Jude 1:1a — Jude Who?

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James…

Today we begin a study of one of the five shortest books of the Bible. The book of Jude is the last before the last. It is the book before Revelation.

Tucked into this very short epistle is a mystery about who wrote it. Obviously, it was written by someone named Jude, but which Jude?

One of the amazing characteristics of the Old Testament is the Jew’s records of their history and their lineage. Who their ancestors were was important. Among other things, their ancestry was also the title of their property.

God gave Canaan to Abraham and his descendants forever. (See Genesis 12: 1-3.) The Israelites depended on having an accurate lineage to validate their property claims. Lineage was also important for the tribe of Levi. Without proof of ancestry, a Levite could not be a priest or serve in the temple.

When the Lord was raised from the dead, a new covenant was formed. The old covenant was based on a promise to Abraham and later to Moses. The new covenant is in the person of Jesus Christ.

In the new covenant, the only lineage that matters is whether or not a person is related to Jesus. Not in the flesh, as documented under the old covenant, but in the spirit. And so we come to a time when who you are descended from is not as important as whether or not you know Jesus.

It is under the terms of the New Covenant in Jesus’ blood that we read the words of Jude. Some say that Jude was an apostle of Jesus, one of his disciples. Others say that he was the brother of Jesus.

The writer of this letter does not claim to be an apostle. He does claim to be a brother of James, and James, as we have discussed earlier, was likely the brother of Jesus.

Does it matter?

Not really. The message matters more. Yet, for me, it is pleasing to imagine that this is another brother of Jesus who grew up with him. He followed Jesus around during the early part of his ministry and still didn’t get who he was until after he ascended from the dead. I find the family connection helps me feel connected to Jesus. He was a man who had a mother, an earthly stepfather, and siblings.

Isaiah describes Jesus this way:

He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised,
and we held him in low esteem.

— Isaiah 53: 3

Doesn’t this sound like a description of growing up with brother?

Having helped make Jesus’ life on earth one of pain and suffering, Jude has seen his error. In this short letter, he stands boldly in the breech. Compelled to defend the church, Jude speaks like a lion. That, too, sounds like something a brother would do.

Application: Reading the Bible over and over helps us become familiar with the names and people.

Food for Thought: What does it mean to be a ”servant of Jesus Christ?”