2 John

Who was that person, or people, in your life that spoke to you and encouraged you about the things of the Lord when you most needed it?  Think about it.  It may not have necessarily been something comfortable or fun.  Someone might have told you that your thinking was incorrect or you were going the wrong way.  I can instantly think of numerous people. 

One of my High School classmates, I'll call him Sam, tried to tell me about Jesus. I dismissed Sam when he began to talk.  After all, I knew about Jesus.  I went to church once in a while.  I had been to vacation Bible school and got stars and pins for perfect attendance in Sunday school.  Yet, if those things are true, why did Sam’s testimony irritate me?

I'll not forget this man because he had the boldness to try to tell me what I needed to hear.

Later in life, I think of my buddy, Loren, whom I met at church.  A few years after we became friends, he was diagnosed with cancer.  I remember one time in the hospital, early in his battle that would eventually lead to his death, someone expressed their sympathies for his situation.  He said, "I'm okay. I have my lucky rock."  He would then proceed to tell folks that Jesus was His Rock.  He was an example of faith and godliness that left a mark on my life.

Let me tell you one more, an unusual one.  I guess it was in the eighties I went with a group of men to Promise Keepers.  Most of these guys were older and more established in their lives and faith, or at least it seemed that way to me.  I felt like a little kid among grown-ups.  Yet, on the way home, late at night, one man I'll call David, asked me a question I haven't forgotten.

David was the President and CEO of a major corporation.  He had an MBA and a couple of other degrees.  He had just finished telling me stories about having dinner with the President in the White House.  He had met the President, dignitaries, the rich and powerful of the world.  I was impressed, to say the least.  After a while, David turned to me and asked where I grew up and where I worked.  I thought to myself, I have no stories that would interest this man.  I grew up on a farm in a town of 900.  Who could care about that?  I had no college degree.  The closest dignitary in my life might have been the mayor.  I might have shaken his hand once.  The closest I got to royalty was when I asked out the homecoming queen, and she said no.  Power was having 30 hogs follow me through the pig lot, hoping I would feed them.

The stories of my life meant something to me, but I figured others found them boring.  Yet, David corrected me.  My stories were mine.  My life was the life given to me by God.  I should never be ashamed or hesitant to share.  And he listened, encouraged me, and was genuinely interested in what I had to say.  David left a mark on my life.  He encouraged and mentored me in a way he probably didn't realize.  He probably doesn't even remember me.

Now I look back at David, Loren, and Sam and know that these men walked in humility before an awesome God.  They were men walking in faith, obedience, and love.  In their walk, they mentored and encouraged others. 

The Apostle John wrote the book of Second John to do that very same thing.  He wanted to encourage and mentor someone he knew.  This letter is written to a lady and her children.  And it's written in love and truth to reveal joy, encourage and warn.  The words of this book were delivered with love and concern, and we can only imagine what this meant in her life.

It may seem like John spends a lot of time repeating himself.  Whatever is repeated is done so that we get it.  God is giving us repetition in the exact amount we need.  God knows we are hardhearted and thickheaded, some more than others.  I say this about repetition because there is nothing doctrinally in the book of Second John that you won't find in First John.  Some of the verses are nearly word for word.  All are similar in spirit and intent.

This epistle was probably written right after First John.  There is no real date set on it.  There is no doubt John wrote it.  And we know John was an old man.  He was likely the last of the apostles at this point. 

John was in his nineties, serving in the church at Ephesus and acting as an elder to all the churches in the area.  He was well respected, and when he spoke, people listened.  John saw the church being attacked by false teachers and filled with false teachings.  He saw people being led astray and led away to other beliefs.  These guys were picking at the very core message of the gospel.  John had walked with Jesus and talked with Him.  He didn't have any doubts about Jesus.  He wasn't speaking of what he read.  He spoke the truth about what he saw and lived.  This was a real part of his life, and these false teachers denied it. 

Seeing the false teachers attempt to dismantle what he knew to be true must have fired up John.  I bet it stirred up the fire in him.  I bet the “Son of Thunder” of his youth became visible in this elder saint.  John wrote with love and compassion to his friends to express joy, offer encouragement, and warn them.

©2012 Doug Ford, Revised & edited 2020, 2024