Today we turn to 2 John, 3 John and Jude. Each of these letters is brief, and in the big picture of God’s word might not even seem to be incredibly important. But as Paul reminded Timothy all scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching and correcting us in His ways.
In 2 John, John addresses the letter to “The elect lady and her children.” This could be a local Christian church. In any case, John’s message is similar to that of his larger focus in 1 John: stay faithful and obedient to Jesus. One additional focus comes to light: we must offer hospitality to true believers, but we want to avoid doing so for false teachers. John closes by writing he has much more to say but wanted to do it in person instead of through a letter. This reminds us our faith is first and foremost a relational faith. It is not simply words of instruction.
In his brief 3 John, John praises Gaius a local church leader whose faithfulness to Jesus and the Church are evident. At the same time, he points to Diotrephes as an object lesson in how not to live as Jesus’ follower. Diotrephes was arrogant and resistant to offering hospitality to those who deserved it. Again, John closes by writing he had much to say, but wanted to say it in person rather than with pen and ink.
Jude, who was likely another half-brother of Jesus, wrote to correct false teaching, to challenge some false teachers directly, and also to encourage the faithful to continue in their obedience to Jesus. This brief letter closes with one of the most beautiful ascriptions of praise or doxologies in the entire Bible: 24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25 (ESV)
As we return to Luke 19, we read of Jesus’ powerful interaction with Zacchaeus, who was a tax-collector, but Jesus treated Him with love and respect. As a result, Zacchaeus repented and said he was going to repay anyone he had cheated. Jesus proclaimed Zacchaeus had received salvation. Jesus then told the Parable of the Ten Minas, which reminds us Jesus expects us to “multiply” whatever He entrusts to us in serving His Kingdom. Following this we read of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, where Jesus is acknowledged as the Son of David. Unfortunately, the accolades were short-lived as a brief five days later the same crowds were shouting, “Crucify Him!” The chapter closes with Jesus driving the moneychangers out of the Temple. Jesus’ confrontations with the religious leaders as we move through the next five days of His life will prove to be the straw that broke the camel’s back, and the religious leaders will fulfill Jesus’ prophecy by arresting Him, trying Him, finding Him guilty, and turning him over to the Romans to be crucified.