2 John 1-3

2 John 1-3

The elder, to the Chosen Lady and her children – whom I love in truth, and not only I alone but also all the ones who have known truth for the sake of the truth that remains in us and will be with us into the age.  Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Christ Jesus the Son of the Father – in truth and love.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The recipient of this letter is an interesting topic of study – and trust me when I say there are many different opinions on who – or even what – received this letter.  Just to be clear, when I say “what” I am referring to those people who claim that the “chosen lady” refers to a church while “her children” refer to the spiritual people within.  While this is certainly possible, I do not believe this is quite correct.  The Greek word in this passage is Kyria (κυρία) and it is the feminine form of Kyrios (κύριος).  Kyrios is the Greek word for lord – meaning one who is in charge, for example, the lord of a manner or the lord of a city.  Thus, the word Kyria would refer to a woman who was in charge.  This could be the wife of a powerful man or it could be a woman who is leading under her own authority.  The word for “chosen” is the Greek word eklektos (ἐκλεκτός) and it is clearly the root of our English word eclectic.  This word means chosen, selected, or picked out.  Remember that God called the Hebrew people His Chosen Ones, thus it is highly possible that this description for the woman is a religious comment and not a political one or one of power.  Given this information, I believe that John is writing this letter to a spiritual woman who is likely in a position of authority in a congregation of believers with whom John is familiar.  Her children could mean her actual children – or more likely, her spiritual ones.

Why might it be significant that John is writing this letter to a woman?  Why might it be significant that John sees this woman as a leader and person in authority (and probably spiritual authority)?

Second Thought:

One of the most important words in the opening of this letter is the word truth.  John uses truth 4 times in this section alone.  We will get to it in a few days, but one of the main purposes of this letter is to remind the recipient(s) to stay focused on the truth in the midst of the false teachers and false prophets that are in the world.  There are people in the world that want to deny the actual coming of Christ.  John wants the recipients to remember that faith is rooted in truth and that there is something worth believing in this world.  It is easy to be convinced by the world that Christianity is full of speculation and things for which we hope.  But John’s point in this opening is that we are rooted in truth.  We do not have to speculate.

Have you ever been made to feel like your faith is not truth but speculation?  Why can it be easy to doubt that faith is truth?  Why is it important to remain firm and rooted in truth?

Third Thought:

Truth, however, is not the full expression of God.  All truth is in God, but to say that truth is the full expression of God reduces God to an academic exercise.  Truth can be learned, debated, and written down.  But God is more than this.  God created.  God came into the world.  God lived, died, and was raised.  In a word, God did all of this because He loves.  Truth is one thing, but truth is best when it is paired with action.  The action through which God works is love.  It is through God’s love that God’s truth is expressed.

Do you pair truth and love in your mind?  Why does this pairing make sense?  What is God’s love to you?

Passage for Tomorrow: 2 John 4-6