Tradition held that the Johannine Epistles (1, 2, and 3 John) were the work of John, the beloved apostle. These works discuss similar themes to those of the Gospel of John and, at times, allude to what the Gospel of John proclaimed. The Second Epistle of John addresses Docetism, the view that Jesus did not come to earth in the flesh. It focuses on obedience to God’s command to love one another, which is the principle behind the second section of the Ten Commandments (Matthew 22:37-39).
Authorship and Date
Traditionally, the early church believed that John the Apostle wrote the Johannine Epistles, including 2 John. From the 2nd century CE, Church Fathers have raised questions about that attribution. Most scholars today do not believe John the beloved apostle was the author. They do believe the author of the three epistles was the same person, though.
The time and place of authorship are also in dispute. Many scholars claim Ephesus was the place of origin, although some have suggested Damascus. The time of writing was probably the late first century, likely 85-95 CE.
Historical Context
2 John was sent from the “elder to the elect lady and her children.” The author was an authoritative figure in the church and would have been recognized for his wisdom and integrity by his readers. In the Bible, God refers to his people as a pure woman.
Using that metaphor, it is safe to assume that the author applied it to a local congregation in 2 John. Considering the greeting at the end of the epistle, which references a sister and her children, the letter was likely sent from one congregation to another. The reference to the woman would likely be the community of believers and the children that make up that community.
Considering the content of the epistle, the gnostic teaching of Docetism seems to have posed a threat to the community. Docetism is the belief that Christ came in spirit and did not take literal form. The term derives from the Greek word dokein meaning “to seem” or “to appear.” In essence, it taught that Christ was an illusion, a spiritual being who had human experiences. It is vested in a dualistic worldview where the material world is evil and corrupt, and therefore, Christ could not have taken physical form and exposed himself to such evil.
The accounts of Jesus in the Gospel of John often mention him in expressly physical terms where he eats, or people touch him (John 20:25-29; 21:10-13). John then continued to address the issue in 1 John and in 2 John. The challenges this gnostic teaching posed had not yet manifested when other apostles wrote their gospels and epistles, but because John was the last to live and write, he could address the false teaching prevalent in his day. Gnosticism posed a serious challenge to the early church for several centuries. The danger of Docetism lies in its denial of Christ’s real suffering and death, which is central to the concept of salvation.
Structure
Salutation (2 John 1-3)
The sender identifies him as an elder and sends his letter to “the lady” with a blessing.
Expression of joy and command to love (2 John 4-6)
John expresses his joy at finding the people from his audience obedient to the command to walk in truth and live their faith.
Warning against deceivers and avoiding their influence (2 John 7-11)
The problem the elder had to address in his letter was a form of Gnosticism that challenged the physical manifestation of Christ.
Greetings (2 John 12-13)
John expresses his desire to visit the audience of this epistle to share more with them face-to-face. How he expresses his desire suggests that he cares for them and loves them. He calls them a sister and refers to the children of the sending and receiving sisters at the beginning and end of his epistle, which underscores his view of the extended Christian community as a family.
Main Themes
Command to love
2 John 4-6 correlates with 1 John 2:3-8. In both instances, the verses address a “new commandment,” which existed from the beginning. This may seem like a contradiction in terms, but it is not. Leviticus 19:18 already commanded that “you shall love your neighbor as yourself,” and that command is repeated several times in the New Testament (Matthew 19:19; 22:38; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14 and James 2:8). So, how can such an old commandment be new?
John points to the commandment being new, in terms of the way Christ lived it by his example. Christ’s example serves as a model for the believer to live. That is why John wrote the command “is true in him and in you” (1 John 2:8).
Warning against deceivers
John warns against those who deny Jesus came in the flesh. He calls them “Antichrist.” Antichrist combines the Greek word anti, which means “against” or “instead of,” and Christos, which means anointed or Messiah. The Antichrist, therefore, is against Christ or replaces him. It follows that John claimed the denial of the physical coming of Jesus is an attempt to deny him or replace his coming with an alternative, which is, by implication, false.
His instruction not to receive or greet such a person seems to fly in the face of the Christian virtues like kindness, goodness, and gentleness (Galatians 5:22-23), which are associated with the expression of love, which John espouses. Contextually, the instruction John gives means that such people should not be allowed to promote their views in the faith community for the sake of truth.
Key Passages
2 John 1:4-6
“I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning so that you should walk in it.”
Assuming the author of 2 John is also the author of the Gospel of John, John 1:1 clarifies that John meant the creation when he mentions the “word’s” beginning. It was, therefore, an eternal intent from the creation that humanity should love one another. One could argue, in light of the focus of the commandments, that they are intended to guide people to understand what love toward one another would look like in practical terms.
2 John 1:7-8
“For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.”
A deceiver aims to have a victim believe something that is not true for the benefit of the one who is deceiving. In the light of the gospel, those who deny the physical manifestation of Jesus deny the physical suffering and death he endured for the salvation of man. It strikes at the heart of the gospel message.
2 John 1:10-11
“If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.”
This counter-cultural expression of rejection is a testament to how serious John considered the issue of Docetism to be. Where the Bible generally taught Christians to be hospitable and friendly, John teaches that they should not allow this fallacy to settle in their midst at any cost.
Contemporary Significance
Docetism itself is not a significant issue in the contemporary Christian church. That does not mean that the church does not face challenges to its traditional Christology. Liberal theology sometimes aims to reinterpret long-held views that diminish the appreciation of the humanity, suffering, and death of Jesus. Popular culture often focuses so much on the divine aspects of the life of Christ that they lose sight of his human aspects.
Much of the contemporary value of 2 John lies in what he says about the need to love one another, and that this commandment is not new but the same as what God intended for man from the beginning of creation. Contemporary Christianity often claims that the Law is done away with, though John seems to suggest the commandments expressed love. He never contradicts the principle of salvation through faith in Jesus nor espouses the idea that the works of the believer carry any merit toward salvation. He does, however, promote obedience to what God instructed his children to do.
