The Preacher’s Complete Homiletic
COMMENTARY
ON THE GENERAL EPISTLES
I-II Peter, I-II-III John, Jude
AND THE
Revelation
OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE
By the REV. ROBERT TUCK, B.A.
Author of the Commentaries on Hebrews and James
New York
FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY
LONDON AND TORONTO
1892
THE PREACHER’S
COMPLETE HOMILETIC
COMMENTARY
ON THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
WITH CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES,
INDEXES, ETC., BY VARIOUS AUTHORS
THE
PREACHER’S HOMILETICAL COMMENTARY
HOMILIES FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS
Church Seasons: Advent, 1 Peter 4:7; 2 Peter 3:1; Revelation 1:9; Revelation 22:20. St. Thomas’s Day, 1 Peter 1:8. Christmas, 1 John 4:9; 1 John 5:20. Lent, 1 John 3:3; Revelation 2:7. Good Friday, 1 Peter 3:18; 1 Peter 4:1; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10; Revelation 1:5; Revelation 5:12. Easter, Revelation 1:17. Ascension Day, 1 Peter 1:3. Whit Sunday, 1 John 2:20. All Saints’ Day, Revelation 7:9.
Holy Communion: 2 Peter 3:11; 2 Peter 3:18; 1 John 1:3; 1 John 3:1; 1 John 3:13; 1 John 3:24; Jude 1:21.
Missions to Heathen: Revelation 11:15; Revelation 14:6; Revelation 22:17. Bible Society, 2 Peter 1:16; Revelation 1:1; Revelation 14:6.
Special: Ordination, 1 Peter 5:1. Workers, 1 Peter 2:12; 1 Peter 4:1. Baptism, 1 Peter 3:21. Confirmation, Revelation 2:4. Marriage, 1 Peter 3:1. Women, 1 Peter 3:1. Harvest, Revelation 14:13; Revelation 15; Revelation 17 -
20. Death, 2 Peter 1:11; 2 Peter 1:14; Revelation 14:13; Revelation 21:7. Close of year, Revelation 21:5.
THE SECOND EPISTLE OF JOHN
INTRODUCTION
THIS epistle is anonymous, and it is a private letter which did not for some time gain a recognised place in the Canon. It is singular that its author should call himself “the elder,” if he was the well-known and highly-honoured apostle John. No satisfactory reason has been given for his giving himself this particular name. All that can be said is, that the assumption of the title is consistent with the belief that he wrote this and the following epistle in advanced age—the title “elder” for himself matching the affectionate term “little children,” which he used for those whom he addressed. He might wish to avoid the appearance of making a special claim as the only surviving apostle; and he may have been Divinely guided into dropping the apostolic name, which in its special sense had had its day, and adopting a name which was to be a permanent possession of the Church. “No ordinary presbyter would be likely to style himself ὁ πρεσβύτερος in the inscription of a letter.”
The argument for the Johannine authorship is entirely based on a comparison of its contents, expressions, and tone with the first epistle and the gospel. The uncertainty of the argument lies in its being equally applicable to one of John’s disciples, endowed with a double portion of his spirit. Of the thirteen verses of the shorter epistle, eight have close counterparts in the first. All that can safely be said is, that there are good reasons for assuming that it was written by the apostle John, and no good reasons for favouring any other assumption. If it holds the field uncertainly, still the Johannine authorship does hold the field.
The following summary of its character and scope has been given: “The apostle, who is probably staying at the same place as some of his correspondent’s children, writes to a mother and her other children to express his sympathy and delight at the faith of the family, and to warn them against admitting false teachers into their circle. It contains noticeable definitions of love, antichrist, and of true and false believers. It also has a general lesson on the treatment of wilful depravers of Divine truth.”