Authorship, Date.

See the introduction to 1 John and to the Gospel of John; there

is little stylistic difference between 1 and 2 John. Although John himself might send
a shorter personal letter resembling a longer one he had previously written, it is
unlikely that a forger would try to produce such a short document that added so
little to the case found in 1 John. Further, a later forgery of 2 John (or 3 John) would
have drained it of its authority for the audience, since the contents of 2 and 3 John
indicate that the hearers knew the writer personally.
Nature of the Letter. Second John may function as an official letter, the sort that
*high priests could send to Jewish leaders outside Palestine. The length is the same
as that of 3 John; both were probably limited to this length by the single sheet of
papyrus on which they were written. In contrast to most *New Testament letters,
most other ancient letters were of this length.
Situation. Second John addresses the problem of the same secessionists that
1 John addressed. The secessionists’ inadequate view of *Christ was probably either
a compromise with *synagogue pressure (see the introduction to Gospel of John)
or a relativization of Jesus to allow more compromise with paganism (see the introduction
to Revelation)—probably the latter. For the secessionists, Jesus was a great
prophet like John the Baptist and their own leaders, but he was not the supreme
Lord in the flesh (cf. 1 Jn 4:1-6; Rev 2:14, 20). Some propose that they may have been
affiliated with or forerunners of Cerinthus (who distinguished the divine Christ and
the human Jesus, like some modern theologians) or the Docetists (who claimed that
Jesus only seemed to be human). All these compromises helped the false teaching’s
followers better adapt to their culture’s values what remained of Christianity after
their adjustments, but led them away from the truth proclaimed by the eyewitnesses
who had known Jesus firsthand.
Commentaries. See the introduction to 1 John.
1-3. “Elders” were given authority in local
Jewish communities by virtue of their age,
prominence and respectability; age was respected.
John assumes this simple title (cf.
1 Pet 5:1) rather than emphasizing his apostleship
here. The “chosen lady” (nasb, niv) or
spiritual mother could refer to a prophetess/
elder (cf. 3 Jn 4; contrast Rev 2:23). But it more
likely refers to a local congregation here (see v.
13); both Israel and the *church were portrayed
as women.
4-6. The commandment John mentions
here was an old one because it was in the *law
(Lev 19:18), although Jesus’ example gave it
new import (Jn 13:34-35). In the context of 1–2
John, “loving one another” includes cleaving
to the Christian community (rather than
leaving it, as the secessionists were doing).
7-9. See discussion in the introduction.
10. Guests were to be accorded hospitality
and travelers to be put up in hosts’ homes (cf.
3 Jn 5-6; it is possible, though not certain, that
the houses in question here may also be house
churches); early Christian missionaries had
depended on this hospitality from the beginning
(Mt 10:9-14). Traveling philosophers
called sophists charged fees for their teaching,
as some of Paul’s opponents in Corinth
probably did.
But just as Jewish people would not receive
*Samaritans or those they considered impious,
so Christians were to exercise selectivity concerning
whom they would admit. Early
Christian writings (particularly a text of
mainly authoritative traditions known as the
Didache) show that some prophets and
*apostles traveled around, and that not all of
them were true prophets and apostles.
Greetings were an essential part of social protocol
at that time, and the greeting (“Peace be
with you”) was intended as a blessing or prayer
to impart peace.
11. In the *Dead Sea Scrolls, one who provided
for an apostate from the community was
regarded as an apostate sympathizer and was
expelled from the community, as the apostate
was. Housing or blessing a false teacher was
thus seen as collaborating with him.
12. “Paper” is papyrus, made from reeds
and rolled up like a scroll. The pen was a reed
pointed at the end, and the ink was a compound
of charcoal, vegetable gum and water.
Written letters were considered an inferior
substitute for personal presence or for a
speech, and writers sometimes concluded
their letters with the promise to discuss
matters further face-to-face.
13. It was common to send greetings from
those near the sender. For the “sister,” see

1-2. This is a standard greeting in many ancient

letters, which quite often began with a
prayer for the reader’s health, frequently including
the prayer that all would go well with
the person (not just material prosperity, as
some translations could be read as implying).
This greeting might be similar to saying “I
hope you are well” today, but it represents an
actual prayer that all is well with Gaius (see
comment on 1 Thess 3:11). “Gaius” was a
common name.
3-4. Rabbis and philosophers sometimes
spoke of their *disciples as their “children”;
here John probably intends those he brought
to *Christ (cf. Gal 4:19 and perhaps the later
Jewish tradition that when someone made a
convert to Judaism, it was as if the converter
had created the convert).
5-6. Hospitality was a critical issue in the
Greco-Roman world, and Jewish people were
especially concerned to take care of their own.
Most inns also served as brothels, making a
stay there unappealing, but Jewish people
could expect to find hospitality from their
fellow Jews; to prevent abuse of this system,
they normally carried letters of recommendation
from someone the hosts might know to
substantiate their claim to be good Jews. Christians
had likely adopted the same practice.
7-8. Philosophers and sophists (traveling
professional speakers, which is how many
observers in the Greco-Roman world interpreted
traveling Christian preachers) often
made their livings from the crowds to whom
they spoke, although others took fees or
were supported by wealthy *patrons. Like
Jewish people, Christians showed hospitality
to travelers of their own faith, and these traveling
preachers were dependent on this
charity. Jewish people spoke of the sacred
“Name” of God; John is apparently applying
this title to Jesus.
9-11. Diotrephes is apparently leader of another
house church; he refuses to show hospitality
to the missionaries who have letters of
recommendation from the elder. Scholars
have speculated whether the issue was doctrinal
disagreement, disagreement over church
leadership structure or that Diotrephes was
simply outright disagreeable; at any rate, he
refuses to accept the authority of John that
stands behind the missionaries he backs. To
reject a person’s representatives or those recommended
by a person was to disrespect the
person who had written on their behalf.
12. This is the recommendation for Demetrius,
who has not only John’s attestation but
that of the rest of his home church(es). (For
letters of recommendation, see comment on 2
Cor 3:1.) No one in Diotrephes’s house church
will receive him, so Gaius’s house church must
help him.
13-15. Sometimes ancient letters closed as
John does here. Most letter writers employed
*scribes, and if John is writing by hand, he may
well wish to close quickly. See comment on
2 John 12. If “friends” is here a title for a group,
it probably refers to fellow Christians in the
place from which the elder is writing; these
Christians may have borrowed the idea from
the *Epicureans, whose philosophical communities
consisted especially of “friends.”