3 John / Question
3 John describes Diotrephes as preventing others from welcoming the traveling brothers and then “putting them out of the church.” The phrase indicates removing or expelling those who wanted to receive the brothers (3 John 1:10).
In 3 John 9–10 the writer explains why cooperation with traveling believers has broken down in a local group. He had previously written to the assembly, but a man named Diotrephes refuses to accept the writer’s message because he wants the top place. These verses sit in the middle of a short letter addressing practical support and welcome for traveling believers. Earlier, the writer praises Gaius for faithful help and says that such support makes people partners in the work (verses 5–8).
The passage describes a breakdown in cooperation between the letter’s writer (“I”) and a local assembly. The writer says he previously wrote to the assembly, but Diotrephes “doesn’t accept what we say” (an explicit claim).
A common mistake is to turn the wording into a slogan. The better reading keeps the phrase tied to the passage, the speaker, and the problem the book is addressing.
Start with 3 John 1:10, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
10Therefore, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words. Not content with this, neither does he himself receive the brothers, and those who would, he forbids and throws out of the assembly.