3 John 1:9

I wrote unto the Church The best authorities give I wrote somewhat to the Church; i.e. -I wrote a short letter, a something on which I do not lay much stress". There is yet another reading; I would have written to the Church: but this is an obvious corruption to avoid the unwelcome conclusion that an official letter from S. John has been lost. The reference cannot be to either the First or the Second Epistle, neither of which contains any mention of this subject. There is nothing surprising in such a letter having perished: and Diotrephes would be likely to suppress it. That the brethren whom Gaius received were the bearers of it, and that his hospitality was specially acceptable on account of the violence of Diotrephes, does not seem to fit in well with the context. -To the Church" probably means -to the Church" of which Diotrephes was a prominent member: that he was presbyterof it cannot be either affirmed or denied from what is stated here.

who loveth to have the preeminence The expression (ὁ φιλοπρωτεύων) occurs nowhere else in N.T.; but it comes very close to "whosoever willeth to be firstamong you" (Matthew 20:28). Perhaps the meaning is that Diotrephes meant to make his Church independent: hitherto it had been governed by S. John from Ephesus, but Diotrephes wished to make it autonomous to his own glorification. Just as the antichristian teachers claimed to be first in the intellectual sphere (2 John 1:9), so the unchristian Diotrephes claimed to be first in influence and authority.