Jude 1:1-2 - Homilies By T. Croskery

Authorship and salutation.

This brief Epistle is remarkable for its triple order of ideas, carried through to the very end. The first instance occurs in the account the author gives of himself—"Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James."

I. AUTHORSHIP .

1 . Who was Jude? There are two persons of the name represented as relatives of James. There is Jude the apostle, brother or son of James the martyr ( Luke 6:16 ; Acts 1:13 ), who is also called Lebbaeus; and there is this Jude, the brother of James—that is James the Just, the brother of the Lord ( Galatians 1:19 ), president of the council at Jerusalem ( Acts 15:13 ). The author of this Epistle was, therefore, a younger brother of our Lord and a younger son of Joseph and Mary. He was not an apostle, else he would probably have called himself so. He did not believe in our Lord during his ministry ( John 7:5 ), but became a convert after the Resurrection ( Acts 1:14 ).

2 . His official position. He was "a servant of Jesus Christ," not merely in the larger sense in which all saints are so, but in the special sense of his official relation to the Church as an evangelist.

(a) to him alone ( Matthew 6:24 );

(b) and to be a diligent, cheerful, and constant service.

3 . His relationship to James. Jude mentions this fact:

(a) He may have been led by religious feeling, like James himself in his Epistle, to omit all reference to this matter.

(b) The ascension of Christ had altered the character of this earthly relationship.

(c) Such a course would have been inconsistent with the spirit and teaching of our Lord himself, who taught that those who did his will were more nearly allied to him than earthly kin ( Luke 11:27 , Luke 11:28 ).

II. THE PERSONS TO WHOM THE EPISTLE WAS ADDRESSED . "To them that are called, beloved in God the Father, and preserved for Jesus Christ." Here, again, we have a triple order of ideas. He addresses true saints of God.

1 . They were called. This is the familiar Pauline description of the saints. They are called

2 . They were beloved in God the Father. This is a unique expression in the New Testament. The tense of the participle implies the love as a continuously existing fact. The Father is the Source of all love-experiences, the sphere in which love is displayed; for God is love.

3 . They were preserved for Jesus Christ.

(a) from the curse of the Law ( Galatians 3:13 );

(b) from the evil of the world ( John 17:15 );

(c) from falling (verse 24);

(d) from the touch of the evil one ( 1 John 5:18 ).

III. THE SALUTATION . "Mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied." Another triplet.

1 . M ercy is from the Father. It is his distinguishing attribute. "His mercy endureth for ever." There is forgiving mercy, providing mercy, restrain-inn mercy, restoring mercy, crowning mercy. He has "bowels of mercy." He "delights to show mercy."

2 . Peace is through the Son.

3 . Love is from the Holy Ghost. He sheds it abroad in the heart ( Romans 5:5 ). There is "a love of the Spirit" ( Romans 15:30 ). The Christian has experience of love objective and subjective.

4 . Jude prays that these graces may be multiplied.