JUDE PART 1
Numbers 25:1-9
Jude 1-10
November 8, 2009
Listen to this sermon HERE
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ. Do you have any idea how far he journeyed emotionally to be able to write those words? Did you know there was a time in his life when he would have laughed at such a thing? Did you know there was a time when those words would have been a profound insult to him? Or, that as he wrote them now it placed his life, and the life of his family, in danger? Do you have any idea of the emotional roller coaster he had endured, so that he might place pen to parchment and write, “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ”?
He tells us that he is the brother of James, and then gives us no further details. That’s a strange thing for a man to write. In letters of introduction, or on their ossuaries (something like a casket), a man would commonly be listed by his name and perhaps the city he was from – Jesus of Nazareth. On rare occasions he might include the name of his father – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. What was unheard of, what almost never happened, was for a man to list the name of his brother. The only time a brother was mentioned was when there was absolutely no doubt whatsoever that the community would immediately know who the brother was.
There is only one James who would be immediately recognizable to the Christian community; James the Just, also known as James the brother of the Lord (Galatians 1:19). James, the younger brother of Jesus and author of the book of James, was the leader of the Christian community in Jerusalem after Jesus departed (Acts 12:17, 15:13). He alone carried so much influence that to say his name separated him from every other James in the city. Jude must be a brother to that same James, and therefore a brother to Jesus Christ.
He was born as a Judas. However, by the time this letter was written that name was permanently scarred within the Christian community, and so he began to go by Jude instead. His name appears in two different lists of Jesus’ family. The first list is Jesus, James, Joseph, Simon and Judas (Matthew 13:55). The second list is Jesus, James, Joses, Judas and Simon (Mark 6:3). It’s hard to tell if he was the fourth or fifth son, but he was almost certainly younger than Jesus and James. He was not the firstborn and he was not the most important. Perhaps he was just an extra child, another worker bee, someone to help out with manual labor. Would that cause him to resent his older siblings?
He grew up with Jesus but saw no divinity in his older brother (John 7:5). In fact, on one occasion he had attempted to extract Jesus from an enthusiastic crowd telling them, “Leave him alone, he’s insane!” (Paraphrase of Mark 3:21 NIV.) No, in his view there was nothing special about his older brother – in fact there might be quite a bit wrong with him. He began his journey with no respect for Jesus.
And then, somehow, somewhere, Jude’s entire life changed. He wasn’t there at the cross to support either Jesus or his mother Mary when Christ was crucified. Yet, forty days later at the Ascension of Christ to heaven Jude was a part of the Apostolic group (Acts 1:14). What happened in those six weeks that forever changed his life? What grabbed his soul so completely that he went from believing his brother was insane, to traveling as an itinerant preacher of Christ with his family in tow (1 Corinthians 9:5)? What brought him to the point that he was writing letters to be sent to the communities of faith? Was it because life as a Christian was a bed of roses? Hardly.
Virtually all scholars today will agree that the book of 2 Peter was written with a copy of the letter of Jude as a guide. Because they are both concerned with the same heresies, they must have been written very near to each other in time. If we accept that the Apostle Peter is the author of 2 Peter, then Jude must have been written around 62 - 64 CE. That is significant, because just a few years earlier he had watched older brother James, James the Just, James the brother of the Lord, James who was so famous everyone in Jerusalem knew him – murdered for his faith.
Jude certainly knew that brother James had been approached by the Scribes and Pharisees and warned to stop preaching that Jesus was the Christ. He knew that his brother had refused to deny Jesus, and was thrown from the top of the Holy Temple. He survived the fall, and so they began to stone him. When even that failed he was beaten to death with a club. Yes, Jude certainly knew that keeping the faith was no walk in the park. It could demand everything a man had. And still, Jude had described himself as a servant of Christ. In fact, less than a servant, a slave of Jesus. What power changes a man that thoroughly? What takes a man from hating his brother, to considering himself his brother’s slave, and not worthy to mention his name?
