Jude the Obscure

So I wrote a group of posts on Jude last week--but I never got around to posting them. I think you can get them all in one place by clicking on the label at the bottom of the post. But of course by the strange rules of blogs, the first will be last and the last will be first.

Anyway, looking back a week later,I have a few more thoughts. One is that I need to remind you that I have no reason to expect anyone to listen to what I have to say, but it's been put on my heart so I'm saying it. Second is that I might be very wrong in what I said, and I am almost certainly a little bit wrong so feel free to say I don't know what I'm talking about.

Third is this:
When David wanted to atone for his sin after he took a census. He went to a man and said I want to buy your threshing floor to make a sacrifice. The man said it's yours, you're the king, take it and the wood and the oxen to make your sacrifice. And David said, no I will purchase it, for I will not offer a sacrifice to God that cost me nothing.

When Jesus spoke of the kingdom of heaven he likened it to a treasure in a field that a man found. When he found it he went and sold everything he had to buy the field.

Following Christ is something that carries a cost. It is a sacrifice that requires everything. When we sign on to fight with Christ, we enlist for a lifelong battle against the forces of evil in the world, both within ourselves and in the world. And the way to do that isn't to complain, or condemn, but to seek God, and reach out in grace and peace to those around us.

Jude takes the gloves off

The more I read the less I understand. Let's push on to the end.

The last thing Jude says about these men is that they are "grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage."

So when I read this I see a picture of myself. I can't tell you how many times I've sat around complaining about one thing or another. That's why I always get sucked into politics--there's always something to criticize. And I think sometimes that I look actively for ways to talk about how great I am. I feel like David confronted by Nathan--"You are the man!"

And I think that's part of the point--Jude wants to say, don't give up the fight. There is in this world a persistent conflict between the City of God and the City of Man. between the church and the world. Between the kingdom and the earth. We are engaged, we are emissaries, we are the lampstand. So don't give up. Seek God, enter the fire again to refine yourself further. You aren't there yet.

And then he closes with encouragement--there will be evil men, you will face scoffers and men will try to divide you. But build yourselves up in holy faith and pray. Watch out for each other--Be merciful to those in Doubt, snatch others from the fire...

I don't know

Hey Jude

I'm just going to keep going. I don't know if It'll ever make it to publication. But let me preface this with "I don't really know what I'm talking about. I'm just writing what I've been thinking about the last few days.

These men take the truth of God and twist it so that they can use it to heap abuse on others.

So here are some more things Jude says

6. They have taken the way of Cain:
I understand this to mean, holding the best of everything for myself, and offering God what is left over
7. they have rushed for profit into Baalam's error
That is using whatever spiritual gifts and authority I have to bring profit to myself.
8. They have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion
I think this means that they have grasped at spiritual authority that is not theirs, and attempted to speak for God what he has not spoken

Then there is a whole list of descriptions that I don't have the wisdom to decipher. shepherds that feed only themselves, clouds without rain blown along by the wind, autumn treas, without fruit and uprooted twice dead, wild waves of the sea, wandering stars

So as I look at the church leadership that I have witnessed, I see the public voice of the church particularly engaging in 7 and 8, leaders profiting off their positions and gifts and attempting to grasp at temporal power by claiming to speak for God. Consider two examples:

7. People who use the gift of music that God gave them to write worship songs and profit off them. If you want to sing most worship songs at a church service have to pay the person who wrote the song, and the company that collects the money, and the recording company. A similar thing can be said about books. If you write a book to help people grow spiritually, shouldn't you offer it free online?

8. People who "speak for God" and claim that they know what political party God is rooting for. Strangely pastors of large churches who get involved in politics seem to get invited to be the president's spiritual adviser, or to sit on committees or to pray at inaugural addresses or whatever.

When I read 6 I think of the face of Christianity in this country. The vast mass of wealth that walls itself off and does its best to keep the poor people out. That keeps 95 % of its wealth and almost all of its best time for itself. Who has time to go help poor people, or preach the Word in love-I've got a job to do.

I recognize the irony here. I am of course guilty of the very thing I railed against in my last post on the subject. I apologize. Let me be clear though--I think this is just as much an indictment of myself as anyone else.

Who reads Jude anyway

Not very many people. It's kind of wedged in with 2 and 3 John between the more popular 1 John and the more controversial Revelation. I mean, come on, its only 25 verses long. but I noticed today, that it has a pretty potent message-at least I think it does.

We are instructed to contend for the faith. To fight for truth and righteousness and to uphold the cause of Christ.

Part one is a description of a certain sort of person:

1. Who have slipped in among you--we're talking specifically about people in the church.
2. Who change the grace of God into a license for immorality.
3. and and deny Jesus Christ-our only sovereign and Lord.

Ok-so far so good. This should be easy. Just look for the dreamer who

4. pollute their own bodies, reject authority, and slander celestial beings

So far, I thought--I don't even know what you're talking about Jude. I mean--I don't know anyone who goes around saying, "celestial beings are sons of goats" So at about this point my eyes blink and I miss the rest of the book. Lots of people on the other hand pollute all sorts of things and reject God's authority.

Of course, that's when it gets interesting

5. these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand, and what things they do understand by instinct-like unreasoning animals-this is what destroys them

What if this is an indictment of much of the church today in the United States. I guess I've heard a fair amount of abusive language directed against all sorts of things by Christians. "What, you're a (you could really insert Republican or Democrat here)--well that's just not Christian." Or "you want to live in the city among the poor--well that's just trendy and exhibitionist." or "you live in the suburbs among the wealthy--well that's just selfish and uncaring." or "you think The Shack is better than Pilgrim's Progress--you clearly aren't studying the Word enough."

I don't know--It just seems to me like there's an awful lot of invective and vituperation (yes I know it's pretentious, but it's just a synonym of invective) out there. and a lot of it is coming from Christians. It seems like the church should be a place that people come to when they need love. A place that dispenses grace.

So It seems like Jude is saying "Hey guy's don't make it bad--take a sad world and make it better."

Grace takes what is evil and sinful and makes it whole in Christ. So maybe we have a responsibility to reveal the grace of Christ to the world. To reach out in love and peace rather than judgment and hatred. Look, the world is still going to reject Christ and his followers. But if we follow the example of Christ then we reverse the tide and respond to rejection with love. You know--turn the other cheek and all that other stuff.