Verse 2.— Beloved, I wish above all things. The writer unbosomed himself to the person he addresses by showing his warm affection for him in the expression: "I wish above all things." The wish is, that he may prosper and be in health, and the extent of that prosperity and health which he wished Gaius to enjoy, he measures by the prosperity of his soul. This was a measure Gaius would easily comprehend by his own consciousness. Gaius would know within himself how unselfishly he was devoted to the Lord and his cause; and just to the extent he prospered spiritually, he was to understand that just to that extent John wished him to prosper and have good health.