Bible Commentaries
2 John

The little book of Second John is indeed a little book. In fact, the letters of Second and Third John make up the shortest books in the New Testament. They are even shorter than Philemon and Jude. Second John is small enough that it was probably written on a single sheet of papyrus.^(F1) Because the book is tiny, it no doubt often gets ignored and overlooked by readers today.

Second John closely resembles First John in many ways. Adam Clark, the early Methodist commentator, says that it does not contain anything that is not found in First John. He notes that eight out of the thirteen verses express the same information or sentiment that is found in the first epistle.^(F2) The little book also makes similar emphases like love, truth and obedience.

Although John is not named, just as he is not in the first epistle, we can be quite certain that the aged apostle John was the author.^(F3)It also seems likely that the little letter was written from Ephesus, where the great apostle lived. As was the case with First John, we really have no idea to whom the epistle was written or to what city or area it was written. We can surmise that it was written around AD 90, like the first epistle. It was no doubt written to folks in the general area of John's influence, that is, in the Roman province of Asia (Asia Minor today).

Since earliest Christian times, Bible interpreters have been intrigued as to whom this epistle was addressed. It is sent simply to "the chosen lady and her children." So, is this epistle addressed to a woman and her natural children? Or, is it sent to a church, and this is John's way of avoiding the persecution that was prevalent in the latter years of the First Century?

We may never know the answer to these questions, but that should in no way keep us from enjoying the freshness and richness of this little book.