The shortest book of the bible is the third epistle of Apostle John to a man named Gaius. It followed the first and second epistles written for the churches in Asia Minor and to a lady and her family, consecutively. It was believed that John wrote the third epistle at the same time or soon after he wrote the second epistle. Next on the list of the shortest book in the Bible was 2 John. These two epistles were personal letters to specific persons. The second epistle was written for a lady and her family while 3 John was for the man in the church of Pergamum.
Composed of solely one chapter and 14 verses, this shortest book in the Bible has only 219 words in the original Greek language and 299 words in the English language.
John, the beloved, is one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. He was the youngest and also the last surviving original disciple of Jesus. John was the only one who died of natural causes while others were tortured to death. He wrote five of the sixty-six books of the Bible. He wrote the Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John which is the shortest book in the Bible, and Revelation, the last book of the Bible. The Apostle John had written the last book of the Bible on the island of Patmos where he was exiled and spent the latter years of his life.
Originally, John was a follower of John the Baptist before Jesus called him to become an apostle. He was mentioned as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” in John 21:20. The Gospel of John mentioned this phrase and the term ‘beloved apostle’ referring to him six times. In his writings, John talked about love several times. The love that is in Christ Jesus.
In the first verse of the shortest book in the Bible (3 John 1:1), John referred to himself as “The Elder”. This depicts the authority and position of the Apostle. It also conveys to the one he was writing the letter that he was referring to himself. He was a prominent leader in the early Christian Church and made a vital role in church history.
Research shows that around AD 90-95, John composed the shortest book of the Bible when he was at Ephesus. Some scholars believe that the book was composed on the Island of Patmos instead. This epistle was directly written for Gaius, the bishop of the church of Pergamum. This shortest book of the Bible is one of the few books written for a specific individual. At the time John was writing this letter to Gauis, the church of Pergamum was facing problems with the city itself. As mentioned in the Book of Revelation (Revelations 2:12), this city was labeled as the city of Satan because of its pagan practice and sexual immorality.
3 John 1:1-2
“The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.”
There are other names mentioned in this shortest book in the bible. One named Demetrius who set John as an example for Gaius because of his good works and faith. Diotrephes, on the other hand, showed an unpromising character towards his hospitality.
The shortest book in the Bible reminds us to imitate only those that are good and pleasing before God. How many times in the Bible, have other apostles particularly Paul also urged other believers to imitate them as they imitate Christ. As followers of Christ, we are called Christians. Christians live to the teachings and examples of Jesus in the Scripture.
The third epistle of John may be the shortest book of the Bible but it still speaks a lot about God’s love and His will. Not only this, but it also tackles important and crucial issues in the Church which churches surely encounter even in these times of days. This proves that God’s ability to communicate His Word will not be limited by the number of words and verses.