Gaius and Diotrephes

Dusty travellers arrive at a door after dark. They are strangers, carrying little more than their sandals and their message. The door opens wide, and a voice says, come in, you must be hungry.

In the first years of the church, the good news spread with travelling teachers who walked from town to town. They had no hotels, and no salaries. They depended on believers who would open their homes, feed them, and send them on their way with supplies for the next stage of the road. The old church leader who calls himself the elder, whom tradition identifies as John, had sent some of these travellers out. Now he has heard how they were treated. And he writes to a friend named Gaius.

The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Dear friend, he says, I pray that all may go well with you, and that you may be in good health, just as your soul is doing well. Some of the travellers have come back and told John all about Gaius. How faithful he is. How he walks in the truth. And John says, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Then he praises Gaius for what he did. You are faithful in what you do for the brothers, even though they were strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their journey in a way that honours God. They went out for the sake of the name of Jesus, taking nothing from those who did not believe. So we ought to welcome people like this, John says, so that we become fellow workers for the truth. Welcoming a traveller made Gaius a partner in their work.

Then the letter changes. I wrote something to the church, John says, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, will not welcome us. Diotrephes was a leader in the church, and he wanted to be in charge. He was spreading unkind and untrue words about John. And it got worse. He refused to welcome the travelling brothers himself, and he stopped others who wanted to, and even put them out of the church. One man, putting himself first, shutting the door on everyone else. So, John says, when I come, I will bring up what he is doing.

Then John speaks gently to Gaius. Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. Whoever does good is from God. Whoever does evil has not seen God. And he gives Gaius a good example to follow instead. Demetrius has a good report from everyone, and from the truth itself. We speak well of him too, and you know what we say is true. Perhaps Demetrius was carrying this very letter. Then, just like his letter to the chosen lady, John ends by saying he has much more to write, but would rather not use pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace be to you. The friends here greet you. Greet the friends there, every one by name.

Welcoming travelling teachers was so important that early Christians wrote down rules about it. A church manual called the Didache, probably from around the end of the first century, says that a travelling apostle should be welcomed as the Lord. He might stay one day, or two if needed. But if he stayed three days, or asked for money, he was a false prophet. Hospitality was generous, but it was not to be abused.

Gaius and Diotrephes. You'll find them in Third John, one of the shortest books in the Bible. One opened the door. The other shut it. So here is a question to carry with you. Who could you welcome this week, a new child at school, a visitor at church, or a neighbour, so that they feel at home?