The Book of Jude
by Dr. Frank J. Cuozzo

The Birth of This Servant:

Jude 1, says,

"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:"

The human author of this book is Jude. In Matthew 13:53-55 the Bible says,

"And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence. 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? Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?"

Jude is the same word for Judas and is a form of the name Judah, a very popular Hebrew name. Judah was one of the 12 sons of Jacob. It was from this tribe that our Savior came. He is called the "Lion of the tribe of Judah." There was a son named Jude or Judas in this family. He was born to Mary and Joseph after the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. Jude was the half brother of the Lord Jesus, having the same mother as Christ. He grew up in the same home. Again we see this in Mark 6:1-3,

"And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him."

As Jesus spoke, people identified Him with Mary and Joseph and their family members. But the people knew that there was something different about Jesus and they were right! Jesus’ earthly brothers are named here. Jesus had more than one sister. Verse three names on of Jesus’ brothers as Juda, the son of Mary and Joseph, the same Jude who grew up in the home of Jesus and who we believe was the human instrument that God used to pen this book.

Notice that Jude calls himself the "servant " of Jesus Christ. One could be a servant in New Testament times by being taken captive in battle or by being born into servant hood. The word used here has to do with being born a servant or a "bondslave". He does not say, "Jude, the servant of Jesus, " speaking of the humanity of Christ. He says, "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ (Messiah)," speaking of the God-man, the anointed one. This is the truth for every Christian. We are born into God’s family by faith in His Son. We are to serve our Lord. Have you been born into God’s family? Are you a servant of Jesus Christ?

The Bond of This Servant:

A bond slave or servant had a bond, or something that he was bound to do. That bond was very simple. The servant would always do the work of his master. Nothing would ever come before the master. Jude identifies his Master as the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this age of apostasy, we need to determine that our business in this world is not to see who can we master or what we can master but whom we are going to allow to master us. We need a master. I am glad that my Master in Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:18 says, "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence (first place)."

Is Jesus Christ truly the One and only in our lives? Does He have first place in your life? Or is someone or something getting your attention?

Jude says he is a bond slave of Jesus Christ, using the word for servant that means "born into servant hood." Can you imagine growing up in the same household and saying, "I am born His servant"? That is exactly what Jude said of the Lord Jesus Christ. His bond was that the Lord Jesus was always preeminent.

The Burden of This Servant:

What is our "burden" or our consuming passion as servants of the Lord Jesus? It should be to love Him and to serve Him from a heart of love. Who will do the work of the Lord? The servants of the Lord must do the work of the Lord!! We who are the saved and the redeemed must tell people how to be saved.

Psalm 107:2 says,

"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;"

We are the servants of Christ. We have been given this work to do. God has raised up Churches to do His work.

Revelation 1:1 says,

"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:"

Notice here that John uses the word "servants". We are also His bond slaves and we have awareness about the world that the world does not have about itself. We get this awareness from God. We know that there is a real heaven and a real hell. We who have heard the truth and know the truth must have a burden to get the truth out in this age of apostasy. It is what God has given us to do. The time is short, the need great and the laborers are so few.