Jude answers that question up front; he has been called, loved, and kept (verse 2). This isn’t a choice Jude has made for himself, he has been called. This is not self initiated, and it is not self sustained. The Holy Spirit of the Lord God Almighty has reached into his being and touched him. You can identify with this, once touched there is no going back. Jude says his calling is sustained by the love of God the Father. The Father exercises special care for those whom He has called. There is a compelling and motivating love which drives us forward through danger and distress, which the unsaved will never know or appreciate.
And, finally, Jude says he is kept by Jesus Christ. He has been a firsthand witness to the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. With his brothers and his mother he knows, knows beyond all certainty, that Jesus has conquered death. He has seen Jesus rise from the grave, victorious over sin. What fear does the grave hold for him? He may have even envied James, now kept in the bosom of Abraham, safe from any further harm or hurt. A man can slay giants when he doesn’t fear death. And so, he sits and writes. This man, who has traveled from unbelief to unequivocal commitment, puts pen to parchment and writes; Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.
Nothing will destroy a relationship faster than a lie. Marriages may end in divorce because of lies. Businesses are dissolved and partners go their separate ways because of lies. Brothers and sisters may walk in opposite directions and never speak again because of lies. Lies are personal, and intimate, and emotionally crippling. Has a lie ever damaged you?
We have discussed who Jude is. Now, let’s talk about what he wants. Jude wants a lie corrected. He is writing to a very specific community, perhaps a specific church. Jude’s letter makes strong reference to the Jewish Bible, haggadic texts, and certain Apocrypha which would have been well known by Jews living in Palestine. So, he is most likely writing to a specific church comprised primarily of Jewish Christians located in Israel. And, this church, this body of faith, this bride of Christ has been infected with a dangerous lie.
It may be difficult for us to tell from our various translations of Scripture, but Jude is using very strong, very harsh language here. When he tells us to contend (Greek 2043) for the faith his word draws on the image of a winner take all wrestling match. He wants the readers to see this lie as a life or death issue, at least spiritually if not physically. He knows his audience is well aware of Jacob’s wrestling match with God (Genesis 32:24-32), and he may want them to identify their own struggle against the lie with the same significance.
Not that this is where he wanted to go. No! Jude originally wanted to talk about this amazing salvation we all share. He wanted a happy letter full of good news. But, the lie has made that impossible. You see, the lie perverts the truth – and the truth is not negotiable. Jesus gave his life for the truth, and Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit to preserve the truth (John 14:26). No servant of Christ can allow a lie to diminish the work of the Savior.
What is the lie? The lie is to embrace antinomianism, especially with regards to sexual immorality. There’s a big word we don’t use everyday. Antinomianism is the philosophy that grace makes sin irrelevant. That is, it doesn’t matter whether we sin or not. You see, Jesus has forgiven our sins, all of our sins; all of the sins we have committed, and all of the sins we will commit. So, as a Christian, if I continue to live a sinful lifestyle it really doesn’t matter because I am completely forgiven.
Christianity is unique among all the world’s religions in this – we don’t earn our salvation. We are not saved by our good behavior (Ephesians 2:8-9). Unfortunately, this leaves us singularly vulnerable to antinomianism. Jude wasn’t the only one who had noticed this creeping virus. Paul spoke against this belief (Romans 3:8, 6:15), as did the Apostles John (2 John 10-11), and Peter (2 Peter 2:1-2). They had all seen the lie.
We don’t know the exact form of the lie. Some believe that it was the start of the Gnostic heresy, although this seems a little early for that problem. Still, there are some strong similarities between Gnosticism and what Jude was confronting. The Gnostics believed that the Bible was a lie, perpetrated upon humanity by an evil sub-god (the Demiurge) who gave us commandments just so he could delight in our suffering. Watch them try not to enjoy sexual immorality, watch them try not to covet their neighbors wonderful possessions, watch them try not to lie to each other – this is hilarious! Jesus, and those like him who possessed a special knowledge, were wise to the ways of the evil god. Among humans you could tell who had the special knowledge by whether they followed the Biblical rules, or whether they intentionally violated them. Jesus gave salvation to those who were wise enough to disregard the rules.
