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THE MYSTERY WOMAN
BASED ON II JOHN
Some of the worlds great love letters were written to mystery women. As a rising literary star Guy de Maupassant received a charming and flattering letter from Marie, an admirer. He was curious and wrote back, and they carried on a lengthy correspondence. He tried hard to get her to reveal herself, but she never did. All his love letters were written to a woman he never met. That was more mystery than he desired.
Believe it or not, a similar thing happened to the great composer Tchaikovsky, but he did know the identity of his lover. For 13 years he and Nadejda van Meck carried on an intimate correspondence. Their letters are filled with love, but they never met. He died at age 53 murmuring the Nadejda. She remained a mystery woman.
Beethoven, another musical genius, who never married, left behind three short love letters he addressed to my Immortal Beloved. In them he longs to fly into her arms and be at home. He wrote, "Oh, God! Why is it necessary to part from one whom one so loves." He urges her to be his true and only treasure, and laments that words cannot convey all his heart longs to say. The mystery is, nobody knows to whom he wrote these letters, for they were in his cash box when he died. They had never been mailed. The lady he so loved remains a mystery woman.
Now we come to this little letter in the Bible, and behold, we are faced again with another mystery woman. The elect lady whom the apostle John loved in the truth is a mystery woman. Nobody knows just who this woman was. There are theories GALORE, but none of them remove the veil of mystery. We will have to wait until heaven to get full light on this, the only woman in all of history to have one of her letters become a part of God's inspired Word for the guidance of His people. There are women who have books of the Bible written about them: Ruth and Esther, but she stands alone as the only woman with a book of Scripture written to her.
Matthew Henry, the great commentator, wrote, "Here we find a canonical Epistle not only to a single person, but to one also of the softer sex. And why not one of that sex? In Gospel-redemption, privilege and dignity, there is neither male nor female, they are both one in Christ Jesus." But the fact is, she is unique, and stands alone. No wonder scholars have racked their brain for centuries trying to figure out who this lady was. We will look briefly at the guesses of men on this mystery woman before we look at the message to her, which is no mystery at all.
I. Some feel this mystery woman was none other than Mary the
mother of Jesus. John, you recall, took Mary from the cross to his own home to care for her. In his travels it makes sense that John would write back home to her. She would also be a very hospitable person, like this mystery woman was, for she never forgot the hospitality she needed the night Jesus was born.
The theory has appeal, but it is not likely, for John would hardly have to warn Mary about being deceived by one who denies that Christ has come in the flesh.
II. Some feel it is not, "elect lady," but "Lady Electe", Electe being her name. This has been found to be a female name. The problem is, the word is used again in verse 13 for her elect sister, and it is not likely for two sisters to both be named Electe.
III. The most powerful arguments for the idea that she is not a specific woman at all, but rather a church, and her children are the members of the church. Her elect sister being a sister church, where John is visiting. This theory is widely held, and there is no good reason it could not be true.
IV. I chose to join the majority that I have read, and take it simply as it seems to be-a personal letter to a lady friend of John, just as third John is a personal letter to a male friend.
One thing is clear, she was a lady. It is very rare for a woman to be called a lady in the Bible. The word is used only six times in the entire Bible. Two of them are right here in this little letter. All four of the others are in the Old Testament, and two of them refer to groups of ladies, and the other two are used symbolically of a city, and so the mystery lady of our text is the only the specific woman in all of God's word to be called a lady. Again, she is unique, and stands alone as one of a kind. The word lady has always been used to designate a distinguished woman; one of greater than average dignity. In England men of dignity are called lord so and so, and women of dignity are called lady so and so. This makes many speculate that she must have been a wealthy widow. All we know for sure is that she is a mystery woman. But we do know quite a bit about her from this letter, and so let's consider her first as-
I. A LOVED LADY.
The very first verse tells us she was loved by God. She was the elect lady, that is one chosen by God. She was loved by the Apostle John, and then, as if that was not enough to satisfy her, John tells her she is loved by all who know the truth-that is, all believers. She is also loved by her children. When it comes to being loved she had quality and quantity. To be loved by all Christians is very near to impossible, for they have a great variety of convictions, life-style, and theology. Things were not so complex in the first century, but the fact remains you have to be some kind of a woman to have this said of you, that you are loved by all who know the truth.
