How should God’s chosen people stand up for what they believe? Read Jude and find out.
What makes Jude special?
This letter gives a strong warning to Christians about false teachers and prophets who are trying to lead the Lord’s followers away from the truth. The author uses a number of examples from the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) and even refers to two documents from Jewish literature that are not included in the Bible: The Assumption of Moses and 1 Enoch. You may notice also that many verses of this letter are used in 2 Peter (compare 2 Pet 2.1-8 with Jude 4-16).
Why was Jude written?
The writer of Jude was worried about “godless” people who had sneaked into and claimed to be part of Christ’s followers. These godless ones argued that they could live in an immoral way, because God was so kind and would always forgive them. They even denied that Jesus Christ was their only Lord (4). Readers of Jude were encouraged to defend the faith against the teachings of godless people. And Christians themselves are to be faithful to Christ by living moral lives that are “in step with God’s love” (21). This means avoiding sinful behavior, helping those who have doubts, and rescuing those who need to be saved.
What’s the story behind the scene?
The writer of this short book is identified as Jude, the traditional English form of the Greek name Judas and the Hebrew name Judah. “Judah” was the name of one of the sons of Jacob (Gen 29.35) and both King David and Jesus were members of the Israelite tribe that named after him (Luke 3.33).
James and Jude (Judas) are named as Jesus’ brothers in the Gospels (Matt 13.55; Mark 6.3). James was a leader of the early church in Jerusalem (see Acts 15.13; Gal 1.19). It is possible that Jude was also a leader in the early Jewish Christian church in Palestine.
It’s not clear who the original readers of the letter were (1-2). They may have been early Jewish Christians who were familiar with the Jewish Scriptures, which Christians now call the Old Testament. Or, as some scholars have suggested, the letter may have been written after Jesus’ brothers, James and Judas, had died. Such scholars propose that the style of the letter and the situation it describes seem to come from a time later than the first generation of Jesus’ followers. For the most part, the kinds of false teachings the author is addressing in this letter were not big problems for the earlier followers of Jesus.
How is Jude constructed?
This letter may be outlined in the following way:
Greetings and a prayer (1-2)
Defending the faith against false teachers (3-25)
Greetings and a Prayer
Jude, a servant of Christ, greets an unknown group of Jesus’ followers and prays that God will bless them.
Defending the Faith against False Teachers
Jude encourages the followers of Jesus to defend the true faith against those who are teaching false beliefs and living immoral lives. He compares these “godless people” to faithless people from Israel’s past, and makes it clear that God will punish all ungodly people for the evil things they have done.
Questions about Jude
1. How were the “godless people” described in this letter twisting the truth about God? (4)
2. The godless people were willing to take advantage of God’s kindness and used it as an excuse to behave immorally. How would a “godly person” complete the following sentence? “God treats us much better than we deserve, and so …”
3. What selfish and shameful actions spoiled the Christians’ love feasts and celebrations of the Lord’s Supper? (12) According to the writer, what will happen to those who do such shameful deeds? (13)
4. How can the Christians “keep in step with God’s love”? (21-23)