Sermon passage: Jude 1-2

Below is a sermon manuscript from August 11, 2024. Watch the sermon here.

Introduction

Have you ever done something incredibly awkward? Maybe it was something from your childhood that you are still a little embarrassed by. I have a lot of these moments. Others are cheesy, and you hope you are younger than you remember when it took place. I remember having an assessment of using the letter in our name to describe ourselves. Here was mine. Again, I don’t know why I remember this. Hopefully, I was pretty young. Nice. Intelligent. Cool. Kid. I will give myself a pass in the first two. But the second two? If you have to describe yourself as cool, then…

We have many ways to identify ourselves today, through family, career, and hobbies. But there is a more fundamental identity than any of those things. Jude helps us understand that, even as he identifies himself as a brother of James, he is first a servant of Jesus. Let’s read the passage together and look at who Jude is and how this passage can help us all understand our identity.

Read Jude 1-2

Who is Jude?

We have the name Jude. This name can also be translated as Judas, or Judah. It was a common word in the New Testament, used 43 times. It is often associated with Judah. But there are six different people who have the name. While typically translated as Judah or Judas, here it is, Jude. This raises some questions. Why? It’s not that the underlying Greek word is different. Instead, it is an intentional decision of Translators. The decision is likely to distance this name from the infamous Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. We will talk about infamous names in a second. But, as far as I know, only English and French translations do this. This wasn’t always the case with the English Bible. In my study this week, I looked at the Wycliffe, Geneva Bible, and Tyndale Bibles, which all retained Judas. As far as I could tell, the Geneva Bible in 1560 was the first to use Jude. 

Matthew’s Bible 1537 – Iudas the seruaunte of Iesus Christ, the brother of Iames. To them whyche are called & sanctyfied in God the father, and preserued in Iesu Christe.

The Great Bible 1539 – Iudas the seruaunt of Iesus Christ the brother of Iames. To them which are called, and sanctifyed in God the father, and preserued in Iesu Christ

The Geneva Bible 1560 – IVde a seruaunt of Iesus Christ, and brother of Iames, to them which are called and sanctified of God the Father, and reserved to Iesus Christ:

The Bishop’s Bible to follow and the King James in 1611 both retained Jude instead of Judas.

I mention this because understanding that the name is Judas can help us see connections elsewhere in Scripture. In this case, we see a Judas of James who is a disciple. But there are two problems with thinking it is him. First, Judas of James would mean son of James, which many translations include. Here there is a reference to brother of James which doesn’t match. Second, if it was one of the twelve, then it would make sense to appeal to apostleship for authority. But we don’t see that here. 

In Scripture, we also see that there is a Judas, who is the brother of Jesus. Read Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3

Who else is listed as a brother of Jesus? James. So Judas would also be a brother of James. 

And it’s telling that James is used without reference to something else. There are certain names that you recognize with a specific individual. Sometimes, this is because their names are unique. Other times, it is because of the notoriety of an individual who has the name. We might think of Madonna, Cher, Lebron, Celine, Adele, Beyonce, Zendaya. Kobe, Barak. If you use one of those names in a letter to a general audience today, they would immediately understand. If you are referring to a different Kobe or Cher you would need to specify. In the early church at this time, there would only be one James who would be name-dropped like this and have immediate recognition. There were other James,’ but they were always distinguished, like James, son of Zebedee, and James, son of Alpheus. But Jesus’ brother was well known. This aligns.

Still, we might ask, “Why not say you are Jesus’ brother?” It could be because a proper understanding was a servant of Jesus. But it could also be because many Christians in the day were calling themselves Brothers and Sisters of Jesus with more of a spiritual reference than a physical reference, so he was avoiding that confusion altogether by saying James. 