This is a statement that cannot be pushed to an absolute. After all, many who knew the truth did not know this elect lady, and many who did likely only knew her superficially. John could not know whether or not some of the ladies envied her for her gifts, or whether or not some of the men resented her influence. I think it would be safe to say no one is loved by all, for not even the perfect man, the Lord Jesus, who loved all, was loved by all. John is not giving us a statistic here as much as a compliment. He did not interview the whole Christian community on how they felt about this lady.
What we can assume is that this elect lady was of such a sweet and likable personality that to know her was to love her. If you did not, the problem was likely in you. She was loved because she was lovable. She was a kind of woman who made people feel good to be in her presence. It was always a pleasant experience to share her company. John could hardly get motivated to write to her, because it seemed so cold and empty compared to face to face conversation. He anticipated the joy they would share when he would see her in person. She had charisma.
It is not hard to figure out why this mystery woman was loved. It is no mystery at all. Show me any woman who makes others joyful, and I'll show you a woman who is loved. It is human nature to love what is pleasant and enjoyable, and it's God's nature as well. This woman had problems like everybody else. She seems to be widowed, and, therefore, has gone through deep grief. John says that only some of her children follow the truth, and so the door is opened to suspect she had borne the sorrow of seeing some of her children rebel. She dwells in no ivory tower above the rest of us, but lives in the real world of struggle. Yet she is not sour and bitter with life, and anxious to complain and pour cold water on life's laughter.
Those who chose a negative response to life are not pleasant people to be with. They may be tolerated, but they are not loved. I have known women to go both ways. I think of one elderly woman who made everyone cringe when they answered the phone and heard her voice. They already knew the world was rotten, and did not need another dissertation on the diseases on a sick society. Her mind was locked into the negative. It was not that what she said was false, it is just that it was tiresome and discouraging to devote all your time to dissecting the depravity of man. She was Godly in her faith, but her personality was not appealing and attractive, and she was not loved.
On the other hand, I think of another woman who was old and feeble, and who had lost her husband and a child in death. She had endured deep sorrow. Yet when I visited her I would come away feeling life is so full of beauty. She wrote poetry until her crippled hands could hold the pen any longer. She read inspiring books, and loved to talk of the joys of life.
One of these women you dreaded to see face to face. The other you delighted to see face to face. Both were Christians, but both were not equally treasured as company. You might object that Christians are to love all in the family equally. This is true, but this does not mean you will enjoy the presence of all equally. There are different levels of love. John was known as a disciple whom Jesus loved. Jesus loved all of His disciples, even Judas, but we need to grasp this distinction in love. John was a more enjoyable person to be with than others of the disciples. Jesus, in His humanity, enjoyed being with people who were pleasant, and who gave life a lift. John, no doubt, had a good sense of humor, and this goes for the mystery lady as well. I can just hear John saying to this lady, "Jesus would have loved you, for He enjoyed life the way you do, and He would have had a good time in your company, just as I do."
John knew Jesus in a unique way, and knew from experience that Jesus enjoyed the presence of certain people more than others. He loved to go to the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, because He enjoyed their company. This elect lady did this for John. She was just an enjoyable person to be with. Most everyone else felt the same way, and so we can conclude, she was loved because she was loving. She cared for other people and made a point of making them feel comfortable. She obviously had the gift of hospitality, for John has to warn her about taking in false teachers. In other words, she was so open and friendly to all that she could be easily taken advantage of by those deceivers.
Every positive personality trait can be used for evil if it is not kept in balance. The forces of evil are not without cleverness, and they can see how the very virtues of a Christian can be used to their advantage. This loving lady could be used to support their very work of undermining the Gospel and the church in her area. Do not assume that Christian virtues cannot be abused. The fact is, our greatest strength is often our greatest weakness as well. This loving lady's willingness to open her home to all in love could be the very means by which the enemies of love could gain a foothold in her community.
What this means is, the Christian must sometimes choose to act contrary to their nature, even when it is a beautiful nature. The loving Christian must sometimes become intolerant and refuse the very hospitality it has become a custom to offer. This flexibility to act opposite of your usual nature is not a sign of inconsistency, but a sign of one's loyalty to truth. Loyalty to the truth demands inconsistency in the Christian. This is a paradox, but we see it in Jesus when he became very intolerant of the Pharisees. If you are always consistent and love all, even when they use you for evil ends, your love becomes a tool for the anti-Christ.
