¹²Though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that your joy may be made full. ¹³The children of your chosen sister greet you.

Closing this second letter, John’s heart of love for his audience shines through. His readers’ challenges are somewhat universal; that is why this small letter still ministers to us even today, two millennia later. If we follow John’s example, we should live and act in the belief that we too are disciples whom Jesus loves.

For those of us who are teachers, we see his example of wanting to teach so much more than was humanly possible. There always seems to be more that we want to say. Letter writing certainly has its limitations, so John purposely kept this missive brief, leaving more teaching for another day when he would be physically with them.

Letter writing in John’s day was laborious; he didn’t have electronic word processing, email, or texting. Writing was performed on parchment using a quill or stylus of some fashion. The parchment, made from dried papyrus strips, was considerably thicker than our present-day sheets of paper. There were no envelopes or postage stamps, nor formal postal service, but mail was hand-carried by acquaintances to the desired destination. The time in transit could take weeks or months depending on the location, weather conditions, and whether travel was by land or sea. John clearly understood the limitations of communicating in that way. So, his plan (at least his hope) was that he would be able to visit his readers in person, and he knew his readers would be quite glad.

Those of us who are not elders or teachers can learn from the apostle John’s relationship with his readers. Not only do we have his teaching to learn from, preserved for us through the many copies and translations through the centuries, but we can also learn from the readers’ response that John expects. He fully expects great joy when he arrives to spend time with them, teaching and encouraging them. Do we have the same joy and anticipation of hearing the Word of God being shared with us by those whom God raises? Do we extend hospitality and practical love to those who teach the Word? Do we find great joy in the teaching of the Word so that we rejoice when God raises up and sends to us those who can teach His Word? For those who abide in Christ and in His love, the answer is, “Yes!” Finally, John cryptically sends greetings from the community of believers where he currently resides as he writes this letter.

Lord, I love reading Your Word and learning from gifted teachers of the Word.