3 John

 A Prosperous Soul

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.'--3 John 2.

THIS little letter contains no important doctrinal teaching nor special revelation of any kind. It is the outpouring of the Christian love of the old Apostle to a brother about whom we know nothing else except that John, the beloved, loved him in the truth. And this prayer--for it is a prayer rather than a mere wish, since a good man like John turned all his wishes into prayers--this prayer in the original is even more emphatic and beautiful than in our version. Beloved, I pray that in all things thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth,' says the Revised Version, and that slight change in the position of one clause is at once felt to be an improvement. We can scarcely suppose an Apostle praying for anybody above all things' that he might get on in the world. But the wish that Gaius may prosper outwardly in all things, as his soul prospers, is eminently worthy of John. He sets these two types of prosperity over against one another, and says, My wish for you is that you may be as prosperous and robust in spiritual matters as you are in bodily and material things.'

 For The Sake Of The Name

For His name's sake.'--3 John 7.

THE Revised Version gives the true force of these words by omitting the His,' and reading merely for the sake of the Name.' There is no need to say whose name. There is only One which could evoke the heroism and self-sacrifice of which the Apostle is speaking. The expression, however, is a remarkable one. The name seems almost, as it were, to be personified. There are one or two other instances in the New Testament where the same usage is found, according to the true reading, though it is obscured in our Authorised Version, because it struck some early transcribers as being strange, and so they tried to mend and thereby spoiled it.

We read, for instance, in the true reading, in the Acts of the Apostles, as to the disciples, on the first burst of persecution, that they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the Name.' And again, in Philippians, that in recompense and reward for His obedience unto death'--the Father hath given unto the Son--the Name which is above every name.' Once more, though less obviously, we find James speaking about the worthy name by which we are called.'

Then the other part of this phrase is quite as significant as this principal one. The word rendered for the sake of,' does not merely mean--though it does mean that--on account of,' or by reason of,' but' on behalf of,' as if, in some wonderful sense, that mighty and exalted Name was furthered, advantaged, or benefited by even men's poor services. So, you see, a minute study of the more words of the Scripture, though it may seem like grammatical trifling and pedantry, yields large results. Men do sometimes gather grapes of thorns'; and the hard, dry work of trying to get at the precise shade of meaning in Scriptural words always repays us with large lessons and impulses. So let us consider the thoughts which naturally arise from the accurate observation of the very language here.

 Fellow-Workers With The Truth

That we might be fellow-helpers to the truth.'--3 John 8.

FELLOW-HELPERS to the Truth.' A word or two may be permitted as to the immediate occasion of the expression. There seems to have been, as we learn not only from occasional references in the New Testament, but from early Christian literature, and very frequent practice in the primitive churches, of certain members having, like our friends the Quakers, a concern' for some special ministry, and being loosed from their ordinary avocations, and sent out with the sanction of the Church. These travelling evangelists went from place to place, and sought the hospitality and he]p of the Christian communities to which they came. My text is an exhortation from the aged Apostle to treat such brethren as they deserved, seeing that they have come forth for the sake of the Name'; and should be welcomed and helped as brethren.

Now there are ambiguities about the words, on which I need not dwell. So far as the grammatical construction of the originals are concerned, they may either mean what our Authorised Version takes them to mean, fellow-helpers'--or rather fellow-workers'--for the Truth ; the co-operation being regarded as confined to the two sets of men, the evangelists and their hospitable receivers--or they may mean, as the Revised Version takes them, fellow-workers with the Truth'--the Truth' and the two sets of human agents being all supposed as co-operating in one common end. The latter is, I presume, the real meaning of the Evangelist. The Truth' is supposed to be an active force in the world, which both the men who directly preach it, and the men who sustain and cheer those who do, are co-operating with. Then there is another question as to whether, by the Truth' here, we are to understand the whole body of Christian revelation, or whether we are to see shining through the words the august figure of Him who is personally, as He Himself claimed,' the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.' I believe that the latter explanation is the truer one, and more in accordance with the intense saturation in all John's writings with the words of the Master. I can scarcely think that when he spoke thus about the Truth,' or when he spoke in another of his letters about the Truth which dwelleth in us, and shall be in us for ever,' he meant only a body of principles. I think he meant Jesus Christ Himself. And so with that sacred and auguster meaning attaching to his words, I wish to look at them with you.

 The Christian's Witnesses To Character

Demetrius hath a good report of all men, and of the truth itself.'--3 John 12.

WHAT a strange fate this Demetrius has had! He has narrowly escaped oblivion, yet he is remembered for ever and his name is known over all the world. But beyond the name nothing is certain. Who he was, where and when he lived, what he had done to earn the old Apostle's commendation are unknown. All his surroundings are swallowed up in darkness, and there shines out only that one little point of light that he hath a good report'--or, as the Revised Version better renders it, he hath the witness of all men, and of the truth itself.' A great many brilliant reputations might be glad to exchange a fame that has filled the world for a little epitaph like that.

I said we did not know anything about him. What if he should be the Demetrius whose astute appeal to profit and religion roused the shrine-makers at Ephesus and imperilled Paul's life? Of course, that is mere conjecture, and the identity of name is not a strong foundation to build on, for it was a very common one. If this disciple, thus praised by John, is our old acquaintance in Acts, what a change had come over him I Truly, to him,' old things had passed away, all things were become new.' If we remember John's long connection with Ephesus, the conjecture will perhaps seem reasonable. At all events, we do no harm if, perhaps led by sentiment, we give as much weight as we can to the supposition that here we have, reappearing within the Church, the old antagonist, and that this Paul' had persuaded' him, too, that they be no gods which are made with hands,' and so had turned him to Jesus Christ. I wonder what became of his craft, and his silver shrines, if this is the same man as he who mustered the Ephesian silversmiths.

But be that as it may, I desire--keeping in mind the alteration of rendering that I have suggested--hath witness of all men,' and of the truth itself--to look at the sort of witnesses to character that a Christian man should be able to call.