Be faithful in all that you do for the Church

By John Pearring

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111222.cfm
3 John 1:5-8
Luke 18:1-8

The 3rd letter of John is rarely mentioned by the Church. It's an important reminder, however, that conflicts and disagreements existed in the earliest years of the Church. The apostle John, somewhat disputed as the author of this letter — but, oh well — offers little details on a serious problem John had with a Church leader named Diotrephes. Diotrephes has been cast in this letter as a rogue, an off-the-rails pastor and teacher. An explanation of Diotephes' errors comes down to the error of domination. 

It's an odd slice of scripture, but telling nonetheless. Church leadership, rogue and dominating, isn't acceptable.

We should note that John uses the word "love" four times in this short fifteen verse document. In addition, he begins three verses with the word "Beloved," and calls Gaius, the recipient of the letter, a beloved friend twice. That's eight references to love, presented as an emphatic opposition to domination.

John's directives to Gaius following his reference to love follows two patterns. The first are an ingratiating positive spin of teaching.

• I hope you are prospering in every respect and are in good health, just as your soul is prospering. 
  
• You are faithful in all you do for the brothers, especially for strangers
  
• Everyone has testified to Gaius' love before the church
  

John's second comment pattern following the working of love regards admonitions.

• Diotrephes, who loves to dominate, does not acknowledge us. 
  
• Whoever does what is good is of God; whoever does what is evil has never seen God.
  

Because the letter is ascribed to the John the Apostle it likely survived several purges of manuscripts from the Church's canon. Yet, it's value can be seen in simplicity — a blunt local Church report. Churches even in the apostle's era suffered from human weaknesses, and the Church's leadership needed to exercise calls for restraint. Calls for recognition. Calls for order.

There are some other nuggets in the style and manner of John's writing. By presenting love as his starting point, John set up his later admonition as coming from a place of love. That is, love is the way to measure fruitful relationships in the Church against petty manipulation and power plays. John makes no bones in saying that good and evil are measurable. Domination over acknowledgement is evil. Therefore, administering the Church with evil intent means that leader is not aligned with God.

John goes even further. "Whoever does what is evil has never seen God." It's an interesting deduction on John's part. God acknowledges his followers, borne out in the recent memory of how Jesus operated. Domination comes from someone who has not experienced God. He's "never seen God." Diotephes operates without a tether to God. He's got his own ideas, which run counter the the loving Christian community that John insists must be the baseline for Church.

Another lesson for future Church leaders comes in the form of the emissary of the letter, Demetrius.

"Demetrius receives a good report from all, even from the truth itself. We give our testimonial as well, and you know our testimony is true." (3 John 12)

John places authority in Demetrius, and describes him as the bearer of both the testimony John gives and the essential truth in the letter.

If you like to peruse Church documents, you'll see similar elements in 3 John all over the history of bishops and priests exchanging updates and local reports. Confirm love as the intent. Identify good progress and laudable character traits. Be succinct in correction, backed thoroughly by eyewitnesses. Offer the balance of what is good against the ill-placed activities of evil. Then, end with the clarity that the Church knows what's going on and sends emissaries to assure that corrections are expected.

Even though this small document seems innocuous and quite limited in scope, we might imagine that God's inspiration to two millennia of Church operations has had a proper impact. There will be conflict. Read the first two chapters of Revelation which include seven letters to seven Churches, dictated by Jesus to the same apostle. My my. The difficulties and variety of problems in Churches was no less problematic than today.

The New Testament scripture, 3 John, reveals the recognition of human weakness, arguments, and community conflicts. Love and clarity remain our watchwords.