THERE IS A CERTAIN comfort to be found in ritual. Jude, brother of James and brother of Jesus (perhaps/probably—see Matt. 13:55), offers such reassurance in the beginning of his letter to the saints. Is a distinct pattern of movement in his greeting. “To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.” (Jude 1b, 2) The three-times-three movements — “called, loved, kept; mercy, peace, love” —of the opening doxology exhibit a waltz-like cadence. These are well-known Greek literary devices, including the doxology itself, that accompany most of the epistles of the New Testament. Here, Jude uses them intentionally, and the balanced liturgical form gives familiar shape and form that surrounds a difficult discussion of certain specific circumstances that this early church faced.
Jude is approaching a difficult subject carefully. The primary issue that he raises in the body of the letter is the intrusion of sin and sinful practices into the church, with a strongly inferred rebuke to the church for not maintaining both orthodoxy and orthopraxy. After a warm and encouraging greeting, he immediately transitions from comfort to carefrontation. “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” (Jude 3) His warning becomes severe, as he reminds them of the Lord’s periodic judgment upon his people. God “At one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.” (Jude 5) Making several such examples, he warns of the Lord’s wrath. “The Lord rebuke you,” (Jude 9b) he says, and “Woe to them.” (Jude 11) He adds, “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict them of their ungodly acts.” (Jude 14b-15a)
Jude’s warning is severe. His concern is that righteous practices taught from long ago have been eroded by lack of vigilance, and godless men had “secretly slipped among them,” had changed “the grace of our God into a license for immorality,” and also denied “Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” (Jude 4) He labels these men as anathema, calling them “blemishes at your love feasts,” “clouds without rain,” “twice dead,” and “wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.” (Jude 12-13)
The cautionary words of Jude are a theme that Jesus uses in all three of the Olivet discourses (cf. Matt. 24, Mark 13, Luke 21) regarding false prophets. It is a common theme in Paul’s epistles, and Peter also speaks of it in his second letter. In fact, there are over one hundred fifty chapters, O.T. and N.T., that deal with this subject matter. It seems that God considers it important enough to repeat it frequently; the number of times it is repeated indicates that God thinks it’s really important. It was a significant issue in Jude’s time, and it remains so today.
Given the metrics from the data mining of such respected agencies as Barna Research Group, our modern churches are permeated by not only a remarkable percentage of weak but even heretical modern-day prophets and their disciples. Their teachings have also afflicted our conservative evangelical churches with an overwhelming exodus of people in favor of a less-stringent gospel, “which,” as Paul says, “is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.” (Gal. 1:7) Paul’s further warning is pertinent: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” (2 Tim. 4:3-4) Jude’s call to the church of that time remains a call to today’s church, and to true discipleship. It is a call to “the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.” (Jude 3)
The church today does not need a new truth, for we have the truth that God has given us, a truth that is eternal. The church today does not need a new gospel, for we have the gospel of Jesus Christ. The church today does not need new methods, instead, we need to put into practice “the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.” (Jude 3 – for the third time!) Today’s church could take a lesson from today’s military, which continues to use the tried-and-true military K.I.S.S. training principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid!
So, let us all accept a challenge to keep the gospel as simple as 1, 2, 3: “We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.” (1 Cor. 1:23) Here it is in context: “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” (1 Cor. 1:21-25) In doing so, we will keep in step with God, and that’s a good thing. Far better a slow dance with God than a jitterbug with the devil.
Jude returns to the encouraging cadence that he began with, that same three-by-three repetitive waltz-like measure. “But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” (Jude 20-21) And he ends in another doxology—a praise of the Lord. “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you before his glorious presence through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!” (Jude 24-25)
One, two three, one two three…
Q. How’s my footwork?
Leave a Reply