¹The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth, ²for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever . . .

So begins John’s second of three letters. Though technically the author writes anonymously, John is well-known for his reticence in naming himself, except as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” No conservative historian denies the author of this letter is the same as that of 1 John and the Gospel of John. His self-description assumes a certain familiarity to his readers, who would recognize who “the elder” would be. The term could refer to his being older at the time of writing but probably did not refer to an official church role since John does not mention being a member of the local church to which “the chosen lady” belonged. Some have suggested he was a bishop over an area of churches, but it is better to see the phrase “elder” simply as his writing with apostolic authority in his later years.

Who is the recipient of this letter? We ask this question not because it will affect our interpretation of the letter but to recognize most present-day readers may stumble over this mysterious introduction. We simply cannot say definitively who the recipient is. The addressee could be a specific lady named Kyria (from the Greek word “kuria,” here translated “lady”). Or it could be an unnamed woman described, as with all true believers, as being among those elect by God for salvation. These interpretations would distinguish this letter as personal communication to a genuine Christian, similar to Paul’s writing personal letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, but containing truth for all believers. A third possibility is that John was writing metaphorically, as he does abundantly in the book of Revelation. Here the “chosen woman” would be an oblique reference to the church (either the universal church or a specific local church) and her “children” would be the Christians in that local church. If this were the case, the cryptic language would have protected the identity of the communicants if persecutors of the faith intercepted the letter.

John’s affection for his fellow believers permeates his writing because it is based not on emotion or personal affinity but on the truth. Love without truth is nothing more than emotion, and it will eventually give way to self-interest. In John’s first letter, he taught that we can only love because of the truth that God first loved us (1 John 4:19). That is why he writes, for this is eternal truth that believers possess—forever. We are secure in that knowledge, and we are knit together in love with all true believers in the bond of truth.

Lord, thank You that I too am chosen by You, elect, through Your love and truth.