NTS 023 Jude

Author: Jude

The brother of James.

Jude 1 ESV

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

Half brother of Jesus.

Matthew 13:55 ESV

Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?

Judah in Hebrew

Judas in Greek

This is a common name during New Testament times.

The fourth son of Jacob and Leah.

Founder of the tribe of Judah.

An ancestor of David

Identified as the line of the Messiah.

It is pretty obvious why that would be a popular name.

There are at least 8 in the NT.

It has been widely accepted by scholars that this is Jesus’ half brother.

Like his brother James, claimed to be a slave of Christ, not His brother.

Though it is clearly an act of humility, we need to remember that there would be no need for them to identify themselves as such.

Their audience already knew who they were.

Like James and his other brothers, he was not a believer until after the resurrection.

John 7:5 ESV

For not even his brothers believed in him.

Acts 1:14 ESV

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

It seems that James and Jude were married.

1 Corinthians 9:5 ESV

Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?

Their wives accompanied them on their missionary journeys.

Genre: General Epistle

Audience: Believers

We know this by the content.

Unlike our previous book, very few commentators what to venture a more specific guess.

Jude identifies his audience as called, beloved, and kept.

Jude 1 ESV

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

Jude is one of 5 books in the Bible containing one chapter.

Obadiah

Philemon

1 John

3 John

Jude

Purpose of writing: To call his reader to contend for the faith.

Jude 3 ESV

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

Jude was excited to write about their common salvation, but that changed.

This is a good lesson on listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Contend is a wrestling term. Like fighting on the mat.

We are to struggle for the faith.

2 Peter 2 is almost identical to Jude.

Jude 4 ESV

For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 2:1 ESV

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

Jude 6 ESV

And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—

2 Peter 2:4 ESV

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;

Jude 7 ESV

just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

2 Peter 2:6 ESV

if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;

There has been much debate over who borrowed from who. There are arguments both ways.

It doesn’t matter.

Key verse: 3

Outline:

1. Desires of Jude (1, 2)

2. Declaration of War Against Apostates (3, 4)

3. Damnable Outcome of Apostates (5–7)

4. Denunciation of Apostates (8–16)

5. Defenses Against Apostates (17–23)

7. Doxology of Jude (24, 25)