“I wrote something to the congregation, but Diotrephes, who likes to have the first place among them, does not receive anything from us with respect.

16. (a) How did Diotrephes act toward the apostle John? (b) In this, what lesson is there for 20th-century Christians?

¹⁶ By not receiving anything from John with respect, Diotrephes was rebelling against God-given authority. Hence, if the aging apostle came to the congregation, he would “call to remembrance” the evil deeds of Diotrephes, as well as what he was saying. Diotrephes was “chattering about” John with “wicked words,” thus maligning one of the apostolic foundation stones of heavenly New Jerusalem. (Revelation 21:2, 14) Surely, he could not do that with impunity! Nor can professing Christians today expect to escape God’s adverse judgment if they unrepentantly slander fellow believers and disregard divinely constituted authority.​—Leviticus 19:16; Jude 8-13.