I had many things to
write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink; but I hope to see
you shortly, and we shall speak face to face.
Peace to you. Our friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.
3 John 1:13-14
Dear Heavenly
Father, as my wife and I transition to this new stage of life. Please encourage us and lead us to do your
will. Please be with my children keep them
from the evil one. Live in them. Guide them.
Protect them Dear Father. In
Jesus's name I pray, Amen.
We are in the
Conclusion/Farewell portion of the letter.
John concludes the letter with a heart felt farewell. In certain translations, verse 14 is actually
broken into two verses. For example, in
the ESV and NLT translations, this citation of Scripture would be 3 John
1:13-15. To bring deeper understanding
to today's text, let's examine some key words and their companion or similar
verses.
"Many" in
the Greek is polus which means much,
many, often, high in number, multitudinous, plenteous, great in amount,
numerous. "Write" in the Greek
is grapho which means it is written, it
stands written, sent this letter, to give information. "Wish" in the Greek is thelo which means I will, desire, intend,
design, willing, wanting to persuade.
"Pen" in the Greek is kalamos
which means reed, measuring rod, a writer's reed. 2 John 1:12 states "
Having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink;
but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that our joy may be
full." John conveys the same
message here. John wanted to impart his
wisdom to them. However, he doesn't
desire it to be only through writings.
"But" in
the Greek is de which means on the other
hand, moreover, indeed now, on top of this, next. "Hope" in the Greek is elpizo which means expect, trust, actively
waiting for God's fulfillment about faith through the power of His love,
hopefully trust in. "See" in
the Greek is harao which means look
upon, experience, perceive, discern, beware, to see with the eyes. "Shortly" in the Greek is eutheos which means immediately, soon, at
once, straight away, forthwith. This
phrase points to the previous Scripture.
On top of the fact that John wants to impart his wisdom, he expects and
trusts that he will see them with his eyes immediately.
"Speak" in
the Greek is laleo which means say,
chatter, proclaiming, not be silent, to use words to declare one's mind and
disclose one's thoughts.
"Face" in the Greek is stoma
which means the mouth, speech, eloquence of speech, the point of a sword, mouth turned to mouth, the breath of
his mouth. "To" in the Greek
is pros which means towards, with,
interface with, in each other's presence.
Once they are in each other's presence, John will impart his
wisdom. That way, he can see their
reaction and see if they understand. The
best communication is face-to-face.
"Peace" in
the Greek is eirene which means peace of
mind, sense of health and welfare of an individual, common Jewish farewell,
properly wholeness, when all essential parts are together, peace that leads to
salvation, peace with God. It is from the root word, eiro, which means to join, together into a whole. "Friends" in the Greek is philos which means associate, someone dearly
loved (prized) in a personal intimate way, a trusted confidant, close personal
bond. It is derived from the root word, phil, which conveys experiential personal
affection. John prays that they have
their lives all together and in peace with God.
He prays for his dearly loved trusted confidants.
"Greet" in
the Greek is apazomai which means
salute, pay my respects, welcome, wish well to.
"Name" in the Greek is onoma
which means character, reputation, fame, manifestation or revelation of
someone's character, name is inseparable from the person who it belongs
(something of their essence). John 10:3
states "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he
calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." Welcome all believers using their name which
conveys their character, reputation, and essence.
As an Apostle, John
was also a teacher. He longed to be with
his pupils and the community of Christ.
Although he could only reach them through letters, he desperately wanted to see them. He wanted to impart
his wisdom that he received from God to them.
Being in their presence, he could see their body language and discern
whether he was being understood. The
least effective way to learn is reading.
Hearing the teaching, taking notes, and asking clarifying questions is a
better way to learn. However, the best
way to learn is to teach.
In closing the
letter, John expresses his love for them.
He asks for peace that leads to salvation which is peace with God. He asks them to provide hospitality for
fellow believers. He asks them to call
believers by their name which is the revelation of their character. So the closing is not a good bye but a prayer
for his beloved friends.
I had many things
[to say when I began] to write to you, but I prefer not to put it down with pen
(reed) and black (ink); but I hope to see you soon, and we will speak face to
face. Peace be to you. The friends [here] greet you. Greet the friends [personally]
by name.
Amplified Bible
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