Someone named this book The Acts of the Apostates. It is a short but very powerful statement, addressed to the entire church of Jesus, regarding unbelievers who have infiltrated the church. In that sense it is not about “apostasy” as is often stated. Apostasy would involve those who were saved, and teaching the truth, having fallen away and now teaching un-truth.

No, these are “certain men who have crept in unnoticed…” Men with an agenda. Slick. Sneaky. Well-armed with evil ideas from Hell. (And they are with us today and need to be called out today.) Men of this world who do not like the “old-fashioned” message of the Cross, the Blood, the power of God. They have advanced, in their way of thinking, beyond the “old stuff” to a modern way of looking at things. Peace. Caving in to the flesh instead of fighting it. The profit motive. Following the winds of the times, keeping up with the culture, blending in with society, pleasing the world.

Heretics. And this letter not only exposes them, but consigns them to eternal loss, and then encourages the church to strengthen itself and go on without them.

Not bad for only 25 verses!

The setting for the letter.

Jude the man. Which “Jude” was this? Jude is short for Judah or Judas. That leaves us with several choices. There was another Judas that was an apostle of Jesus, besides the one who betrayed him. We see him in the book of John, asking a serious question of Jesus. He was surnamed Thaddaeus.

There was a prophet in the book of Acts who traveled with Silas to work some difficulties out with Paul. Judas returned to Jerusalem alone, as Silas became Paul’s new traveling partner.

And several others of no serious consequence to the Biblical narrative. Except one. And it is that one that most tradition points to as the writer of the book.

Notice that this “Jude” calls himself a brother of James. This points us to the Gospel account of several brothers, half-brothers that is, of the Lord Jesus Himself. We know that there was a James who headed up the Council of Jerusalem, and that it was not the apostle James, for he had been murdered by Herod. James is mentioned by Paul in Galatians as the “brother of the Lord.” His reputation was sealed. And in those days, to call yourself “the brother of James” brought immediate understanding: this man is the brother of our Jerusalem leader.

Some point to the similarity between James 1:1 and Jude 1:1 as another connector of these two. For it is also understood that the epistle of James was from that same half-brother who administrated the Council.

Note also that Jude does not call himself an apostle but in verse 17 refers to apostles as separate from himself. It is supposed that the similarity of this chapter to some of Peter’s writing in 2 Peter is explained by the fact that Jude looked to the apostles for his own spiritual direction, and passed it on to believers everywhere.

(These points were gleaned in large measure from John Macarthur’s Bible Commentary. )

Think of it. Judas, named for the great patriarch and son of Jacob, from who Messiah was to come. And as soon as he was able to discern what life is about, a small child, there is that Messiah in his own family! But who can believe such a thing? Who can believe that the Saviour of the World is my own half-brother? His heart, as the heart of all his siblings, was hardened to this big brother of his. For 33 years the hardness continued.

Did he hear rumors about Jesus? Did he wonder why Jesus looked and acted so differently from the others? Was there disgrace. Certainly a cynicism slowly arose in the children’s minds and by the time Jesus had actually begun His ministry, it took the form of verbal assaults. Home was not a safe place for the Son of God. Only Mary knew. How much she tried to share with her family, we don’t know.

Thirty-three years. And then it happened. We don’t know how, but suddenly the grace of God came upon Jude and James, and perhaps the others. The agonizing death. The resurrection. The Spirit of God working in them.