11 Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. 12 These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.
- Jude 11-13
Having described the actions of the false teachers in v. 8-10, Jude now pronounces a woe upon them. The reason for this is because of their rebellion against God, which he illustrates by associating them with three characters from the OT. He goes on then to apply the woe to them, illustrating both how dangerous they are to others and empty they are in themselves.
The woe which he pronounces upon the false teachers, while similar to the oracles of cursing which are found within the OT (Isa. 5:8-23), is clearly to be understood in light of those uttered by Jesus during His earthly ministry (Matt. 11:21; Mark 14:21; Luke 6:24-25). This woe is both an expression of grief as well as a proclamation of judgment upon those of whom it is spoken. It first looks backwards, associating these false prophets with certain OT figures of rebellion. The first is Cain, who sinned against the Lord and then refused His correction before finally murdering his brother (Gen. 4). The second is Balaam, the false prophet who sought to curse Israel for financial gain but was unable to do so. He did, however, succeed in leading Israel into sexual sin by encouraging the Balak, king of Moab, to send out the women to entice the men of Israel into idolatry (Num. 22-25). The third example is that of Korah, who led a rebellion against Moses’ authority during the wilderness wanderings. In each of these cases, these men rebelled against the Lord and were subsequently judged by Him. Jude ties them together in order to illustrate the rebellion of these false teachers and to anticipate their coming judgement.
The woe then looks forward as it both describes these false teachers as well as anticipating their future judgment. In v.12-13, Jude speaks of the dangers these people pose to the churches and of their spiritual emptiness using a series of figurative descriptions. First, they are “hidden reefs,” because they are an unseen danger in the midst of the congregation who can wreak destruction upon the church just as a reef can upon a ship. They live without fear of the Lord, associating with God’s people and even seeking to be their shepherds, however they are only interested in feeding themselves (v.12a).
He then illustrates the futility of their teaching and their lives. They are “waterless clouds” and “fruitless trees” in that the life which they claim to have through their teaching is merely an illusion, producing nothing but disappointment and emptiness. More than that, however, it produces shame, something he illustrates using the imagery of foam that is produced from the crashing of waves in the ocean. Finally, he describes the ultimate consequences of their rebellion against God, characterizing them as “wandering star” who will experience the gloom of “utter darkness…forever.”
These are harsh words from Jude, but they are truth that is ultimately spoken in love. The woe is both a prophetic declaration as well as a warning. Those who persist in rebellion against God are not truly His people, no matter what they may claim, and their end will be eternal judgment. While they have breath, however, they have the opportunity to repent of their sin and turn to Jesus Christ. Although He is the instrument of God’s judgment, He has also been the recipient of God’s judgment so that sinners deserving of Hell might obtain forgiveness of sin and be granted His righteousness. The churches must continue to proclaim this message while also contending for the faith against those who would pervert the Gospel of God’s grace and deny the Lordship of Christ. The churches must be warned of the presence of false teachers so that they might rebuke them and, if necessary, remove them from the fellowship.
Join us this Sunday as we come together as His people around His Word. May He grant to us that we would know His love for us as we worship Him together!
Soli Deo Gloria.
-Thomas