Post by robertskynner on Aug 5, 2013 14:12:52 GMT -6
"1The elder unto the well beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. 2Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3rd John 1-2, KJV).
Some preachers will quote 3rd John 2: 'I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper,' in order to then make the claim that they themselves, as preachers, ought to financially prosper as well, as they will assume that this verse is likewise advocating high salaries, perks, free houses, cars and big pensions for all preachers which they can then apply to themselves. However, this is simply reading their own wishful thinking and twenty-first century cultural western bias into the text of Scripture!
It's almost certain that 2nd and 3rd John, were originally written on the same piece of parchment, on either side, the former to the entire church and the latter specifically to an elder called Gaius, this is why both epistles are approximately the same length. The reason for this was that in those days, parchment was extremely expensive. Also missionaries were self supporting and so they were very often extremely poor (3rd John 7). But as they moved from town to town, Christians within each congregation would then be expected to freely house them and naturally to provide food for them. However it would have been unknown in the first century for missionaries to have received a generous salary and pension package, with free house, food, chariot, horses as well as stable boy and housekeeper all provided for by the local church.
Also Gaius was a generous Church elder with a reputation for hospitality (3rd John 5), so knowing this it's almost certain that these two letters would have probably been delivered to him by two missionaries as they usually travelled in pairs. Knowing his personal situation, where Gaius alone was bearing the financial cost of housing missionaries, without any other Christians helping him, due entirely to the opposition of Diotrephes (3rd John 9). This is why John then prays at 3rd John 2 for Gaius to prosper and be in health, not because John is seeking for him to receive a golden chariot with a team of fine white horses and other luxuries, but rather to ask God to enable this man to care for the missionaries whom he is freely housing and feeding. For if Gaius became sick, or his line of work took a downturn, then by his infirmity or penury, he would then not be able to house and feed these Christian missionaries.
So not understanding this background, it is simply ridiculous how some preachers have used 3rd John 2 as a means of personal gain and enrichment. For famous preachers such as Benny Hinn and Kenneth Copeland are not regularly and personally feeding and housing impoverished missionaries in their own mansions! So how on earth can John's prayer for Gaius then apply to them? Finally, the word 'prosper' is euodoo ευοδοω (2137) in Greek, which the 'Analytical Greek New Testament' by Barbara and Timothy Friberg on page 734, lists as a verb in the infinitive, present, passive. The fact that this word is passive and not active, means that John is asking God to prosper Gaius, who is the subject of the sentence. But if John had assumed the modern gospel of the 'word of faith' preachers, where a man has to exercise his own faith, believe and then never doubt, in order to gain his financial blessing, then this Greek word ευοδοω would have been written as an active and not as a passive.