2 JOHN: the "Woman"

John pens another letter, sent to a curious character.

The elder,

To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth—because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever: 

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.

John sends this to a “chosen lady.” This leaves us with a few options.

John could be addressing this letter to an actual woman and her children. This letter could very easily be written to a particular woman in Asia or Asia Minor (or elsewhere for that matter) and we are getting to see a very personal correspondence from John to her. It is entirely possible that any effort to come up with another explanation is simply overthinking the situation.

John could be addressing a certain body of believers (a church) as a woman. This would be entirely commonplace as the Church is often pictured as a bride, the outlying villages of a larger city as “daughters,” etc. To bolster this idea, there is the fact that when “she” is referenced in the rest of the letter, John uses the masculine Greek to address the recipient(s). This would not be expected in a personal correspondence.

It could very possibly be both. This could be a letter written to a particular woman with allegorical (whether intentional or unintentional) overtones, but we have already witnessed John’s incredible ability as an author to operate on multiple levels. Another very good possibility is that the “woman” in question is also the leader of a house church or an even larger body of believers in that area. In this regard, John would be writing to her, but intending the letter for a larger audience, as well.

It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

John rejoices because he has heard as the “Pastor to Asia” about her faith and how she lives it out. He has heard she walks in truth and, as we discovered in 1 John, this means she is walking in love. Without love, there would be no truth in her or her family; but she is a family of love and, therefore, she is walking in truth.

I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.

Could these “deceivers” be the (possible) Gnostics of John’s address in his first letter? Could these deceivers be those “Judeans” who followed Paul throughout Asia, and especially Asia Minor, opposing his gospel? Could they be legalistic believers who are attempting to disengage the culture and hold up in a corner? Could they be the Nicolaitans of Revelation? Any of these are great options and would fit the bill described above.

I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete. 

The children of your sister, who is chosen by God, send their greetings.

Finally, John’s sign-off seems to suggest that the latter two options above may be at play here, as the phrasing is awkward if we are talking about actual individuals. But before we look ahead to 3 John, I always like to pause and consider: If John were to write a letter about our family, “to the chosen lady” whom we find ourselves children of, what would be said? Would John rejoice in hearing that we walk in the truth because of our commitment to love?