3 John 1:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The expression μειζοτέραν is not in accord with the elegance of the Greek language, for another comparative suffix, -τερ, has been added to the comparative degree μείζονα.

Do not envy the success of your brethren, for Scripture says: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth."

"I rejoiced greatly" (v. 3), because "I have no greater joy," and so forth: the Greek word expresses intensified joy, even stronger than the phrase "I rejoiced greatly." The holy Apostle Paul sometimes used such a strengthened form of expression, for example in Eph 3:8. "My children," whom John often called this in his First Epistle, are Christians who stood under the Apostle John's direct guidance. Yet without doubt the Apostle both could and desired to call all Christians his children in spirit, in faith, and in Christ, even those who stood under the guidance of other apostles, disciples, and apostolic successors.

Together with the general testimony to Gaius's piety, the preachers of the faith testified to the special charity that Gaius showed to the Apostles and to all kinds of strangers. Receiving strangers in general is an important and also difficult work. It was especially important in ancient times, because travel was then difficult.

This is why Abraham, the father of believers, was so zealous for hospitality that he went out to meet strangers. For this he was counted worthy to receive the Lord Himself in the person of strangers.

Praising the ascetic labor of hospitality, the Apostle calls it worthy of the Christian calling. Especially precious is the reception of unknown strangers, such as the heralds of Christianity were (cf. Heb 13:2; Rom 12:13; 1 Tim 3:2; Tit 1:6; 1 Pet 4:9).

Deeply honoring hospitality, the saints loved to establish special shelters for strangers, called xenodochia.