Jude

 Letter of St. Jude   

Title: There are a few Judas in the NT. Curtis P. Giese provides a helpful layout to all the possibilities for the authorship (2 Peter and Jude, CHP, 2012, pp. 16-18). He settles on the Jude, brother of James, and, actually, a half-brother of Jesus. Yet, being reluctant to claim his special relational connections with the LORD, he identifies himself as a brother of James (Mt. 13:55; Mk. 6:3).          

Date of writing: It is one of the later epistles. The conundrum that should be solved is the relationship between Peter and Jude. Different schools of thought give priority to one over the other (See Giese, pp. 1-6, 11-12, 17-18). IMHO – I believe that Jude “polishes” the statements of Peter, therefore, Jude should be written around 64-65 AD or ca 68AD (as TLSB and TLRB [The Lutheran Reader’s Bible] states).   

Structure:

a. 1-2, Greeting

  b. 3-4, beloved, hold faith once delivered to the saints

    c. 5-7, 3 negative examples from Biblical history

      d. 8, takeaway 1

        e. 9-11a, Positive example (Michael)

     c’. 11b, 3 negative examples

       d’. 12, takeaway 2

         e. 13-16, Positive example (Enoch)

  b. 17-23, beloved, hold to the prediction of the apostles

a. 24-25, Conclusion with Doxology

Main themes: Not giving in to the evils of the world. It tries to penetrate the church and corrupt the church from within.

Imminent judgement on the ungodly. Though it looks like the wicked prevail (at times and places), there is a greater judgement that is ultimately coming to the world (cp. Ps. 73).   

Main Characters: Jude and the beloved

Negative examples	Positive examples
(1) Unbelievers in the time of Exodus, Fallen angels, Sodom and Gomorrah; (2) Kain, Balaam, Korah	Michael   Enoch

 

Reflection in other parts of the Bible: Angelic rebellion is presented in Job 1 and 2: Isaiah 14:13-15; Zech 3:1-2. Comparing the last passage with Jude might help us to identify the figure of Michael – the one at the right side/hand of God – as the second person of the Trinity.

Importance the apostolic authority in the Church over self-achieved “intimate relationship with God”. Same as 2 and 3 John – theme of “face to face”.

Jude brings up 8 examples from the Pentateuch assuming that his readers and listeners immediately catch the connection for a deeper reflection. He simply mentions them without any long description. 

Lutheran teaching: The Book of Concord quotes Jude [11] only once – discussing the Third use of the Law (FC SD VI:16). Authors of the Formula made a connection between Pauline usage of “works of the Law” (Rom. 3:20) as “works of the slaves”.   

It is not a “Lutheran teaching” per se, but for many years the President of the LCMS A.L. Barry would sign his devotional remarks in every issue of Lutheran Witness with the concluding words of Jude v.24-25.

Lutheran hymnody:

LSB 518:28 – For All the Saints in Warfare (v. 28 – St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles)

LSB 508 – The Day is Surely Drawing Near

Relevancy of the Book: As long as the Church is present on earth, the forces of evil will attack her from the outside and try their best to penetrate corrupting from the inside. The Letter of Jude is very helpful with the identification of these attempts, encouraging the “beloved” to hold fast to faith once delivered to the saints. Also, regardless of the difficulty and severity of the spiritual and life combat, we eagerly await the Second Coming of Christ which will complete the ultimate deliverance.   

Memory verses: 20-21: But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourself in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.