So who was Jude writing to?
In my previous blog, we looked at the writer Jude. Today let’s look at who he’s writing to.
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,
To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:
Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. Jude 1:1-2
Jude’s writing to all the new believers, the followers of the Way. He’s not writing to persuade his readers to follow Christ. His letter is not evangelistic in that way. This letter’s based on the assumption that the readers are already rooted in the teaching and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It’s about what to look out for along that way. As we’ll discover, it’s tough stuff – words that all believers need to hear but probably don’t want to.
During this five and a half year journey through the Bible that I have undertaken, I’ve not written with a particular audience in mind. How can I when what I write is dictated by what I read in the book of the month? Some months will cover books of the Bible that are appropriate for those who do not yet acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God; others work well for new Christians; others are a great big challenge for those of us who’ve been following this path for a good while now. Different parts of the Bible and different books of the Bible are significant to us for various reasons at different points in our lives. That’s the beauty of this incredible library of books: there’s something for everyone.
When Jude addresses this letter to those who have been called, I don’t see that as an exclusive set of people. I believe that God is calling all of us all of the time. He does not differentiate by gender, age, race, ability…any of the things that we are often guilty of differentiating others by. He yearns for all living beings to be reconciled to Him, that’s what I read over and over and over again in this collection of books. In the same way, all are loved by God. Loved unconditionally. God so loved the world…
The difference is in the response. He’s addressing this letter to those who have heard the call, acknowledged that it is for them and decided to follow Jesus. Think of it as the call to the fishermen at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry – maybe we only hear about the ones who decided to leave everything behind and follow Jesus. What if there were others who simply were not prepared to take that risk?
Which comes first? Responding to the call or accepting that I am loved by God? I personally think we need to start with God’s love in this world where so many feel unloved and unlovable. Understanding how God feels about every single person He has created is the motivation needed to risk walking away from the known into the unknown and following Jesus wherever he may lead. It all comes down to trust in the end – trust that God wants the best for us because He loves us and trust that Jesus is there for us every step of the way, guiding and encouraging and keeping us on the right path.
Mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance. This greeting from Jude to his readers is typical of a greeting at the opening of a letter of the time. It’s similar to the greeting in 2 Peter where we unpacked abundance in more depth.
I love it. It’s a wish not just for mercy, peace and love but for more and more of them. It’s a wish I share for each one of my readers. These are the most important things in life, the most universally significant, the things we should be working to embody more than any other aspirations we may have. To be forgiving and accepting of others; to be people of peace; to demonstrate love in action in all that we do: this is our calling. This is our journey. This is our path.
