A Servant of Jesus Christ

Jesus’ brothers press him to go up to the feast and show what he can do. They hoped he would make a name for himself where the crowds gathered for the Feast of Tabernacles, yet Jesus gave signs not for his own reputation but as the Messiah. Jude was one of those brothers, and only after he had witnessed the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was he convinced that his elder brother was the Christ.

That even his own brothers did not believe at first shows that preaching the gospel does not make people believe straight away. Only after the Samaritan woman had truly met Jesus did she run to tell others; the townspeople came because of what she said, but in the end they heard him with their own ears and came to faith for themselves. The one who shares the gospel is not answerable for the outcome; it is the hearer who weighs it and decides.

Jude writes his letter introducing himself as a servant of Jesus Christ. Christians are not to blend in with the world but must keep their white robes holy, and if they are not seen living by the word they proclaim, even Christ is held up to ridicule. Since God first welcomed us, we must live in a way worthy of that love, holding fast to our faith to the end.