Welcome Back! So
glad you’re here to share more Daily Bread. This second epistle written by
John is very brief, and seems almost like an excerpt from his first epistle.
Before we begin to
study this letter though, we have a Daily Bread Stick! Did you ever notice
that countries and cities are referred to in the feminine form? In the
Bible, you’ll see that,
daughter of Zion = city of Zion
however
daughters of Zion could be women or cities of Zion
In John’s letter,
he begins by saying, From the elder (which is himself), To the elect
(chosen) lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not only I,
but also, all those who have known the truth; for the truth’s sake, which
lives in us, and shall be with us for ever.
So, the chosen
lady and her children, could be a woman and her kids, or it could be a city
(Jerusalem?) and it’s people. John addresses her as one who
he, and all those who have known the truth, love.
Grace be with you,
mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Son of the Father, in truth and love. I was very glad when I heard about
your children walking in truth, as the Father commanded.
And now I ask you,
lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we had
from the beginning, that we love one another.
Sooooooooo, we’ve
got either a family, or a city, walking uprightly, and John compliments
this, but knowing the world, he feels compelled to throw in a little
reminder. Uh, you’ve heard this before, he says, but it really bears
repeating.
And this is what love is: that we walk after His commandments. Because many
deceivers have entered into the world, who don’t confess that Jesus Christ
has come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
John points out
here, that love must be wise because there are lots of false teachers around
who want you to fall in love with their ideas, and that kind of love is not
true.
Be careful, and
support one another, that we don’t lose the things that we’ve founded, but
that we receive a full reward. Whoever transgresses, and doesn’t remain in
the doctrine of Christ, does not belong to God. He that remains in the
doctrine of Christ, he belongs to both the Father and the Son.
If anybody comes
to you, and doesn’t bring this doctrine, don’t welcome him into your house,
or bid him God speed (success, or a prosperous journey): Because whoever
bids him God speed, shares in his evil deeds.
Have you ever done
that before, not realizing what you were doing? Someone makes you an offer
or proposes something that you know is wrong, and so you won’t seem rude to
them, you say something like, “no thanks, but good luck.” It doesn’t occur
to us until we read what John wrote, that in wishing them luck, we’re being
rude to God. Who are we promoting here, anyway?
John closes his
letter, saying, Because I have so many things to say to you, I wish not to
do it with paper and ink, but I hope to come to you, and speak face to face,
that our joy may be full. The children of thy elect (chosen) sister greet
thee. Amen. Again, here, John could be talking about a woman’s nieces and
nephews, or the people of a neighboring city.
Suppose this
letter from John is written to us today. He’d be saying, If you’re walking
uprightly, GREAT! But be aware, in case you fall. Let me remind you, love
one another, which is equivalent to God’s commandments. In love, however, be
discerning, there are many who would love to deceive you. Have fellowship
with God and with other Christians and stand up for your faith. I’ve got a
lot more to tell you, but I won’t have enough ink for it all, so I’m
planning to visit. Everyone here sends their best.
Maybe John sent
this letter to the same place he sent his first epistle, and these were the
things that he thought they needed encouragement about. Maybe it was sent to
a different place altogether, and these were the particular needs of that
place. Whatever the case, his love for the Lord is clear in spreading the
gospel of Jesus and urging us to stand firm in our faith and love one
another.
Congratulations on
completing another book of the New Testament, and next we have another brief
letter from John, so come back soon and join in as we find out what his
message will be next, right here at Daily Bread.
