James – Written Exposition

READING: Jude 1-25

FURTHER READING: Zechariah 3:1-4; 2 Peter 2:1-18; 3:1-3; Commentary on 2 Peter 2:1-22; The Book of Enoch

INTRODUCTION

The short Epistle of Jude, containing 461 Greek words, is a New Testament book which preachers and teachers tend to neglect. Often they concentrate more on 2 Peter, with which the Epistle of Jude shares a number of verses. The resemblances between them in ideas and wording are indeed striking. Jude 4-13 aligns with 2 Peter 2:1-17 and Jude 17-18 echoes 2 Peter 3:2-3. It is thought that the similarities may be explained either by literary dependence (i.e. one of them used the other as a source) or by a common source (i.e. each of the writers drew upon an earlier document or tradition). Generally speaking, scholars argue for literary dependence; with 2 Peter thought to be secondary. If Jude had access to all of 2 Peter, so the argument goes, surely he would have used more of it; so Peter must have used Jude. We shall leave that debate to others.

Equally unclear are the date the epistle was written, those to whom it was originally addressed and the exact occasion for writing. There is nothing in the letter that would establish its year of origin but, since its author claims to be Jude the brother of James, it must have been written before the end of the first century; probably between 65 and 80 CE.

There is also no hint as to the identity of the letter’s recipients. Jude addresses them as ‘beloved’ (‘Dear friends’) so he must have known them personally. During the first century heretical ideas and practices like those he describes emerged in Asia Minor so perhaps Jude is writing to a group of Jewish Christians there. His allusions to Old Testament characters and events and the presumption that his readers would understand them would indicate that both he and they had a Jewish worldview. He also refers to, and quotes, from Jewish apocryphal literature.

Although Jude addresses a specific situation his book is usually classified as one of the seven New Testament ‘catholic’ or ‘general’ epistles (James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude). These are circular letters addressed to the Christian church at large rather than to one specific destination. Jude is written in the form of a first century Christian letter. It commences with the name of the sender, the recipients, a greeting and ends with a doxology. Jude’s purpose in writing is to underscore and emphasise the personal responsibility of Christian believers to be vigilant against false teachers/teaching and ungodly practices.

There are a couple of sevens (v. 14 ‘the seventh from Adam’ and allusions to seven Old Testament individuals/ groups and associated events – Israelites, angels, Sodom & Gomorrah, archangel Michael, Cain, Balaam, Korah) but Jude has a noticeable penchant for triadic constructions. His grouping of elements together in threes displays his skill as a writer and is an example of the rhetorical device of amplification by accumulation, where a series of words or phrases with similar meanings are presented together to create a stronger statement and have greater impact. This skilful use of language helps make Jude’s message memorable, persuasive and therefore more likely to achieve its intended effect. Currie (2023) lists 22 triplets in an appendix to his comments on the Epistle of Jude.

SIMPLE DIVISION OF JUDE

1-2 Greeting

3-4 Purpose

5-11 Reminder

12-16 Description

17-23 Exhortation

24-25 Doxology

COMMENTS

GREETING (1-2)

1 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.
2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.

(1) In verse 1 Jude gives details of the author and the audience.

Jude

The writer identifies himself as ‘Jude ((Ioúdas) the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James’. This is a clear indication that Judas, the brother of Jesus, wrote this epistle. If the names in Mt 13:55 are listed in order of age then Jude may have been the youngest in the family. He may also have been married (1 Cor 9:5). There are several men in the New Testament called by the popular name Jude/Judas:

Judas, the half-brother of Jesus (Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3).

Judas [son] of James (Lk 6:16; Acts 1:13) also known as Lebbaeus Thaddeus or Thaddaeus (Mt 10:3; Mk 3:18). John calls him ‘Judas, not Iscariot (Jn 14:22).

Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus (Mt 10:4, Lk 22:3-4).

Judas of Galilee, a revolutionary (Acts 5:37).

Judas, at whose home in Damascus Paul stayed after his conversion (Acts 9:11).

Judas, surnamed Barsabas (Acts 15:22).

