1 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:
2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
As we begin our study of the book of Jude we must first consider the author and his audience. The book begins with a greeting that follows the form of a Jewish letter of the 1st century which included the name of the sending party, the recipients, as well as a greeting. As we examine these two verses, we will learn more about Jude and his audience as well as the theme of his letter.
The author identifies himself as Jude (in Greek the name is Judas which is a translation of the Hebrew Judah), a name which was common among Jews in the 1st century. Historically, the church has understood this man to be one of Jesus’ brothers who were later born to Joseph and Mary. This is further supported by his reference to himself as “the brother of James.” Lists of the names of the Lord’s brothers are given in Matt. 13:55 and Mark 6:3. It seems clear from Scripture that they were not followers of Jesus during His earthly life, but came to believe that He was Messiah following His crucifixion and resurrection. Paul seems to confirm this in 1 Cor. 9:5 where he alludes to the fact that they were traveling missionaries. In all likelihood, his ministry would have been among Jewish Christian congregations probably throughout Asia Minor. If this is the case, this letter would have been sent to one or more churches within this region who were under threat from certain heresies being peddled by false teachers.
What is very interesting to note is that, if this Jude was in fact the Lord’s brother, he specifically avoids identifying himself as such. While we might find this decision odd, is not without precedent. The author of the book of James, who was also the Lord’s brother, in the same way made no attempt to identify himself as the Lord’s brother according to the flesh. Both, however, refer to themselves as “a servant” (in Greek, doulos) of Jesus Christ. What we can take from this is that, in spite of their relationship to Jesus during His earthly life, they now recognized Him as Lord, God, and Christ. It was in that way that they were now related to Him and the use of the term “servant” or “bond-servant” meant that they understood their lives were given wholly to Him for His purposes.
As Jude transitions to speak of his audience, he does not identify them as a specific church in a designated location, but instead as “those who are called, beloved in God the father, and kept for Jesus Christ.” These specific terms speak to the true identity of these believers in relation to Christ instead of their earthly identity in terms of either ethnicity or residence. They have been called to know Him by His Spirit, they are beloved by His Father, and they are kept for Him in order that they might be His people forever. Jude’s salutation to them focuses on them growing in their knowledge and experience of the mercy which He has bestowed, the peace which He grants, and the love which He has shown to them.
Although Jude speaks of himself and his audience in different ways in terms of their relationship to Christ, the fact that he mentions Jesus in both verses means that what is true of him is also true of them and vice a versa. It is vital for all believers in Jesus Christ to find their identity in Him as they grow in the grace and knowledge of God. In a world that constantly tells us to look within ourselves to find our true identity, the message of Jude is vital for the church in order that we might ground our identity objectively in Christ and what He says about us as His people. We must recognize His Lordship over us and contend for the faith which He Himself established and which has been passed on to us by those who have gone before us.
Join us this Sunday as we consider these things together during our gathered worship service!
Soli Deo Gloria.
-Thomas