Jude 1: 10 — Horse and Water

Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them.

Jude continues his discourse on the ungodly who infiltrate the Body of Christ with this: “They slander what they do not understand.” I think Jude is being rather kind here. The implication is that if these people could understand who God is they would change their ways.

I like this view of these ungodly people. It is a view that offers hope. Hope that maybe, at some point, they will come to understand the importance of bowing to God. But Jude is realistic. He knows that if they do not bow to God, they will be destroyed.

Can we make people understand? No, of course not. As the old saying goes, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.” In the same way, we can lead people to knowledge and understanding, but we can’t make them accept them. This situation is ironic. The reason the ungodly slander what they do not understand is they believe that they already know it all.

So then, what do we make of this?

Jude wants us to understand who the ungodly people are and how they behave. The NIV Bible chose the word “slander” to explain the Greek word, “blasphēméō” in English. When we look at the Greek, we find that there is a lot more information to be had. As you may have guessed, “blasphēméō” in the Greek is also translated “blaspheme” in English. The word “blaspheme” means to speak irreverently about God. The root of “blasphēméō” is “evil speaking.” To speak evil about God is certainly irreverent.

If someone mocks the idea that unity in the church is important, they are slandering God’s Word. If people add to the word of God they also slander God. In their eyes, God’s Word is not enough. We MUST add their ideas to it.

Once again we are back to the question of “What is the Body of Christ?” What does His church look like? According to Jesus (John 13: 34), we are commanded to love one another. It is this love for each other that is the hallmark of His disciples. So how can there be disagreements between churches? To put the question another way, are churches who disagree, who seem not to love one another, really churches?

Let’s look at this from Jesus’ point of view.

Jesus is Jesus. He is not split into parts or factions. He is who he is, and he is one with the Father. The Holy Spirit speaks only what Jesus wants to be spoken.

What is the requirement for being in His church? It is not complicated. In John 3: 14-15 Jesus himself says, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

So what is all the other stuff? What is all the division about? How come some churches oppose abortion, for example, and some do not? Some claim special power and authority and others do not. How does that work?

Jude is writing about two thousand years ago. At the time there were already people who were teaching things that they had made up about Jesus. The “church” was not as formal and structured as it has become in our day. By that, I mean that there had not yet been an intermingling of church and state, nor had there been any question of tax exemptions for churches and the like. Churches were simply gatherings of people who believed in Jesus.

Two millennia is a lot of time for people to confuse the issue. The people who taught lies were very destructive. Yet the basic truths of the Bible remain for anyone who cares to read them and believe. As for the rest, the people over the years that have added to God’s Word, set legalistic traps for people, discouraged true faith, and in general slandered and blasphemed God’s Word; it doesn’t sound like our Father will be too pleased.

Application: Rely on the Bible for Truth. Turn to Jesus for salvation.

Food for Thought: What does Jude mean when he refers to the ”things they do understand by instinct?”