I had written perhaps to the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, doth not receive us.
εγραψα τη εκκλησια αλλ ο φιλοπρωτευων αυτων διοτρεφης ουκ επιδεχεται ημας
7 Church Fathers comment on this verse
“Receive” is used in the sense of taking up or taking hold of. By this the Apostle teaches us not to wait for the needy to come to us. Rather, we ourselves must run to meet them and entreat them to come to us, as Abraham and Lot did (Gen 18:2-3; Gen 19:1-2).
Here it is said that we must endure calmly the words of those who defame us. Yet at times we must also restrain them, lest, by spreading evil about us, they shatter the hearts of those who might have heard good concerning us.
Diotrephes was evidently a certain well-known heresiarch of that time. He was proud and arrogant, preferring to usurp authority in the Church and preach a new teaching rather than humbly obey the commandments delivered by John.
"I wrote to the Church." During his long stay in the Churches of Asia Minor, the Apostle could have written Epistles more than once. But only three of them have come down to us.
However, in the Sinaitic and some other Greek manuscripts we read: έ̉γραψα ὰ̉ν τη, or τι, ε̉κκλησία. The Vulgate translates: scripsissem forsitan, "I perhaps would have written." In that case, the Apostle considered it better to rebuke Diotrephes personally, fearing that his Epistle would not be received by him.
"A lover of preeminence," ο̉ φιλοπρωτεύων. Some consider Diotrephes a bishop or presider of the Church. But this title alone gives no reason to consider him the presider. He was probably an influential member of the community, in whose house certain Christians gathered for prayer. There Diotrephes, as master of the house, could act according to his own will, so that he could even drive out of the Church persons who displeased him.
"I wrote to the church, but," and so forth. To which church? About what? Where is this writing?
The Apostle apparently wrote to the church whose members included Gaius the host of strangers and Diotrephes. Yet it is not known which church this was, and the words of the Apostle do not sufficiently show the relation between Gaius and Diotrephes here.
About what did the Apostle write to this church? Apparently about matters concerning the traveling preachers of the Gospel and Gaius the host of strangers. Yet this too is not sufficiently clear.
Where is this writing that the Apostle wrote to that church? This is still less clear. This Epistle is not among the present Epistles of the Apostle. It is improbable that the First Epistle of this Apostle is meant, especially since there is not the slightest indication in that Epistle about traveling preachers of the Gospel, and especially about Diotrephes.
It is wholly improbable that a writing of the Apostle and Evangelist, and one addressed to an entire church, should have been lost, when even such small and private Epistles as the Second and Third, addressed to private persons, have been preserved. The common consciousness of the Church is opposed to the thought that writings of the God-inspired Apostles could be lost.
The most probable supposition, based also on certain ancient manuscripts, including Tischendorf's Sinaitic Codex, is that one should read not "I wrote to the church," but "I would have written to the church." This also agrees with the context of the discourse.
The meaning is this: concerning these strangers, I would have written not only to you, and not merely a little, but to your whole church, or Christian community, in which you live. But Diotrephes might have abused this letter. It is better that when I myself come to you (3 Jn 1:14), I will personally arrange this matter and do what is necessary with Diotrephes himself.
"Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence": who this Diotrephes was, why he loved preeminence, why such preeminence was entrusted to him, and on what his claims to preeminence were based, are not precisely known. It is clear only that he was proud, ambitious, power-loving, and self-willed.
"Does not receive us": that is, even the Apostle himself, and the apostolic disciples, believers, and traveling preachers of the Gospel. It is improbable that Diotrephes did not receive and did not wish to receive even the Apostle personally. Probably, by "us" the Apostle means chiefly the traveling preachers. In humility and abundant love he only places himself alongside them.
Further, the Apostle threatens to stop his disorder with a strict and authoritative word. He would probably punish him by the authority given to him, to which no Diotrephes could fail to submit under danger of excommunication from the Church, that is, anathema. The Apostle Paul sometimes acted in this way (1 Cor 5:5; 1 Tim 1:20).
Taking the occasion, the Apostle, after praising Gaius as a helper in the Church's progress, condemns Diotrephes. Having the possibility and strength to influence others, Diotrephes uses this to the harm of the Church.
Striving for autocracy without any right to it, he resorts to force, removing persons useful to the Church. He even reaches the point of insolent rebellion against the Apostle and against what was written by him in his former writings.
Having denounced Diotrephes in his absence, the Apostle expresses some hope of shaming his self-will in person also. Meanwhile he concludes that Diotrephes is not only not a true Christian, but is as though he had heard nothing about God. For he commits obvious evil, and does so openly, without being ashamed of his insolent actions.
See Jas 3:1.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 12 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS