Study in the Epistle of Jude #1: Verse 1

by Chris McCann

EBible Fellowship (http://www.ebiblefellowship.com)

I would like to welcome you to the Electronic Bible Fellowship’s Bible study. We are going to begin studying the book of Jude. Jude is a very short Epistle that is found near the end of the New Testament right before the book of Revelation. It is only one chapter with 25 verses. So, Lord willing, we are going to work our way through this little book of the Bible.

Even though Jude is a little book, it contains much truth and has a great deal of information concerning the time of the Great Tribulation. God deals specifically with false prophets in this little book. We are going to study it verse-by-verse and word-by-word as best as we are able, and our method for study will be comparing Scripture with Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:13).

The most important thing to remember when we come to study the Bible is that we must approach the Word of God very humbly. We must not come to the Bible proudly, for God has established a Biblical principle that He resists the proud but He gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). To come humbly to the Word of God means that we come recognizing that God is the author of the Bible and that He is the One who defines His own terms.

It is God who defines the words of the Bible. We have to seek out God’s definition for the verse that we are reading or the passage that we are looking at. We never want to trust in man’s ideas or what theologians have thought. We can, however, turn to them to get an idea or to assist us if we get stuck on a verse. That is fine, but what we really want to focus on is allowing God to interpret His own Word. Therefore, we want to allow the Bible to guide us as we come to this little book of Jude—a book which does not really get too much notice. Not too many people mention the book of Jude.

As we begin to study the book of Jude, we first realize that we have to start out with Jude himself because in verse 1 of Jude it says:

Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:

The very first word that we want to look at is Jude’s name. The name Jude or Judas is exactly the same Greek word, but with a different English spelling. This name is derived from the Old Testament name of Judah, which was the name of one of Jacob’s sons and later of one of the tribes of Israel. As we learn in Genesis 29:35, when Leah bore the child, she called his name Judah saying, “Now will I praise the LORD.” Therefore, we can come to the conclusion that Judah means to be thankful, to praise God, and to offer up thanksgiving to Him.

So Jude has this name. He was a Jew, a descendent of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. Therefore, we know that the writer of this Epistle was definitely a Jew himself. But is there anything else we can learn about him? Is there any indicator as to exactly who he might be?

Some theologians have actually concluded that this writer of the book of Jude was the brother of James because verse 1 of Jude says “the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James.” They, therefore, have come to the conclusion that this is one of Christ’s brethren because in Matthew 13:55 it says:

Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

Christ had these half brothers—one of them was named James and another was named Judas. These theologians see that Judas, who is writing this Epistle, is the brother of James. Also, in Mark 6:3, we find a very similar reference. It says:

Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Judah, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

They turn to these verses and see that there was a brother, a half-brother rather, of the Lord Jesus who also had the name Judas and a brother named James. They conclude, rather quickly then, that this Jude is the half-brother of the Lord Jesus Christ and brother of James. But it is too quick of a conclusion because there is another possibility.

The other possibility is that he was one of the Apostles, two of whom were named Judas. If we turn to Luke 6, we will get a run-down on the names of the Apostles. It is a good exercise to try to remember them. In verses 14-16, we read:

Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.

We see from these verses that there were two apostles with the name of Judas. We are very familiar with Judas Iscariot. In Matthew 26, we learn that he was the one who betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ with a kiss, sold Him for 30 pieces of silver, and led the mob to Christ when He was in the garden of Gethsemane where He was taken away to eventually be crucified (v. 14-16, 47-49). We are familiar with that Judas. But there was another Apostle who was also named Judas, and this Apostle is identified as Judas, the brother of James. If we turn to Acts 1:13, we see:

And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.

Once again, we find this Judas, and he is identified as being the brother of James. It was pretty common in that day that an individual would be identified along with some family member. We see here in Acts 1:13, “James the son of Alphaeus.” This was how men could be identified and how one could know which James was being referred to. He was the son of Alphaeus.

In Judas’ case, he was the brother of James. That identified this particular Judas as being the one who is being spoken of as we read in the Epistle of Jude, “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James.”

This seems to identify much more with the Apostle rather than Judas, one of Christ’s half-brothers, because that Judas had several brothers. He had a brother named Simon, he had a brother named James, and he had a third brother named Joses.

Why would God identify that Judas as being the brother of James when he had several brothers? It would probably be more accurate to call him Judas, the son of Joseph, or something like that. That would identify him much more readily than saying he was Judas, brother of James, especially since that is how one of the twelve Apostles was identified.

So, we see that in all likelihood, Jude, who is writing this Epistle under the inspiration of God, was one of the twelve Apostles. He was one of the Apostles chosen by Christ and would definitely be qualified to write down the Word of God, as God would inspire him and move him to do so. He was one of the men that had been in the presence of the Lord and had seen Christ’s ministry first hand, so he certainly could be used of God as some of the other Apostles, like Peter and John were used to write down Scripture. This Apostle Judas was used to write just one short little book, but this is still the Word of God, only God used this man.

