Introduction to Health: Healthy Living from the Inside Out

3rd John
The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.
2 
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul. I was overjoyed when some of the friends^* arrived and testified to your faithfulness to the truth, namely, how you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth. ³⁴
5 
Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the friends,^* even though they are strangers to you; they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on in a manner worthy of God; for they began their journey for the sake of Christ,^* accepting no support from non-believers.^* Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we may become co-workers with the truth. ⁶⁷⁸
9 
I have written something to the church; but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing in spreading false charges against us. And not content with those charges, he refuses to welcome the friends,^* and even prevents those who want to do so and expels them from the church. ¹⁰
11 
Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but imitate what is good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. Everyone has testified favourably about Demetrius, and so has the truth itself. We also testify for him,^* and you know that our testimony is true. ¹²
13 
I have much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink; instead I hope to see you soon, and we will talk together face to face. ¹⁴
15 
Peace to you. The friends send you their greetings. Greet the friends there, each by name.

It was one of those talk radio shows where people bare their souls. The topic of discussion was healthy living. The woman caller described years of “unhealthy relationships,” “dis-ease” of spirit and body, and endless cycles of “self medication” with alcohol and various legal and illegal drugs. “I want to be healthy,” she said, “from the inside out!”

One of the shortest books in the Bible is the 3rd Letter of John. In my edition of the Bible (NRSV), it takes less than a page, only 15 verses, to highlight three important dimensions of healthy living…from the inside out.

1) “I pray that…you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul.” (3 John 2) As that woman caller did, bare your soul. Is it well? Health begins at the core of our being. When the soul is troubled, it is often reflected in the healthiness of our minds and bodies.

Every time I go to my physician for a checkup, among the standard questions the nurse asks during the intake is, “Are you fearful?” That is a soul question. Jesus again and again says, “Fear not.” He says, “Peace be with you.” (See John 20:19) Are you full of fears? Is it well with your soul?

In reflecting on the addictions and death of Michael Jackson, one commentator suggested that, “His soul was sick.” In turn, it took a toll on his mind and body. Again and again, Jesus’ health-giving ministry of healing addressed both the matters of the soul (forgiveness, hope, faith, love) as well as the body. He understood the needs for transformation inside out. He offered the “higher power” that touches the deepest needs of our lives.

2) “You walk in the truth.” (3 John 3, 4) Twice John affirms walking in the truth and in doing so, “we may become co-workers with the truth.” (3 John 8) The woman caller on the radio was facing the truth of her unhealthy life that had affected her body, mind, and relationships. Facing the truth of our reality can be the first step to health. When Jesus met the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda who had been lying there for 38 years, Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be made well?” The man avoided the question by blaming others for his inability to reach the healthful waters. Then came the moment of truth. Jesus said to him, “Stand up…” and he got up and walked. (John 5:2-9)

This is a dramatic story of the truth of our own excuses, the truth of Christ’s presence with us, the truth of whether we really want to be healthy or not, and the truth that we can be “co-workers with the truth” in walking into a new future.

The greatest truth of all is that we are all “Beloved.” John repeats it three times. (3 John 2, 5, 11) God’s love for us sets us free to do the truth telling of confession and be unconditionally forgiven. God’s love for us sets us free to live into the new truth of healthy living inside out; to be the beloved who does “not imitate what is evil but imitate what is good.” (3 John 11)

3) “Together face to face.” (3 John 14) The move toward healthy living from the inside out is a communal
journey of “friends.” John’s last words are, “Greet the friends there, each by name.” We walk together with God and one another. Health clubs are built on the notion that people draw inspiration and wisdom from others as they pursue healthy lives together. Jesus gathers his disciples together, face to face.

Thus, we gather for worship; we gather for study; we gather for 12-Step programs; we gather to help others; we are the body of Christ together. We pray for each other; we weep and rejoice with each other; we hold each other accountable; we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We even call help lines and radio shows with thousands of others in on the conversation, the truth telling, the belovedness, the next steps to standing up into healthy living inside out.

Never try to take the journey alone. Others are there. God is there. So John proclaims: “Peace (shalom, health) to you.” (3 John 15)

Bishop Peter Weaver, New England Conference