he does, unjustly disparaging us with wicked words. And not satisfied with this, he himself does not welcome the brothers either, and he forbids those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.

John is not going to let this stand. He says, "For this reason, if I come, I will bring to remembrance his deeds." This is not a threat born of personal pique. This is the necessary action of a shepherd protecting the sheep. The confrontation will be public. John will "bring to remembrance" what Diotrephes has been doing. The man's deeds will be exposed to the light. Church discipline is not meant to be a private affair when the sin is public and affects the whole body.

John then lists the man's deeds, a four-fold indictment. First, he is "unjustly disparaging us with wicked words." The Greek for "disparaging" is phlyarōn, which means to talk nonsense or babble. Diotrephes is running his mouth, spreading malicious gossip and slander against the apostle John. This is a classic tactic of usurpers. They cannot attack the truth, so they attack the man who carries the truth. They seek to undermine his credibility with "wicked words."

Second, "he himself does not welcome the brothers either." He refuses to show hospitality to the traveling missionaries John had sent. This is a direct violation of the law of Christ. Hospitality is not an optional extra for the Christian; it is a fundamental expression of our love for God and for the brethren. To refuse it is to show that your heart is cold and hard.

Third, he is not content to be inhospitable himself; he "forbids those who want to do so." He is a tyrant. He actively prevents others in the church from doing what is right. He uses his influence and power to enforce his own wicked policy. This is a man who is not just sinning but is leading others into sin, which is a mark of profound corruption.

Fourth, and as a culmination of his tyranny, he "puts them out of the church." He excommunicates those who defy him. He kicks out the very people who are trying to be obedient to the apostolic command. This is the height of arrogance. Diotrephes has seized the keys of the kingdom and is using them to lock out the true citizens and lock himself in. He is running a schismatic and abusive regime. John's promised visit is therefore not just a pastoral call; it is an apostolic intervention to restore order, discipline the rebellious, and comfort the afflicted.

Key Issues

The Sin of Loving the First Place

The root of Diotrephes's sin is identified with surgical precision: he "loves to be first." This is the primordial sin of pride, the engine of Satan's fall and our own. In the church, this ambition is particularly grotesque. The Lord Jesus was clear: "But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant" (Matt. 23:11). The way up in the kingdom of God is the way down. Leadership is service, not lordship. Diotrephes has inverted this entirely. He seeks greatness through domination, not through servanthood.

This love of preeminence is the source of all kinds of ecclesiastical mischief. It breeds envy, slander, division, and tyranny. A man who wants to be first cannot bear to have anyone else receive honor. He cannot submit to any authority but his own. He views every other gifted man as a rival. The church becomes a stage for his ego, not a body where members serve one another in love. This is why Paul warns so strongly against admitting a novice to leadership, "lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil" (1 Tim. 3:6). Diotrephes is a living example of this very thing.

The Right and Wrong Use of Excommunication

One of the most shocking things Diotrephes does is excommunicate faithful believers. He "puts them out of the church." This demonstrates how far a proud man will go to maintain his power. Christ gave the keys of the kingdom to the church for the purpose of binding and loosing (Matt. 18:18), which includes the solemn act of excommunication. This is to be used for unrepentant sin, for the purpose of bringing the sinner to repentance and for purifying the church.

But Diotrephes has weaponized it. He uses it not against the unrepentant, but against the obedient. He casts out those who would welcome the brothers, those who are in submission to apostolic authority. He is using a divine ordinance for a diabolical purpose: to consolidate his own rebellion. This is a profound abuse of spiritual authority. When the discipline of the church is used to punish righteousness and protect wickedness, the church has become a synagogue of Satan. John's intention to come and deal with this shows that such abuses cannot be tolerated. The authority to excommunicate belongs to Christ, exercised through His faithful church, not to a tinpot dictator pursuing his own glory.

Application

The spirit of Diotrephes is not dead. It is alive and well in any church where a man's ego is more important than the Word of God. We must be on guard against the love of preeminence, both in our own hearts and in the hearts of our leaders. We should pray for leaders who are genuinely humble, who are quick to serve and slow to take offense, and who rejoice when others are honored.

This passage also teaches us that there is a time for direct confrontation. John does not handle this problem with vague platitudes. He names the man, names the sins, and promises to deal with them publicly. When a leader is leading the flock astray through slander, pride, and abuse of power, the health of the church demands that he be confronted and, if unrepentant, removed. We must not sacrifice the peace and purity of the church on the altar of a false unity that papers over serious sin.

Finally, we are reminded of the importance of hospitality as a tangible outworking of our faith. Welcoming true messengers of the gospel is not a small thing; it is to participate in the truth. Conversely, to refuse them is to align oneself with the enemies of the truth. Our homes and our churches should be places of warm, generous welcome to those who labor for the sake of the Name. In doing so, we show ourselves to be followers of Gaius, not Diotrephes.