3 John 3: 9 – 12 “I have written to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not accept our instruction. So if I come, I will call attention to his malicious slander against us. And unsatisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers and forbids those who want to do so, even putting them out of the church.
Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true.”
Sometimes pastors and other church leaders might like to fantasize about the early church where everyond loved one another and was dedicated to Jesus and was generous and compassionate and ……. WAIT A MINUTE! WHAT???? The early church was made up of fallible human beings and unfortunately, the problems the early leaders faced are the same problems confronting church leaders today.
Today, pastors have all kinds of communication available to them, but John had only letters and word of mouth. Evidently, Diotrephes was one of the church leaders with an ego that wouldn’t quit; he was a legend in his own mind. And nobody in his family was conceited because he had gotten all the conceit! We know nothing of his background, other than he was probably a Gentile (his name means “nurtured by Jupiter”). Names are very important, and this guy started out with a name that simply dripped arrogance.
The photo shows Mohammed Ali Abdul Somed, the Secretary for the Smock Makers Association in Ghana, wearing a traditional fugu hat. Here in Northern Ghana, such hats can be worn in several different ways, depending on the occasion, the nature of the wearer, and whether or not dignitaries are present. If someone is a paramount chief or the most important chief present, he can wear the hat slanting straight up to show that he is higher than anybody else; however, if another more important chief arrives, the first chief will have to rearrange his hat!
Hats slanted to the left indicate the wearer is a man of peace and is not looking for trouble. Hats slanted to the right indicate the individual is self – dependent. In some areas, hats slanted backwards indicate that the wearer is not looking for trouble; however, others claim that a hat slanted backwards indicates a chief who is yet to be enskinned. A hat slanted forward can either mean that the individual is looking for trouble or that he feels he has no equal in any sphere of life.
If Diotrephes had lived in Northern Ghana, he would have made sure that his fugu hat was upright at all times! Diotrephes refused to accept instruction, spread malicious slander, and even forbade church members to offer hospitality to visiting church elders – an unthinkable practice in an era in which church elders were routinely received into the homes of church members.
What had happened to Diotrephes? We may never know. Perhaps he had some educational advantages. Perhaps he was wealthy. Diotrephes certainly appears to have had a forceful personality, since he was even attempting to throw church members who entertained traveling church leaders in their homes out of the church! But John analyzes the situation in one succinct sentence: Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.
Jesus told his disciples that they would know true followers by their fruits, and the fruit Diotrephes was producing was rotten! Contrast that with the church leader named Demetrius, who was spoken well of by everyone. Demetrius would have worn his fugu hat slanted to the left to indicate that he was a man of peace.
Centuries have come and gone, but the names of these two men remain recorded in the Bible. God has acknowledged Demetrius as a faithful servant, someone who has been approved by all who have known him. Diotrophes, on the other hand, remains famous for his arrogance and his rebellious attitude.
Sometimes we think that God isn’t really paying attention to the things we think or say or do. Nothing could be farther from the truth! God as our Heavenly Father is passionately interested in the state of our hearts. How it must have grieved God to see Diotrephes with all his talents using his abilities of leadership to bring division and strife! And how many misguided church members may have taken their cues from Diotrephes just because he could speak glibly, speading vicious innuendos and poisoning relationships?
PRAYER: Father God, please help us to humble ourselves before you at all times. Help us to imitate what is good and not what is evil. Lord, search our hearts and minds and cleanse us from anything that is not of you. And help us to be careful about imitating anyone else, no matter how smoothly they talk. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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