The Anointing
The author’s major concern has
been to warn the believers of the threat of deception (v. 26), but they should
have no fear of falling into the untruth of the liar (see v. 22). There is an
anointing (see v. 20) associated with “the beginning” (see v. 24). The expression
refers to the believer’s moment of entry into the community. Believers are
living in the truth of what they have heard in the beginning, and they abide in
the one who anointed them (v. 27). Once the truth proclaimed in the beginning
has been established, is there no longer any need for teaching in the
community? There is an ambiguity here, as the author attempts to act as a
teacher. A community of human beings will always look for a wise interpreter of
its traditions. (Francis J. Moloney, “The Letters of John,” in The Jerome
Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century, ed. John J. Collins, Gina
Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, and Donald Senior [3d ed.; London: T&T Clark,
2022], 1837-38)
