3 John 5–8

5 This section now elaborates on the specific behavior of Gaius that has led to his commendation by John. Gaius has been supporting fellow believers (“brothers”) who “have gone out for the sake of the name” (v. 7), that is, they have served as traveling preachers or missionaries. Although these men were believers, they were not personally known to Gaius (“strangers as they are”). But this did not prevent Gaius from supporting them, demonstrating that his efforts were rooted not in familiarity but in commitment to the spread of the gospel.

6 In the first century, traveling teachers were dependent on the hospitality of churches to provide housing and food in order to complete their task. This was seen in the warning in 2 John 10 against supporting unorthodox teachers. The Didache (a late-first- or early-second-century document) seeks to aid Christians in differentiating between faithful teachers who ought to be supported and false teachers or opportunists who seek to take advantage of such hospitality. Gaius has rightly discerned that the brothers in view here are faithful teachers, and he has demonstrated Christian love by supporting them.

This is one of the most significant passages in the NT concerning missionary support. The “brothers” in view here have been sent to preach the gospel (“for the sake of the name”). John affirms the work of supporting such servants of the gospel. Care and support given to them is referred to as “love,” because love, for John (and for the rest of the NT authors), is affection that leads to the meeting of needs. These traveling preachers had reported back to the church about the support and care given by Gaius.

John commends the support of such workers, telling Gaius he will do well to support them “in a manner worthy of God.” This is a striking standard for missionary support! It was common in the ancient world (as in many places today) to expect a messenger to be treated as if he were the one who sent him. Thus, those who go out for the sake of preaching the message of Jesus should be supported in a manner worthy of Jesus himself. This obviously rules out any halfhearted, ham-fisted approach to support and instead calls for glad, gracious generosity of the sort the Macedonian churches had demonstrated and Paul had praised (2 Cor. 8:1–5).

7 The reason these people should be given such strong support is that they “have gone out for the sake of the name.” One’s “name” refers to one’s reputation and character. These brothers have left behind familiar settings of home in order to spread the fame of the name of Jesus. Their labors are not for their own glorification (their names are not even mentioned) but for the exalting of Jesus. The body of Christ should support efforts exalting Christ. Efforts to exalt man, however, have no right to the support of God’s people.

John states that these preachers accepted “nothing from the Gentiles.” The term here translated “Gentiles” is not the typical word translated “Gentiles” elsewhere in the NT (ethnos). It is instead a word (ethnikos) that, while still referring to an outsider status, emphasizes that which is “unbelieving, worldly, polytheistic.”¹ These gospel servants did not look to unbelievers to support their ministries. The children of God ought not look to the Devil’s house for support of their work—it is the church’s job to support gospel ministries.

8 This verse draws together the point of the paragraph. Gaius has been commended for supporting faithful traveling preachers, and John makes clear his application that “we” all “ought to support” such people. John also adds a final motivation for this support: by supporting them we become “fellow workers for the truth.” Supporters share in the work of those whom they support (just as in 2 John 11, where those who support heretical teachers share in their sin). Those who love the truth seek to work for it, and can do so by taking that truth to new areas or by supporting those who do.