Overview
This is a personal letter from "The elder" to Gaius, a man who has shown great faithfulness in hosting various delegations of itinerant missionaries. The report of those itinerants to the elder have spoken of Gaius' hospitality and consistent "walk in the truth" (v.3).
He commends Gaius for this, and reminds him that these missionaries are motivated not by money but by the challenge of preaching about God ("the Name", v.7). They have no income from their preaching, nor do they expect it (v.7b), so they are dependent on "hospitality" in order to stay on the road. The elder sees Gaius as someone with whom the missionaries "work together for the truth" (v.8).
He goes on to draw Gaius' attention to a certain "Diotrephes" -who is doing exactly the opposite. "He refuses to welcome" the missionaries (v.lOb), and chooses rather to criticize and denigrate the work of the elder and his men (v.lOa). To add insult to injury, he even forces out of fellowship those in his church who do want to show hospitality (v.lOc).
Then, he puts in a good word for "Demetrius", who was probably the letter-carrier. And, in conclusion, he states that he is writing a short note only because he hopes to see Gaius soon, "face to face". In the meantime, he has encouraged Gaius to continue doing "what is good".
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