3 John 9 ⁹I have written something to the church, but the one who loves to be first among them, Diotrephes, did not acknowledge us.

After having discussed the positive response Gaius ought to give towards those who speak the truth, John turns to a negative example of someone who was opposite and did not deserve the same fellowship. This verse hints that John had already written a letter to a church about many of these matters. What this letter was is not stated. It is possible that it could have been 1 or 2 John, which both speak of love and truth like this letter, or it could be that this letter is lost to history. Whatever the case, once the church received John’s letter, a certain man named Diotrephes refused to listen to it. Acknowledge (epidechetai) has the sense of receiving something or someone with acceptance. Diotrephes apparently did not receive, listen to, or follow what John wrote. The plural us put John with those who spoke the truth, including Gaius. It is possible that Diotrephes also did not accept traveling missionaries, like John.

The reason Diotrephes did not accept John was because he loved to be first. The English phrase comes from one Greek word (philoprōteuōn) and has the sense of wanting to be the leader or in first position. The word is used only here in the New Testament and may have been invented by John for this situation. Diotrephes wanted to assume the place of authority rather than humble himself and respond to John’s authority. This problem was not a personality conflict. Undoubtedly, John could have handled that because of his hear to love. To the contrary, the problem was that Diotrephes put himself on the opposite place of love. He was following the way of human love (philos) and not God’s love (agape). He wanted to take the place that only Jesus deserves as the head of the church (Colossians 1:18). This man was on an ego trip and wanted the attention. Pride can cause many problems in a church and cause someone to drift away from the truth.