Shortest

Going through the Bible and writing posts on it. Felt like I needed to do such a thing. Oh, and I'm doing it backwards.

3 John

John starts this off with saying 3 John 1:2 "I pray that you may enjoy good health..."

Hey, how often do you enjoy that you are healthy?

I think we tend to think of health as with having a balanced diet and exercising. Easy enough to check the condition of our health on a physical level... but

Do we have healthy relationships?

A healthy education?

A healthy mindset?

A healthy way of viewing one's self?

A healthy environment?

A healthy spiritual life?

A healthy sleep schedule?

A healthy understanding of...

I don't know. Kind of overwhelming, and one can easily become obsessive if one is looking for a perfectly made health-full life. I suppose we should count our blessings and recognize where we do have health, especially since we only have so many years.

John is overjoyed to know that his friends are reaching out to others in service.

Are you overjoyed when you hear of others helping those in need?

3 John 9-10 "I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us."

Diotrephes was a man mentioned in the (Third Epistle of John, verses 9–11). His name means "fed by Jupiter". As Raymond E. Brown comments, "Diotrephes is not a particularly common name."^[1]

In addition to being ambitious, proud, disrespectful of apostolic authority, rebellious, and inhospitable, the author of the letter says that Diotrephes tried to hinder those desiring to show hospitality to the brothers and to expel these from the congregation. Not even the location of Diotrephes' church can be determined from the letter. It is debatable whether the antipathy expressed in 3 John is based on "a theological dispute, a clash of competing eccesiastical authorities,a disagreement about financial responsibilities for the mission, or personal dislike".^[2]

Malicious gossip.

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Odd pictures, yes. Malicious gossip, not just gossip, BUT MALICIOUS! Sounds like Diotrephes was a real jerk. I don't know why I'm being so goofy for this post, but a great deal of this letter's context has been lost. The content and overall message is still prevalent, but I am having fun with the background of it.

3 John 11-12 "Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone -- and even by the truth itself."

I like this book. It really lays out terms of Christianity in easy bite size language.

Now who is this Demetrius fellow?

Not much else is given.

3 John 14 "Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name."

The Third Epistle of John, usually referred to simply as Third John and often written 3 John, is a book of theNew Testament attributed to John the Evangelist, traditionally thought to be the author of the Gospel of John and the other two epistles of John. This Epistle is the shortest book in the Bible (least words; 2 John has less verses).

Simplicity my friends, healthy living and greeting others by their name.