Introduction to Jude

Bottom line

Nothing in Scripture is there by accident.

Opening Line

You have all heard the phrase, don’t judge a book by it’s cover, right? If you haven’t the premise is that sometimes the outside of the book can cause you to miss the good things that are happening inside, much like you can do with people. Sometimes someone doesn’t present well, but inside they are amazing people.

Introduction

I remember in college, when it came to doing research for any paper, I would usually try to find the biggest book on the topic I could find. Since I was a Biblical Studies student, I had certain books that I would always go back to, and they were always huge. That way, when I dropped three or four of them on the table to begin researching, I looked super smart and studious.

As I get older, I find I will do anything to find a cliff notes of a book so that I get the jist without having the spend hours mulling through all the little details.

The other thing I have learned is sometimes you don’t need 300 pages to make a really good point; a really good author can make a solid point without endlessly repeating themselves. A good communicator can make their case succinctly as opposed to droning on for hours at a time. This is the whole premise of Ted Talks; why drone on for hours when 20 minutes will do?

Main Point

Which brings us to the Letter of Jude. I said in my midweek video that I don’t know that I’ve heard a lot of teaching done out of Jude. Even in Bible College, it was looped in with a bunch of other books and priority was given to the bigger letters like Hebrews and Revelations.

Even in preparation for this morning, the overwhelming message from those that have studied this book is that many scholars overlook the letter because it is too short. Some even question whether it belongs in the Bible because of some of the sources the author quotes aren’t biblical.

Many people even question why the letter is in the bible because of the message of Jude. The style of the letter is aggressive, and many today say it is intolerant, unloving, and contrary to the message of love found throughout the New Testament.

But there is a gem hidden within this letter, a gem that can easily be overlooked. We are going to cover topics that we don’t normally talk about it church, like angels. We’re going to talk about judgment and holiness.

But before we dive into the actual letter, we need to unpack something really important: Who is Jude?

Why it matters

The reason we need to start there is because I believe it is the not knowing who Jude is that actually gets in the way of us truly appreciating this letter. When we read through 1 and 2 Peter, there is an appreciation because Peter was Jesus’ right hand man. He denied Jesus, but turned around and became a pillar of the early church. John, the disciple who Jesus loved. We read his letters and we know who John is, thus we give it special attention. James, another prominent leader within the early church, and the brother of Jesus. James is no joke, and when we read James, we read it in light that this guy grew up with Jesus. That is significant.

But who is Jude? Why is his weird little letter in the bible? Even the placement of the letter feels weird. We go 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, and the Revelation of John. John literally wrote 4 of the last 5 books of the bible, and it feels like the people who put the bible together really didn’t want to end with Jude, but it was too short to put earlier, so we’ll just stick it right here before Revelation.

Who is Jude? There are several theories, and I’m going to share a couple of them with you, but present the one I feel is most founded, and then what it means for us today.

Scripture

Theory #1: Judas the Apostle

Lk 6:12–16 NLT

One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names: Simon (whom he named Peter), Andrew (Peter’s brother), James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (who was called the zealot), Judas (son of James), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

To be clear, I’m not saying that Jude was written by Judas Iscariot, but the other Judas son of James.

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For a while, this was the widely accepted candidate for the author of Jude because of how the KJV translated this verse. The KJV translated it as Judas the brother of James. This is significant because the way Jude starts his letter

Jude 1 NLT

This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.

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Fortunately, we have gotten better at translating Greek into English and this has been corrected and thus this theory goes out the window.

Theory #2: The Apostle Thomas

There are few extra biblical books where the Apostle Thomas identifies himself as Didymus Jude or Judas Thomas who is called Didymus. This theory depends on the acceptance of the other literature these references are found in, and since they are not considered canon, the sources and this reference are quickly dismissed.

Theory #3: Judas, the brother of Jesus

Let me show you the support for this theory. Mark 6:3

Mark 6:3 NLT

Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.

Matthew 13:55 NLT

Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas.

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These are significant. It is already widely accepted that the Apostle James was the brother of Jesus, and both James and Judas are listed as brothers of Jesus. This would also answer the question as to who James is in Jude 1. Who is this James that Jude is so quick to associate himself with? None other then the prominent leader of the early church. It also lines up with how James starts his letter. James 1:1

James 1:1 NLT

This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad. Greetings!