Jesus Christ

Jude, while being Jesus’ brother, humbly calls himself a ‘slave’ rather than asserting his familial connection to Jesus Christ. This term ‘slave’, however, is often linked with Christian ministry (Rom 1:1; Gal 1:10; Phil 1:1; Col 4:12; Jam 1:1; 2 Pet 1:1) and therefore may also indicate someone specifically authorised to labour in the Lord’s service who, as such, deserves to be listened to and heeded. Jude states that he is a servant of Jesus Christ before mentioning that he is related to James; this would suggest that he prioritizes his submission to Jesus Christ over earthly ties (it is interesting that Jude’s brother James, in his epistle, introduces himself similarly as ‘James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ’). Jude’s use of ‘servant’ therefore not only reflects an emphasis on his spiritual rather than familial relationship with Jesus but also establishes his authority to address his readers and warn them about the dangers of false teachings.

James

James, the brother of Jesus, was a prominent figure in the early church, particularly within the Jerusalem community (Mt 13:55; Acts 15:13; 21:18; 1 Cor 15:7; Gal 1:19; 2:9,12) and was so highly respected that he could be referred to simply as ‘James’ without any confusion. The author of the Epistle of Jude probably identifies himself as ‘the brother of James’ for two reasons: 1) to distinguish himself from other individuals named Jude or Judas in the early church and 2) to leverage the authority and recognition associated with James, the Lord’s brother. By identifying himself as ‘the brother of James’ Jude implicitly links himself to James’ authority and reputation. This was particularly important since, as someone who was not an apostle, Jude would not have been widely known. Associating himself with James enhances the impact of his message, due to James’s esteemed position and influence within the early church.

AUDIENCE

The letter is addressed to ‘them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.’ The terms ‘sanctified’, ‘preserved’, and ‘called’ are important theological concepts and together provide a concise definition of a true Christian believer:

Sanctification: This signifies being set apart for God’s purposes, a process of becoming more Christ-like.

Preservation: This emphasizes the ongoing (perfect tense – not only once but continuing) protection and security that believers have in Jesus Christ. This word (tēréō) in Jude 1 means ‘carefully guarded’ (see Acts 12:5; 16:23). There may also be the idea of preserved for Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Thess 5:23).

There are five references to ‘being kept’ (tēréō) in Jude: v.1 ‘preserved;’ v.6 ‘kept;’ v.6 ‘reserved;’ v.13 ‘reserved;’ v.21 ‘keep’

Calling: This refers to the divine initiative in salvation (Rom 1:6; 8:28; 1 Cor 1:24; 1Thess 2:12; 2 Thess 2:13-14; 2 Tim 1:9; 1 Pet 2:9; 5:10; Rev 17:14).

(2) Jude’s greeting in verse 2 is also a prayer: ‘Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.’ This is typical of early Christian letters; they often included a prayer or blessing for the recipients (e.g. 1 Pet 1:2). These three objective aspects of God’s grace are often interpreted subjectively. Only in Jude are they found together.

Mercy: Objective: mercy is God’s saving action in Christ. Subjective: the recipients need God’s forgiveness and compassion, especially in the face of the challenges they face.

Peace: Objective: reconciliation with God. Subjective: the inner harmony and wholeness that comes from a right relationship with God, even in the midst of trials.

Love: Objective: God’s love extended to sinners. Subjective: brotherly love between Christians.

The request that these blessings be ‘multiplied’ expresses Jude’s desire for the recipients to experience these qualities in abundance.

Jude 3-11: Historical Judgments

Unmasking False Teachers in Jude 12-16: Key Metaphors Explained

Contending for the Faith: Lessons from Jude 17-25

READING ACTS 12:1-4, 20-23

‘And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.’ Acts 12:4

I have chosen this text for a ‘Thought for the Week’ because it is the only mention of Easter in the Bible (AV) and because the events of this chapter occur around Eastertime. King Herod Agrippa I was looking ahead to Easter, which was about a week away, and had plans for what he would do thereafter. He was ‘intending after Easter’.

