Chapter 20
2 John 1:1-3
2 John 1:1 The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth,
If we we were ever asked to summarize the book of First John we might remember John telling us about: 1) our need to fellowship with God; 2) that we are children of God; 3) that we can know that we are saved; 4) that we should stay away from idols; and 5) intercede for others when we pray. However, that doesn’t cover the bulk of what John wrote about, he extensively wrote about truth, love, and obedience. Now in his second epistle much of the same lessons from his first epistle will be repeated as we will again hear about truth, love, and obedience, except with greater emphasis on warning us against listening to false teachers.
The book is believed to have been written shortly after his first epistle probably while John was still in Ephesus (90-95 AD). This and his next epistle are the shortest books in the New Testament, 2 John having 245 Greek words and 3 John only 219 words. These letters are short enough to fit on one page (it seems that John did not want to waste ink and paper, see 2 John 1:12). The theme, as pointed out above, is very similar to 1 John however, John may be adding ‘hospitality’ to the list.
Sadly, it doesn’t take long to run into our next Biblical controversy, well maybe its not a controversy per se, but it can change the meaning affecting how we might interpret and apply these next few verses. Here is verse one as rendered in the New Living Translation (NLT), “This letter is from John, the elder. I am writing to the chosen lady and to her children, whom I love in the truth—as does everyone else who knows the truth—“ The big question of course is, who is the “chosen lady” John is referring to and who are her children? While the identification of the letter’s recipient may not change the interpretation of the text, it may provide context.
Many scholars believe that the reference is a metaphor. If that is true, there are two possibilities, the first would be a metaphor for the church at large (the Body of Christ) as the church is identified as a woman in several New Testament verses (including Ephesians 5:25-27; 2 Corinthians 11:2 and Revelation 19:7-9). The second possibility is that it is a metaphor for a local unidentified church. Many early commentators preferred this explanation including the 4th-Century theologian Jerome. Regardless of metaphor, it would be understood that her children would the members of each respective church.
Other scholars believe that the language supports the idea that the chosen (or ‘elect’ lady as seen in ESV, KJV, NKJV, and HCSB versions) was an actual person. Here are some of the possibilities that support that point of view:
1. The word for ‘lady’ is recorded in the Greek as ‘Kyria’, which is often touted as being close to some known proper nouns of the period, 2nd Century church theologian Clement of Alexandria held this view.
2. John could have been referring to a nameless woman who may have inadvertently or unwisely showed hospitality to someone who taught or promoted false teaching in a church and John used this story as an example or as a model for other Christians and churches to be aware of, making this a warning to all believers.
3. Since John referred to the lady as being someone who all believers would know, “but also all who know the truth,” some believe the lady is Mary, the mother of Jesus, who gave John the responsibility to take care of her just before dying on the cross (see John 19:26-27).
So which one? A metaphor, a name, or something else? Let’s investigate by reading and studying this short epistle. Perhaps we will have a better view when we are finished (no flow charts needed this time).
One thing to note before we begin our study is that like many other short books in the Bible this book does not have chapters. Some people may write out 2 John 1:1, that’s okay as most of those references are usually the result of a software or filing system short coming.
Most scholars are quick to point out that letters, in general, that were written in this time period usually begin with the title or name of the person writing the letter (instead of later at the end). Here John simply refers to himself as, “the elder.” The Greek word ‘presyteros’ (translated here as ‘elder’) can refer to a senior person or someone with a higher rank (see 1 Peter 5:1). John then identifies the recipient as the “elect lady.” The Greek word for ‘elect’ is the same word we have encountered several times in the New Testament meaning ‘chosen’. The term ‘lady’ in the Greek would be comparable to calling a man ‘lord’ (implying a higher rank or position in life) or perhaps a more modern reference would be, ‘Mrs.” We see a similar opening phrase in John’s third epistle.
John gave us a clue to the lady’s identification with the phrase, “whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth.” Does this mean that like Mary, the mother of Jesus (see number 3 above) the identity of the elect lady is someone all believers would know? We will explore this idea further shortly.
2 John 1:2 because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love.
What happens when we know (‘ginōskō) the truth? Do you remember, “Know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” (John 8:32, ESV)? God wants us to know Him and to know the truth (read John 1:17; 14:6; 1 Timothy 2:4; Galatians 2:5). In this greeting, John makes a beautiful proclamation, that the truth abides in us forever. The second verse ends with a colon pointing to the explanation or expansion in verse three, namely that grace, mercy, and peace will be with us forever since they come from God the Father and Jesus, in truth and love (agapē). What a wonderful greeting!
Truth and love, interestingly the meaning of these two words have changed in our society today. Pilate once asked Jesus, “what is truth?” (probably under his breath, see John 18:38) The answer should be straightforward. If we are asked what color is something there should only be one answer (unless of course you asked a color-blind person what the color of something is) or what is the answer to an equation. Something red can’t be blue at the same time and two plus two always equals four. In our post-modern world many view the concept of truth (especially absolute truth) with great skepticism while some believe that we simply cannot know the truth. Many of these people believe that religion or beliefs are just a personal preference.
So, is there truth? Can we know the truth? Absolutely! The Bible teaches the truth and is considered the Word of truth (read Psalm 119:160; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 2:15; James 1:18). John is reminding his readers that there is absolute divine truth and it is indeed knowable.
Now regarding love, we certainly see today that it doesn’t seem to last like it used to. The world does not define love like God does. As ambassadors of Jesus, it is our job to demonstrate what true unconditional agapē love really is.