Servant of Jesus

Instead of identifying himself as Jesus’s brother, Jude identifies himself as a servant of Jesus. The word could be translated as slave of Jesus. Servants would often have elevated status in society, not on the basis of themselves individually, but based on who they were associated with. Though we wouldn’t want to stretch the analogy too far, an assistant to the President has more influence and authority than many other assistant roles. But there is more going on here than merely that distinction. Servant of Jesus Christ has further implications. Jude is Jewish and, because of that, well versed in the Scriptures. To identify himself as a servant of Jesus Christ has echoes of the titles of others in the Old Testament. Moses and David were both referred to as servants of Yahweh. When the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek, the same word was used for servant. Jude uses a common phrase but replaces Yahweh with Jesus Christ. This is a big deal. It’s not proof of the Trinity or even that Jesus is God, but it’s certainly consistent with that and out of place for someone with a differing view. The early church would use this and other like phrases to show the Biblical coherence for the doctrine of the Trinity. It also shows how serving Jesus, like Moses and David serving Yahweh, has an authority as well. 

As Christians, we also have authority when we faithfully serve the Lord. It is not an authority that we claim in pride and the Lord over others. Instead, it is found in humbling and submitting to Christ. He is Lord, not us. As we faithfully understand and teach His Word, it is powerful. We lose credibility when we misuse His Word or live contrary to it. It is remarkable that during his life, it appears that his brothers saw Jesus as their slave for their reputation. They wanted him to go to the best places and perform his little tricks. Maybe this was to bring attention to themselves; they wanted celebrity by association, but now Jude desires service to the King who came to serve. 

Proximity to Jesus doesn’t make you a Christian

We might summarize these ideas to say proximity to Jesus doesn’t make you a Christian. During Jesus’s life, his siblings did not believe. This is quite astonishing when you think about it. They could probably regurgitate many details about his life but didn’t believe in him as the messiah. They hadn’t placed their trust in him. Now, Jude has the idea of servant or slave, also can be used to imply full devotion. That is also likely implied here. Though he didn’t believe it before, now he was fully devoted.

This should cause us to pause and consider. Growing up in a Christian family doesn’t mean we have saving faith. There is no more of a Christian family than the family of Jesus himself! But even there, we see distance. There was a lack of saving faith, of truly trusting in Jesus. It’s one thing to believe in what Jesus did, to know the facts about the Gospel, to believe that Jesus came to live a righteous life and die for the unrighteous so that all who trust in him will be saved. We can know the details, but it’s another thing to believe that Jesus came to live a righteous life for me, to die for me, to save me. To trust in that as my hope in life and death. Don’t be content in mastering Trivia about Jesus; cling to him as the one who saves you from your sin.

But if we do belong to Jesus, what does that mean? Jude answers that question in this introductory address.

Who You Are in Christ

Jude transitions from his identity and begins to describe those he’s writing to. This letter doesn’t have a specific destination or group of people; instead, Jude describes attributes and blessings for all who are in Christ. These words can be seen as a description of Christians. If you are a Christian here this morning, these are descriptions of you. If you are not, I would ask you to sit and think about these descriptions. May God use them to help you understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

You are called

The first description we have is that Christians are called. Jude writes to these people, the ones who are called. The language of calling is not unique to this letter; it is used throughout the Bible. But what does this mean?

Calling is not unique to Christians here. Throughout the Old Testament, we see Israel referred to as a people who were called by God. This calling refers to God’s special covenant love for Israel. God called Abraham out of Ur. But here, the term is used in association with Christians. 

The word translated called is a technical term that in the New Testament is almost identical in meaning with “Christians.” In much the same way that the Israelites were called by God to become his people, and were called out of slavery in Egypt in order to possess the promised land, so also Christians are called by God from a life of sin and evil to a new life of godliness. The use of this term for Christians puts a focus on the fact that it is God who takes the initiative in calling people to trust in him, and that when people respond in faith to this call of God, then they become God’s children. In the New Testament God calls people primarily to trust in Christ and become Christ’s followers^[1]

Theologians distinguish between various callings of God. One is a general call. This is often associated with the gospel being preached or shared with others. Here people are called to put their faith and trust in Jesus. There is also the effectual call. This is where the gospel penetrates the heart of the hearer and they come to saving faith in Christ.