Now, there is one more piece of evidence that helps us to identify the writer of Jude. If we turn to John 14, we see in verses 22-27:

Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Well, why is this important, or how does this help us in identifying the writer of the Epistle of Jude? We do see that Judas, the brother of James, is the one who is taking center stage here in John 14. Normally, he is not even heard from. He is nowhere to be found. This is not typical of references made to the Apostle Peter or James or John. Those Apostles were very prominent. They were in many discussions and situations with Christ, and God prominently used them in many places in the Gospel accounts.

Judas (not Iscariot), the brother of James, was listed in a couple places, but we rarely find him in discussion with the Lord Jesus. However, he does take center stage here, and the Lord Jesus Christ uses this as an occasion to speak about the Comforter that will come and “bring all things to your remembrance.” You see, this is the answer to Judas’, the brother of James, question. This is the response that Christ has given him personally.

Now let us turn back to the Epistle of Jude and look in verse 5. This is the writer that God is using to pen these words, and he writes down in verse 5:

I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

Here we have this Judas, the brother of James, asking the Lord Jesus Christ a very rare question. He could have spoken to Christ on many occasions, but God rarely recorded it. God did record his question in John 14 and the reply that had to do with the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, bringing things to your remembrance.

What do we find then as we are reading this Epistle of Jude? We find Jude himself saying, “I will therefore put you in remembrance of these things.” You see, it made an impression upon him. Such an impression that he did not forget what Christ had said. He is also endeavoring to put the readers of this Epistle in remembrance of the Word of God, just as the Holy Spirit would do as He is sent forth to be the Comforter.

We see then that in all likelihood, the writer of the Epistle of Jude was not Judas, the half-brother of Christ, but it was Judas (not Iscariot), the brother of James. He is the human author. He is the pen in God’s hands.

However, having said all this, and going through and showing that Judas is the human writer, we also have to remember to keep in mind that this matters very little, if at all. It does not matter which man wrote which book of the Bible, except for historical background and for general information purposes. It does not matter because God is ultimately the author of the Bible, and that is what we have to keep in mind as we are reading the Word of God.

In 2 Timothy 3:16, we read:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. God inspired the whole Bible. He inspired Jude or Judas to write his little Epistle. God is finally the author of the Word of God, the writer of the Bible.

Sometimes we hear of some people praising the human writers of Scripture and praising the men that we read about in the Bible—especially someone like the Apostle Paul who was used greatly of God in his lifetime.

Paul had the great privilege of being used of God to write down much of the New Testament. He was the author of so many of the Epistles that some people almost fawn over him. “Oh, the brilliant, the wonderful Apostle Paul—he was such a theologian!” You can hear them say, “Paul said in Romans, and Paul said in Corinthians, and Paul said in Timothy...” to the point where you begin to feel a little ill because we never want to do that. We never want to credit the man.

We never want to give credit to the Apostle Paul or the Apostle Judas, or whoever it might be. There is no credit due. These men were used of God; they were moved of God as it says in 2 Peter 1:21:

For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

So, it was God who moved these men to write exactly the words that they wrote, whether they were brilliant words, or meek and humble words, or plain words.

For example, we find in some of the Epistles of John nothing really too brilliant, as we read of keeping the commandments and of being little children, and words like this which are not too difficult to understand. Yet God is the writer. God is the author of the Bible. He is the One that gets all the glory.

Because we have the same situation in Romans 16:22, it is good to look at this verse also where we read:

I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord.

Who? This is found in the book of Romans, in the last chapter. Tertius, whoever he was, says “I wrote this Epistle and salute you in the Lord.”

Well, why do we not praise Tertius? Why do we not glorify Tertius and lift him up and say how brilliant Tertius was and how incredible he was as he spoke of justification by faith and so forth? What a mind Tertius had to write down such things!

Well, hold it; hold it! Tertius was a scribe. Tertius was like a secretary. All he is saying is, “I wrote the Epistle, but the Apostle Paul dictated it to me.” (Paul was probably developing problems with his eyesight so he had Tertius write down his words.) And so, of course, nobody credits Tertius. Nobody lifts up Tertius at all. You never heard of him before even though he says he wrote the Epistle.

Well, who gets the credit? Who is the writer? Who is the author of Romans? The Apostle Paul, the brilliant Apostle Paul?

That is exactly how God wrote the Bible. You see, just as Paul used Tertius, God used Paul and God used Judas and God used Moses, or any of the men that God used to write down the Word of God. They should not be glorified nor should they be praised any more than Tertius, because just as Tertius was dictated to, so God Himself dictated to these men. He moved in these holy men of old to write the words that they did write.

That is how we have to come to the Bible, always acknowledging that this is the Word of God. This is God’s Word, not man’s word. God is the author. He is the writer.

In our next study, we are going to move along in this Epistle of Jude and, Lord willing, we are going to look a little bit more closely at verses 1 and 2.