Diotrephes and Demetrius
9I have written to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not accept our instruction. 10So if I come, I will call attention to his malicious slander against us. And unsatisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers and forbids those who want to do so, even putting them out of the church.
11Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.
12Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true.
Demetrius accepts and Diotrephes does not. “The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.” Demetrius is good and Diotrephes is evil. Diotrephes was gossiping, became prideful and assumed authority when he didn’t have it. John had the authority to excommunicate him but instead publicly rebuked him and warned Christians to steer clear of him.
How long can a church stand with evil in its midst? Demetrius was refusing to accept the brothers and putting them out of the church.
“The Greek verb which is here translated ‘gossiping’ comes from a root which was used of the action of water in boiling up and throwing off bubbles. Since bubbles are empty and useless, the verb eventually came to mean indulgence in empty or useless talk. This was the nature of Diotrephes’ slander, though, of course, the words were no less evil in that they were groundless.” (Boice)
Are you indulging in empty or useless talk?
Blessings, David
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