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Both Jude and James identify themselves as slaves of Christ. But why not just identify yourselves as Jesus’ brother? I will come back to that.

One of the things that we know is that Jesus’ brothers were not among those who were following Him. Remember last week we read the account of Mary and her sons demanding an audience with Jesus? James and Judas likely stayed close to home, working with their dad as carpenters. So when did that change? Well it clearly changed around the time Jesus was crucified because we read this in Acts 1:14

Acts 1:14 NLT

They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.

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Jesus’ brothers were likely part of the 120 people who were baptized on the day of Pentecost. So not only did they become followers of Jesus, they were also empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel to world. This is further supported by Paul’s mention of the Jesus’ brothers in 1 Cor 9:5

1 Corinthians 9:5 NLT

Don’t we have the right to bring a believing wife with us as the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers do, and as Peter does?

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So there is strong, Biblical evidence that points to the fact that Jesus’ brothers became leaders in the early church. Since this is true, it is not too far of a stretch to suggest that author of Jude is in fact Judas, the brother of Jesus.

Now there is another theory out there. It suggests that maybe it is not actually Jude, but someone pretending to be Jude. But this is where we come back to how the letter opens. If someone was pretending to be Jude, they are obviously trying to use the name of a prominent church figure to give their message a little more authority and acceptance. Thus, if you are pretending to be the brother of the Messiah, you are probably going to start your letter stating such.

The fact that Jude opens by identifying James as his brother is actually an act of humility. Since Judas was a popular name in that time, he had to make some kind of identifier to set him apart, so he refers to his brother James. But he doesn’t want to draw too much attention to himself, thus he humbly omits his relationship to Jesus.

I would say there is another thing that makes the connection between Jesus and Jude clear. I said earlier that Jude is criticized for his aggressive style. One commentator pointed out that in 25 verses, Jude insults his opponents 25 times! That is talent. However, it is not without purpose. Jude doesn’t want it to be lost on the church how serious these impostors are to the health and well being of the church.

Now wasn’t there someone else in Scripture who aggressively challenged His opponents because of their wayward teachings? Someone who had a problem with a group of religious elites who were acting like a bunch of hypocrites. Oh that’s right. Jesus did that! Jesus was not shy about calling out the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, and his brother is no less shy about calling out the false teachers of the church in his letter.

Transition to Application

I don’t know about anyone else, but I read Jude a little more closely when I learned this. This wasn’t some random church leader that they threw in to make a quota. This is the brother of Jesus writing, and whatever he has to say is probably worth listening to. As we go through this letter, you are going to be invited and challenged to take a closer look at your life. Jude does not hold back, but in the midst of his hard message, there are some of the most beautiful images of God’s grace found in all of Scripture. One commentator said that the doxology of Jude is the finest in all of Scripture.

Nothing in Scripture is there by accident.

Main To Do

So this week, I want you to read Jude every day. It is 25 verses long, about a page, so it won’t take you very long. I want you to make notes. What stands out to you as significant? What do you have questions about? What would you like clarified over the course of the series?

Why it matters

For some of you, this is your first step to doing daily devotions. Maybe you have been wanting to start reading the bible and didn’t know where to start. It isn’t the recommended first reading, but it’s not bad.

For some, I believe this is going to be really challenging. As you read about the people that Jude is warning the church about, you will realize that you have some of the tendencies that he is describing. I know I have felt convicted going through this. For you, pay close attention to the warnings that Jude lays out.

I believe that the message Jude shares is just as relevant today as it was when he wrote it. I believe it is meant to strike a cord. I know that if you read it everyday, something is going to stick, it is going to get into your mind, and you won’t be able to shake it.

Some of you won’t do it. You will conclude that you’re too busy or some other excuse. Instead of letting scripture refine you, you will chose to prioritize your own things, and you will miss out on something amazing.

Closing Line

Nothing in Scripture is here by accident. Even the smallest detail could make the biggest impact.

Discussion Questions

1. What stood out to you from the message?

2. Does knowing that Jude was a brother of Jesus change the way you approach this letter?

3. Do you have a daily devotion routine? Share what it looks like and why it works for you.