I have written to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not accept our instruction.
Parallel translations
- WEB I wrote to the assembly, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, doesn’t accept what we say.
- KJV I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
- NKJV I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.
- NASB I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say.
- NLT I wrote to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be the leader, refuses to have anything to do with us.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
John had written to the church, but a man named Diotrephes, who craved preeminence, rejected John's authority. Pride and the love of being first corrupt church leadership.
Overview
In sharp contrast to faithful Gaius, Diotrephes is marked by a self-promoting ambition that refused even apostolic instruction. His love of being 'first' reveals a heart governed by pride rather than service. This stands directly against the way of Christ, who came not to be served but to serve, and warns the church against leaders who seek their own glory.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Titus 1:7–16As God’s steward, an overseer must be above reproach—not self-absorbed, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money.
- Luke 22:24–27A dispute also arose among the disciples as to which of them would be considered the greatest.
- Luke 9:48And He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes the One who sent Me. For whoever is the least among all of you, he is the greatest.”
- Matt 23:4–8They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
- Mark 9:34But they were silent, for on the way they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest.
- Matt 10:40–42He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me.
- Phil 2:3–5Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.
- Rom 12:10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another.
- 3 Jn 1:8Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
- Mark 9:37“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes not only Me, but the One who sent Me.”
- Mark 10:35–45Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and declared, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”
- Matt 20:20–28Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to make a request of Him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Faithful love shown for the sake of 'the Name' is service rendered to Christ, who is the truth in which his people walk.
How 3 John 1:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.