Marcus Julius Agrippa I (King Herod Agrippa 1), born in 10 BCE, was one of four members of the Herodian dynasty mentioned in the New Testament. The others are:

His grandfather, Herod the Great, king of Judea, who reigned at the time of Jesus’ birth. In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 2 he orders the massacre of all male infants in Bethlehem in an attempt to kill the baby Jesus.
His uncle, Herod Antipas – He was one of Herod the Great’s sons, and ruled over Galilee and Perea during the time of Jesus’ ministry. He was the ruler who executed John the Baptist and who mocked Jesus at his trial.
His son, Marcus Julius Agrippa II (Herod Agrippa II), who ruled over parts of Judea and Galilee. He is called King Agrippa in the Book of Acts, which describes how he heard the apostle Paul’s defence against accusations of blasphemy.

See my posts: KING HEROD AGRIPPA II (part 1); KING HEROD AGRIPPA II (part 2); KING HEROD AGRIPPA II (part 3)

This man Herod Agrippa I in Acts 12, was the grandson of Herod the Great and ruled over Judea and Samaria. He was brought up and educated along with the imperial family in Rome and was a close personal friend of the emperors Gaius (Caligula) and Claudius who granted him wide areas of territory to rule on Rome’s behalf as a client king.

Herod Agrippa I was a successful politician who managed to balance dual identity as a Jew and a Roman. Whilst maintaining excellent relations with Rome he acted as a devout Jew while in Judaea. He observed the festivals, offered sacrifices at the temple, and donated generously to Jewish causes. He was generally popular and was particularly highly regarded by the Jewish religious leaders whose approval he cultivated, especially the Pharisees.

As Acts 12:3 mentions, he also persecuted the early church, hoping to please the Jews who vehemently opposed the Christians. He executed James, the brother of John, and arrested Peter, planning to kill him ‘after Easter’.

The Greek word translated ‘Easter’ in Acts 12:4 is pascha which occurs 29 times in the New Testament. In 28 of those occurrences it is rendered ‘passover’ – referring to the night when the Lord passed over Egypt and killed all the firstborn of Egypt (Ex. 12:12). The Authorized Version (King James), like the modern Bible Versions, uses the word ‘passover’ where this word pascha occurs; with the notable exception of Acts 12:4, where it translates it as ‘Easter.’

The AV translators took on board Luke’s comment at the end of verse 3: ‘Then were the days of unleavened bread’. This tells us that Peter was arrested during the Festival of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15-21). Since it always followed the Passover (Nisan 14th) the Passover that year had already come and gone. Herod could not possibly have had the Passover in mind as regards his plans for Peter. The next Passover was a year away! It seems likely that Herod had in mind an Ancient Near Eastern pagan spring festival (now called Easter) in honour of the goddess Astarte/ Ishtar which was celebrated around the same time as Passover and which was due to fall within a few days.

The end of Acts chapter 12 records that Herod Agrippa I died suddenly at Caesarea Maritima after the people hailed him as a god. ‘The angel of the Lord smote him’ (Acts 12:23) for accepting divine honours and he died in 44 CE at the age of fifty-four. His intentions were unfulfilled.

Many people make plans for the period after Easter, whether to travel, work, study or relax. Few, however, bear in mind that there may be unforeseen circumstances or changes that affect them. They might never be able to carry out their intentions. Herod was no doubt confident that he would execute Peter after Easter but things did not quite work out as he had planned. After Easter Herod was no longer alive.

This is a salutary lesson for those of us who have plans for the week ahead, and beyond. Our intentions, unlike those of Herod, might be legitimate and good. For some, however, carefully laid plans might not come to pass. Life is uncertain and time is short. Are there matters that we really ought to sort out before Easter? Is there someone we should speak to about spiritual matters? Is there unresolved friction with another family or church member? Is there sin that needs to be confessed to God and forsaken?

Most of us have plans for Easter and hope to see them through. Let us not forget, however, the sad case of King Herod Agrippa I – who was ‘intending after Easter’.

Tag: James

The Epistle Of Jude – Verses 1 and 2 – Introduction

‘INTENDING AFTER EASTER’