Every Christian has been called by God to be a Christian, and one of Jude’s key ideas is that God will continue to call us home until we join him in heaven.^[2]

You are loved

The next idea is different. We see that Christians are loved in God. The phrase is a difficult one to understand. It has the idea not merely of being loved by God but being in the love of God. Christians are not distant from God but united to Him in love. 

Jude is emphasizing not the source of the love we experience—God the Father loves us—but the context in which we experience love—love is the product of our being “in,” being in fellowship with God the Father…As those who are called and therefore who belong to the people of God, we enjoy the experience of God’s constant love for us.^[3]

Often, when God is used in isolation, it refers to God the Father. That’s important for us to recognize here. People often try to pit God the Father and God the Son against one another. God only loves you because you believe in Jesus and are now good. But in Scripture, we see that it was the love of God that sent Jesus.  

We should also understand that this is not selfish love. It is not looking for how we might benefit God. It’s not based on what we do or who we are. Instead, it is a self-giving love. We don’t have anything to give God. All good things are from him. The very breath that we take is a gift. The talents, abilities, and opportunities we have would not exist apart from the providential hand of God. What we do have on our own is our own sin. 

Yet God chooses to set his love upon us. Love in Scripture is more than a feeling; it includes action and commitment. This is a love that saves and transforms. It’s a love that encompasses. Being in this love is like a child who sees their parent after a long time. They run to them and are swept off their feet and held in a tight embrace. Christian, you are in the love of God.

You are kept

Here we see that we are kept to for Christ. This is a similar idea as 1 Thessalonians 5:23. There we see that Christians are kept secure for the coming of Jesus. God’s preserving work keeps them spiritually intact for that day. Even though we experience many things in this life, God is with us, watching over us and keeping us safe. We see this at the end of the book as well. Look at verse 24: “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,”

Notice that this is not entirely a passive idea. Later, we see that we are to keep ourselves in the love of God. There can be a danger in trying to combine the two, as if we do our part and then God does his. But this is to miss the emphasis in the text. The text doesn’t say do your part and God does his. Instead, we see that we are to do what we are called to do, and God will do what he does. God will preserve his people, and his people will persevere.

What You Have From Christ

There is not only a description of Christians but also a prayer for them. Jude prays for an abundance or multiplication of mercy, peace, and love, graces that flow from the Father through the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Why say what we have from Christ? Isn’t Jude praying that they will have these things? Jude is praying that they will have them in abundance. That they will experience and live in light of these realities. New Testament Scholar Doug Moo puts it this way,

Jude knows, of course, that believers enjoy these wonderful blessings in Christ. But his prayer is that they may truly appreciate them and benefit from them in their day-to-day lives.^[4]

Jesus gives you mercy

Mercy, in this context, is getting at the idea of “showing kindness or concern for someone in serious need.” (TDNT) It is compassion. Mercy is often described as withholding the just punishment. We watched a soccer game yesterday where there were two different levels of mercy from the referee. One referee was warning a player, and the other came in and gave the same player a yellow card. In fact, this referee was handing them out like crazy. What are we to think? Well, it might depend on the team, right? But there is a tension because to be merciful in this way can downplay the importance of the rules. Soon it would not be a soccer game but UFC. 

How can you show mercy and still uphold justice? The Cross of Christ gives us the best picture of that. It is an act that takes sin and its consequences seriously while also providing mercy. In the context of Jude, it refers to the mercy that Christians need from God on the day of judgment. Jude 21 tells Christians to keep themselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. Though Christians have experienced the saving mercy of God even now, we also await the saving mercy of God. 

Verse 22 tells Christians to have mercy on those who doubt, seeking to preserve and help those who are being led astray. Here is something important for the Christian life. When we understand our own need for the mercy of God, it equips us and enables us to show mercy to those around us. If we proudly think we do not need the mercy of God, then we can look down upon others we see as in need.

