This is the twentieth in a series of twenty-one summaries of the New Testament letters. The twentieth is 3 John, and the outline comes from Peter Leithart:
a Greeting to Gaius, 1
b Beloved, gladness in witness, 2-4
c Beloved, faithfulness to strangers, 5-8
d Diotrephes loves to be first, 9-10
c' Beloved, do what is good, 11
b' Demetrius has a good witness, 12
a' Greeting to friends by name, 13-14
The 'a' pattern links introductory and concluding greetings.
The 'b' pattern is linked by testimony. In the first section, John hears from believers testifying about Gaius' faithfulness to the truth. (3) In the second section, the good testimony about Demetrius is proclaimed to be true. (12)
The 'c' pattern links two sections about doing good. In the first section, Gaius is commended for his faithfulness to strangers. In the second section, Gaius is exhorted to imitate what is good.
The 'd' section is central, emphasizing Diotrephes' selfishness and lack of hospitality.
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