Let’s Break Down Some Misconceptions about the Book of Jude

After Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary went on to have several children together. Some of these children are named, and came to see their half-brother as a great teacher and the Messiah. Two of these brothers went on to write two books of the Bible – James and Jude. Both men identified themselves as “a bondservant of Christ.” James was most likely written first, and Jude later, but before the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D.

Some scholars, particularly those who seek to discredit the Bible, try to argue that Jude could not have been the author of the letter because, if he was the brother of Jesus and James, his family would have been poor and illiterate. This argument contains several false assumptions in it. In the past, many people assumed that only 20% of the population of Galilee would have been literate. More contemporary studies show that possibly up to 50% of the region may have been able to read and write, so being of the lower classes in that part of Israel does not mean a citizen of that region could not read as a de facto assumption.

It is also possible that even if Jude could not write, that he could not have dictated the letter to someone who could. Even Paul, who could read and write in multiple languages, did dictate several of his letters to a secretary, who wrote down his words.

The most Biblically-based assumption is that Jude, the brother of Jesus and James, is the author of this epistle.

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Jude came out directly at the start of his epistle – the letter – and stated why he was writing to the believers.

“Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all time handed down to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into indecent behavior and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:3-4).

Even in the early days of the church, false teachers began to preach incorrect doctrine, make untrue claims about Jesus, or try to add works to salvation. This letter was for those in the church, a warning about signs of false teachers.

What Is the Message of Jude?

For Jude, it was important that people understand that false teachers would come and try to spread their lies among believers. He acknowledged at the beginning of the letter that while he intended to write about salvation, he felt compelled “to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all time handed down to the saints” (Jude 1: 3b).

He did not want them to be deceived into believing lies, or to give up defending the truth as persecution came. At the same time, he encourages them not to focus too much on arguing needlessly with those who have aligned themselves with falsehood and deceit. They are described as shepherds who do not care for the sheep, churning waves, deceitful, grumblers, flatterers, and wandering stars. They can be members of the church who cause chaos and division, men who set themselves up as teachers without the Spirit, or unbelievers who position themselves to attack the church. Rather than doing for God and for other brothers, they seek to serve themselves.

Instead of constantly fighting with these people or letting them get under the skin of the believers, Jude encourages his readers to leave them to their fate, but not to pronounce judgment. Christians should pursue sanctification, lift one another up, and pursue the Great Commission. “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh” (Jude 1:20-23). God will have the final say over the righteous and the unrighteous, so live according to His purposes.

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One of the more challenging aspects of the Book of Jude is its referral to a story about Satan and the angel Michael about the body of Moses, and a reference to something in the life of Enoch. Neither of these accounts are mentioned in the canonical Old Testament.

These two moments are:

“But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him an abusive judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’” (Jude 1:9).

“It was also about these people that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord has come with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him’” (Jude 1:14-15).

When reading these passages, some believe it means these apocryphal stories are actually divinely inspired, and the Bible is incomplete because they are not present. Others claim it invalidates the entire Bible, as it shows the books were put together arbitrarily.

However, neither of these interpretations take context into account. As a Jew writing in the period of the early Roman empire, Jude would have had the Scriptures – which today is compiled as the Old Testament – as well as folk stories and moral narratives that developed over the centuries as a part of the culture.

The account of Michael and Satan fighting over the body of Moses was a moral narrative. In America, there is a folk story about Founding Father George Washington cutting down a cherry tree as a child, and the point of the story is to not lie. It is generally accepted that this story is not true, but serves the purpose of teaching American children to be honest, even if they have done something wrong. Whether or not this encounter happened between these two spiritual beings is not the point. Rather, the reader should take away the idea that only God can pronounce judgment on others; if even Michael would not condemn Satan, then those redeemed in Christ should not point to others and pronounce judgment for their moral failings.

The same goes for the anecdote about Enoch. Through the millennia, legends arose about some of the great men of Scriptures. Whether or not Enoch actually made the prophecy recorded in Jude is not the point of recounting the story. Instead, Jude is citing this cultural icon as a reminder that even in the early years before the flood, men knew there would be a day of judgment to come. The pronouncement itself also does not contradict anything in Scripture, which many of the apocrypha do.

The presence of a reference to Enoch and the exchange about Moses do not validate the apocrypha. It is akin to someone referencing one of Aesop’s fables, the Epic of Gilgamesh, or some other cultural or folk hero. In his sermon on Mars Hill, Paul cited Greek philosophers, but it does not mean those Greek thinkers were believers, or that their teachings are Scripture.

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This short letter has a powerful message that, in many ways, is more relevant today than it was when it was written. The further time marches away from the Resurrection and toward the Return of Jesus and the End of Days, the more of these wandering stars who seek personal power through the church, or seek to cause division through grumbling and false doctrine, appear. It becomes harder for Christians to find fellowship with one another. Jude’s message to leave the grumblers and deceivers in the hands of the great Judge, and to focus on growing in love and purity is important. For those whose hope is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, they will be guided by the Spirit, sealed for the day of judgment, and have assurance of salvation.

“Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 1:24-25).

Sources

Moo, Douglas. 2 Peter, Jude The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011.

Walvoord, John F. and Roy B. Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Old Testament and New Testament. United States of America: Victor Books, 1987.

Wilmington, H.L. Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1981.

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