Jesus gives you peace

Not only do we have mercy from God, but we have peace. Again, this peace has a future aspect to it as well as a present reality. Peace is not merely having peace of mind. For Christians, there is peace with God because it has been truly accomplished for us by the work of Christ. There can be times when we feel alienated or distant from God. Some of that might be due to our sin. While God’s grace is sufficient for all of our sin, when we are walking in sin, it obscures the peace we have with God. In fact, this itself is a grace because if we are to walk in sin and never feel discomfort or distance, that should worry us. But if we are worried over our sin and the distance that it creates, it should comfort us because the God who saved us from our sins loves us too much to allow us to remain in our sin.

Let me put it this way. A person may fear that they will float away. They may have a decent grasp on the details of gravity, but the thought keeps popping into their head, and they will float away. This fear does not align with sound reason, because we know that is not the case. To start dragging weights around would be ridiculous. Some of us operate this way. Jesus has purchased peace with God. He has done everything necessary, and yet we struggle with assurance. He is our assurance. We don’t need to try to do things to assure ourselves. That’s like dragging weights around. Instead we can look back to what Jesus has done on the cross and the victory of his resurrection. This objection and historical realities ground our present hope. If you are in Christ, you have peace with God; there is nothing you have to do, simply cling to the Cross.

This peace is an objective reality, and we must keep our eyes on it. It is possible to lose sight of it in the midst of today’s unrest. We have God’s peace, but we also love for the day when the whole earth will be filled with God’s perfect shalom—the wellness and wholeness of how things are supposed to be.

Jesus loves you

The third thing that Jude asks is that God’s love may be multiplied among them. They were loved by God in Christ, but there is a prayer for them to experience that deeply. This is often a need for us as well. We are loved by God, but often, there can be a disconnect between what we know and how we experience it day-to-day. There may be some here this morning that are struggling with this. I remember a student of mine who had a season of her life where she would ask others to pray that she experiences what she knows is true. The Christian life is not always mountain top experiences. Sometimes, we do feel a disconnect. Sometimes, this disconnect is because we have gone astray. Jude 21 tells believers to keep themselves in the love of God. Sometimes, we try to do things our own way and then are surprised when we feel disconnected from God. The solution is to repent. Repentance softens the heart and opens the hands to receive God’s love. But sometimes, because we live in a world affected by sin, we feel a disconnect that isn’t related to any specific sin. 

Conclusion

What is your attitude toward Jesus? Is he someone you study or know some details about? Is he nice to have around when it’s convenient for you? Or are you fully aware of your need for his saving work and wholly committed to him? We talked about the blessings of those who are in Christ, but we should be aware that these promises are not for those who haven’t turned from their sin and trusted in the finished work of Christ. The threefold description of Christians that we discussed can be true of you. Perhaps right now, as I give a general call for you to turn from your sins and trust in Jesus, God is doing something in your heart.

Maybe you are aware that this is not just a general statement. These aren’t mere details about a letter from 2,.000 years ago, but this is truth itself. You need to trust in Jesus. God is calling you into a loving relationship with him and has provided the way through the finished work of Jesus for you. Trust in Him. The God who calls you will keep you. He will be with you and preserve you. He does so through ordinary means, such as learning his word, spending time in prayer, taking the Lord’s supper, spending time with other Christians. If you come to Christ, or if you are already in Christ, know what is yours in Him. There is mercy, peace, and abounding love. We pray to experience these things as they are already true of us in Christ. How much better is this than anything we can try to claim or describe as true of ourselves? In a world that says, “Look at me, this is what I am,” instead, understand, “All who look to Christ, this is who you are now.”

Regardless of how you approach that first one, it will end worse than embarrassment. When you embrace the second one, it will exceed your deepest understanding of experiencing mercy, peace, and love.

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^[1] Daniel C. Arichea and Howard Hatton, A Handbook on the Letter from Jude and the Second Letter from Peter, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1993), 8.

^[2] R. C. Lucas and Christopher Green, The Message of 2 Peter & Jude: The Promise of His Coming, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995), 168.

^[3] Douglas J. Moo, 2 Peter, Jude, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 223.

^[4] Douglas J. Moo, 2 Peter, Jude, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 224.