Jude 20-23
The short letter of Jude in the New Testament, a letter of 25 verses, was written by an unknown apostle who calls himself Jude. Some think the author might have been Judas, the brother of Jesus. It was addressed to one or more congregations scattered around the Roman Empire. Their challenge was to stand strong against heresies and distortions of faith that were prevalent. These false teachers were apparently trying to convince believers that being saved by grace gave them license to sin, since their sins would no longer be held against them!
To these people of God, Jude writes, “…Build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” These are precious words of advice for all of us. Don’t be swayed by those who devalue the Gospel. Then, to top it all off, Jude writes, “And have mercy on some who are wavering; save others by snatching them out of the fire…” Can we live that way? It is a call to be strong in our own faith and to continually stretch out a hand to help those who are struggling or being tempted to go off course.
As I was reading this letter from Jude, I began to hum, “Hey Jude” a song written over 50 years ago by the Beatles. Though the Beatles song, “Hey Jude” is not connected in any way to this New Testament letter, it does have a touchpoint in one way. The song was written for John Lennon’s then-five-year-old son, Julian. It was intended to comfort Julian after John left both Julian and his mother, Cynthia, for another woman. McCartney commented that he wrote the song to tell Julian that though his parents were getting divorced, and though the whole thing was making him sad, he would be okay. It was McCartney’s way of reaching out his hand to help Julian move on and to know there were those who cared.
Prayer: Thank you, God, for people like Jude who can remind us to stand firm amid falsehoods and trouble. Help me be a helper to others who are wavering. Amen