Overview
A personal letter from the elder to Gaius. It commends Gaius for walking in the truth and showing hospitality to itinerant missionaries, rebukes Diotrephes for rejecting the elder's authority and refusing to receive the brothers, and commends Demetrius.
Theme Partnership through hospitality toward those who labour for the truth
Historical background
The background is the activity of itinerant workers who went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles (3 John 1:7). The letter is regarded as an early witness to tension between a local leader of the ekklesia (church) and apostolic authority. It is among the shortest books of the New Testament.