Why Can't You Be More Like Jesus?
An introduction to the letter of Jude
For two months during the summer of 2024, I studied the letter written by Jude. My hope and desire is to write a layman's commentary on Jude. I’ll post the articles here on Ministry at Zero Degrees.
What? How could it take anyone two months to study the letter of Jude? There are only twenty-five verses! As we embark on this journey, you too will be astonished at the profound truths in Jude.
I love many scholarly commentaries I’ve read over the years, but not all of us are called to be Doctors of Theology. I want to provide solid food for the common man or woman who wants to understand the Bible
Jude’s little letter may be the hidden gem Christians need more than ever.
Here are a few goals I’ve laid out.
I’ll attempt to limit the articles and any podcasts or videos to “bite-sized chunks.” There’s so much in Jude, that I could easily overwhelm us all.
I want to keep them simple, clear, and applicable.
I want every article to provide an actionable message. How can we apply the Word to our daily lives?
I want to make it interesting. I want to provide a few laughs or stories to get Christians meditating on the Word and how it applies to their own lives.
I want to cover the entire letter. It may take weeks, months, or maybe longer. Yes! There’s that much here in Jude!!!
Are We Ready?
Let’s get started.
You might want to pull out your Bible, in case you’re like me and like to write notes or underline passages in your Bible. It’s okay; writing in your Bible is not sacrilegious when it helps you know the Word better or helps you in your faith.
Pull out your Bible. Turn to the letter of Jude. Read the whole letter today a few times. I timed myself reading it aloud, and it took about 4 minutes. Your silent reading speed may be faster than your verbal reading. That means it might take only two or three minutes.
Last week, at the end of October, I taught an overview of Jude at one of our local churches. I began by asking several questions.
How many of you have read Jude? Thankfully, about two-thirds of those gathered had read it at least once.
How many of you have studied the letter of Jude? This time, out of the one hundred and twenty or so folks, only about a third raised their hands.
How many of you have ever been to a church service where the letter of Jude has been taught? For this last question, there were less than a dozen hands.
Jude is said to be among the least taught books of the Bible, yet it’s full of topics we as a nation and as the Church of Jesus Christ grapple with.
I began writing Ministry at Zero Degrees as a newsletter discussing Faith, Culture, and Society. Jude addressed each of these areas when the Church was still young. Most scholars believe it was written around 65 AD, meaning that Jude penned this letter about 30 years after the resurrection and the Church began on Pentecost.
Who is this Jude dude?
Jude 1:1-2
(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.
Jude’s letter tells us quite a bit about him. If we dig a little further into the Word, there are a few moments we could meditate on.
Jude tells us he’s the author, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James. James is the author of the Letter of James. In the gospel of Matthew, we find out a bit more.
Matthew 13:54-56 (KJV)
(54) And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?
(55) Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
(56) And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
Jude, or “Judas” is the brother of James. James and Jude are the half-brothers of Jesus. Can you imagine what it was like growing up in that family?
I was the youngest of three siblings. My brother and sister were more scholarly than I was. They were better at following instructions in school. Since they were better students they were better at test-taking too. They were better kids in school and in the family than I was.
I grew up hearing my teachers ask the all too common refrain, “Why can’t you be more like your brother or sister?” The easy answer is “Because I’m not either one of them”
They were better at being my parent’s children than I was. I was raised feeling more and more like the “black sheep” of the family as I got older.
I became a Christian in high school in 1979. The entire course of my life shifted, and before too many years had passed, I left the Catholic Church and became a part of that “tribe” known as Calvary Chapel. Now I was the black sheep in a Catholic flock of kids.
Mom always wanted me to return to the Catholic Church. She had been hopeful that my brother or I would become a priest. I came the closest, eventually becoming a Bible teacher, and then a pastor with Calvary Chapel.
Imagine what it was like for James, Joses, Simon, and Jude, and all of their sisters as well. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a preacher speak about the size of the family that Jesus grew up in. He had four brothers and at least two sisters. There were at least 7 kids that were raised by Mary and Joseph.
I wonder if Mary, Joseph, the Rabbi, or anyone else ever said to those siblings, “Why can’t you be more like Jesus?”
Think of all the things we’ve ever said or done to our parents as we grew up under their roof. Seems like every family has at least one kid who appears more obedient or compliant. One kid that’s nicer than the others.
Why Aren’t You More Like Jesus?
Has anyone missed the recent trend or been ignorant of the acronym WWJD, or What Would Jesus Do?
We’ve been adopted into the family of God through Jesus Christ. We are His sons and daughters by adoption.
John 1:11-13
(11) He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
(12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
(13) Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Jesus was probably known for serving his family (Matt 20:28) and those around him eventually will adopt that same attitude if they believe in Him for salvation.
I could be wrong. Every author in the New Testament calls themselves servants of Jesus Christ.
The Bible says Jesus came not to be ministered to, but to minister to others. His followers become more like him as they get to know him.
This morning (11/1/24), while listening to an interview between Charlie Kirk and Pastor Jack Hibbs, pastor Jack said a congregation becomes like their pastor. Jesus is the pastor of all pastors. The Chief Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. (1 Peter 5:4)
Jude begins his letter with, “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James”. James began his letter with, “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”. Paul and Timothy in the letter to the Philippians.
In the next article, we’ll delve into what a servant of Christ looks like. Just know this, as Christ came to serve, we can and should follow his example and choose to make ourselves his servants.
Let’s make ourselves more like Jesus Christ in our families, church, home fellowship, relationships, jobs, and society. What would Jesus do in those places and relationships? He’d probably serve, and look for opportunities to serve. It’s one of those marks of a mature believer in Christ.
Let’s go forth and serve the Lord and answer the question the world is asking, “Why can’t you be more like Jesus?”