Little known Bible Characters #12- Diotrephes
By Elizabeth Prata
Sometimes the name a person has matches them exactly. Not a nickname, like Sons of Thunder, or a rename like Simon to Peter/Cephas or Saul to Paul, but their original name.
I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. (3 John 1:9).
Here, the problem is pride (among other issues we’ll see in verse 10). John is speaking of sending out those who are ready, and receiving them so as to support them in their ministry work. Diotrephes refused to do this. He also rejected John and his teaching. So John wrote a ‘don’t make me come down there’ letter.
For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with malicious words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brothers either, and he forbids those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. (3 John 1:10).
Who was Diotrephes, mentioned so negatively by the Apostle of Love? We don’t know much, the ONLY mention of him is in that one verse.
Herbert Lockyer in his book All the Men of the Bible wrote:
DIOTREPHES — NOURISHED BY JUPITER. [See what I mean about the name?!]
The professed disciple who refused to recognize the authority of John as an apostle, and who loved to have the pre-eminence (III John 9). Diotrephes tried to act like a little Caesar. Pride and self-pleasing led to the dethronement of Christ. The word “pre-eminence” occurs twice in the New Testament. Paul speaks of Christ having the “pre-eminence” (Col. 1:18). Diotrephes substituted self for Christ.
It’s unconscionable to claim to be a Christian yet refuse your elder’s authority, excommunicate people unjustly, spread malicious talk, refuse hospitality to believers, and put himself first.
In The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia we read, DIOTREPHES, A person mentioned in 3 Jn vs 9, 10 as contentiously resisting the writer’s authority and forbidding others from exercising the Christian hospitality which he himself refused to show. The words “who loveth to have the preëminence, among them” may indicate that he was a church official, abusing his position. (1915).
If he was putting people out of the church I surmise he was probably some sort of church official. I would think?
Those 2 verses are all we know about Diotrephes. But it’s a lot! It was enough that John specifically mentioned the man by name, encased forever in God’s word as a prideful rebel. We also know the things that John said were not proper to be found in any Christian. The list is:
-putting yourself first above others when it should be the opposite (Philippians 2:3).
-malicious talk (Ephesians 4:29)
-unhospitable (Titus 1:7-8)
-preventing others from being hospitable (Romans 14:13)
-abuse of power by putting out people from the church (John 9:34)
-dishonoring the word as given from elder
As always, the word of God is instructive down to every jot and tittle. We can learn a lesson both from the man ‘nourished by Jupiter’ on what not to do, and we can learn that even an Apostle known as ‘love’ will ebuke when his sheep are at risk.
Other Little Known Characters in the series:
Little Known Bible Characters #11: Titus Justus
Little Known Bible characters #10: Zilpah and Bilhah
Little Known Bible Characters #9: Gehazi- The Man Who Should Be Better
Little Known Bible Characters #8: Tryphena and Tryphosa
Little Known Bible Characters #7: Salome
Little Known Bible Characters #6: King Chedorlaomer
Little Known Bible Characters #5: Harbonah the Eunuch
Little Known Bible Characters #4: Eutychus
Little Known Bible Characters #3: Trophimus
Little Known Bible Characters #2: ‘The List of Offenders’
Little Known Bible Characters #1: Iddo