Keeping this balance in mind, the fact remains that a Christian who desires to be loved by all must be a person who creates an atmosphere of joy. Eugenia Price tells women in her book, A Woman's Choice, that we are all little creators. We have the power to create, "Friction or peace, rest or strain, reality or phoniness in our environment." She asks this series of questions, "What kind of vibrations does your personality set up in your home? In the office where you work? In Church? There is no possible chance of our being neutral here. We all "create" an atmosphere around us, and this atmosphere which we create is the "world" in which we expect our loved ones, our friends and associates, to live. How are the living conditions around you?" In other words, how many of us could John write to and say, "You are loved by all who know the truth." The second thing we see about this mystery lady is that she was-
II. A LOYAL LADY.
She was loyal to the truth, and saw to it that her children were likewise loyal to the truth. Here was a woman who knew that Christianity was a matter of the mind, and not just a matter of feeling. A couple was leaving the church when the wife asked, "Did you see that new purple coat Mrs. Lampert was wearing?" "I'm afraid not" the husband replied. "What did you think of that orange velvet dress that Mrs. Frauley was wearing?" she asked. "I didn't notice that either" he said. "Oh, for goodness sakes," she snapped, "A lot of good it does you to go to church."
Truth is not always the main objective of those who go to church, but it ought to be. To know God and His word, and, thus, His will, is to be the goal of our search as Christians. All other goals are to be secondary to this if we are to be loyal believers. Loyalty to the truth is loyalty to God, for they are one. Jesus said He was the Truth, and, therefore, the words of Emily Dickinson are accurate theology.
Truth is as old as God,
His twin identity
And will endure as long as He,
A coeternity.
Truth is one of the key words of this letter, for John uses it five times in the first four verses. Love and truth are inseparably linked like Babe and Ruth. The Christian who emphasizes one at the expense of the other, will lose the balance necessary to be a wise Christian.
Love without truth leads to license. It becomes an emotion that can be used by evil. The Christian who is all love becomes one the world takes advantage of, for they are open to abuse. Truth without love leads to legalism. Most of the tragedies of Christian history have been due to Christians who fought fiercely for the truth without regard for the consequences. If people did not explain the Trinity properly, they were burned at the stake. Many Christians died at the hands of other Christians whose loveless loyalty to the truth made them more unchristlike than the Pharisees.
The Christian has no more business separating love and truth than he has in cutting his coins in half, and separating heads and tails. They are one, and belong together, for neither can be what it is meant to be without the other. Dr. Graham Scroggie said, "To walk only in love would make us soft; to walk only in truth would make us hard; but walking in truth and love we become strong." All the dangers and risks of love are prevented by loyalty to the truth, and all the hardness and cruelty of truth are prevented by love.
As I see it, the primary purpose of this letter is to help this mystery woman maintain the balance of these two basic ingredients in the ideal Christian life-love and truth. Thank God for this mystery woman, for because of her we have this simple letter that can help us all maintain the balance of love and truth. Get these two out of balance, and you have opened the door to the subtle serpent who will use your very virtues for the cause of evil. John is telling this mystery woman to beware of the deceiver who denies that Jesus has come in the flesh. They cannot be loved in the truth. They are not one in Christ, but are anti-christ, and, therefore, her loyalty to the truth demands that she not support them with her hospitality.
Loyalty to the truth demands that we refuse to give aid to those who goal is to undermine the truth. John has confidence that this mystery lady can easily see this, and not let heretics rob her of the aid that is needed for the proclaiming of the truth. History is filled with many a godly widow who has been sweet talked into supporting religious deceivers. It started in the first century, and it goes on yet today. Men who profess to be Christian evangelists seek the support of loving hospitable widows, and they get it. This love letter of John, no doubt, spared the mystery lady from this embarrassment, but one wonders how often the millions of godly
widows in this world ever read this letter and respond by investigating those they support by asking them where they stand on Christ.
The goal of every Christian is to be like this mystery woman. We are to combine being loving and loved with a loyalty to the truth in Christ. This balance life will make us pleasant company to both God and man.
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