We can’t say for sure what form of antinomianism Jude was confronting, only that it dealt with sexual immorality. This may have been an attempt to justify adultery, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, or even bestiality. Each flavor has its own proponent. All we know for sure is that some evil men had begun to have an influence in this particular church with regards to sex. Jude wants his readers to know God sees the lie, and will act. In fact, he can provide them with three specific examples from the past.
First, he reminds them that some who left Egypt with the Exodus were destroyed for their unbelief. Since the theme of Jude’s warning is against sexual immorality, I think he may be referencing Israel’s stay at Shittim (Numbers 25:1-9). The men of Israel begin to have immoral sexual relations with the women of Moab, which eventually leads to idolatry. In God’s anger twenty four thousand men are struck down. This fits the urgency, severity, and sexual immorality of Jude’s message.
His second illustration concerns the fallen angels (Genesis 6:4). While Scripture gives only the briefest of references to this situation, Jude seems to be drawing upon the Apocryphal book of 1 Enoch (15:3-10), which elaborates on the sexual misadventures of the fallen angels and their subsequent punishment by God. Even the angels are not allowed to embrace the lie.
Jude’s third and final illustration is the well known story of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:4-5). Here the inhabitants of the city do not recognize Lot’s visitors as angels, but consider them simply attractive men. Their language makes it clear they desire same sex relationships with the angels. While this is not the city’s only sin, it is the straw that breaks the camel’s back; fiery judgment rains down to destroy the inhabitants.
Jude has written to destroy the lie. God never approves of sexual sin, and these men who are telling you that this sinful behavior is acceptable are liars. They will be judged harshly, in particular because they have attempted to put the lie into God’s own mouth. Jude says even the angels wouldn’t dare to speak on God’s behalf, unless specifically instructed (verse 9).
Jude still confronts the lie today. Sexual immorality continues to plague the bride of Christ. Let me throw some names at you: Jim Baker, Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Hagerman, Terry Hornbuckle – do you recognize these names? These are all men who presided over huge ministries; who were destroyed by sexual misconduct. Statistically, we know that a significant percentage of Christian men participate in on-line pornography. Divorce statistics tell us that adultery is destroying the American family; and that includes the Christian families.
In each case the justification is that Jesus knows my sin and loves me anyway. Men who believe they are justified by the atoning blood of Christ are giving themselves permission to dabble in immorality. This is modern antinomianism. Jude wants us to know that Jesus would not approve. He wants us to know that God acts against sin. He wants us to confront the lie.
Israel Knohl, “The Messiah: Son of Joseph”, Biblical Archaeology Review 34:5 (September-October 2008), 58-62.
This statement is not proven beyond all debate. For an excellent evaluation of both sides of the ‘brother of Jesus’ argument see – William Brosend, “The Letter of Jude: A Rhetoric of Excess or an Excess of Rhetoric?”, Inspiration 60:3 (July 2006), 292-305.
Kenneth L. Barker & John R. Kohlenberger III. Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary, Volume II: New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 1118-1120.
Kenneth L. Barker & John R. Kohlenberger III. Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary, Volume II: New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 1118-1120.
Stephan Joubert, “Persuasion in the Letter of Jude”, Journal for the Study of the New Testament 58 (June 1995), 75-87.
Kenneth L. Barker & John R. Kohlenberger III. Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary, Volume II: New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 1120.
Andrew J. Bandstra, “Onward Christian Soldiers – Praying in Love, with Mercy: Preaching on the Epistle of Jude”, Calvin Theological Journal 32:1, (April 1997), 136-139.