Father, Sons & Brothers – a more Personal love

We have begun this series about God’s love for us and see a MOST PERSONAL love between Jesus the Son and the Father God! Here we will glance at the personal love of Jesus’ brother Jude, a personal love of brothers, of sisters — family connections we do not choose. Yet as saints chosen by God in Christ, Jesus’ brothers grow in the Father’s love and nurture the faith of His church family.

Remembering my Brother

A few years ago one of my brothers died. Pictured here is the lake he loved near our childhood home. My sister and youngest brother also shared in many moments of life, some with our departed brother near this beautiful place on earth.

I give thanks to God that my mother and father raised a family which included my younger sister and two younger brothers. And like yours and the siblings of every family, we did not choose this relationship; never-the-less God made me their brother.

Brothers of Jesus

Imagine what life must have been like for James and Jude, the brothers of Jesus. Their brother Jesus was crucified on a Roman cross far from the Sea of Galilee near home. And He died beyond the gates of Jerusalem as they celebrated a feast of the Passover with the blood of lambs.

The Lord’s own brothers had not been disciples of the Messiah Jesus. But then, Jesus rose from the tomb!

Now, for a few weeks after His resurrection they could expect something new and different. What must it have been like for James and Jude to again walk with their brother Jesus after His resurrection near Jerusalem.

Can you imagine your risen brother walking with you in the hills overlooking Lake Galilee?

Years later their memories of Jesus would return to His glorious ascension into heaven.

After Jesus’ other return to Heaven

Along with the Eleven, Jesus’ brothers James and Jude had discovered to their belated joy that Jesus IS the risen Messiah and had also personally witnessed in awe their brother ascending into the clouds!

The Lord’s brothers both encouraged the church from this time until their own deaths years later. I have written series from each of their letters previously.

Jesus’ brother James was later martyred, even as most Apostles had died for their faith in the Messiah Jesus. James had led the church in Jerusalem for some 30 years until he was killed around A.D. 62.

Letters to a First Century Church

The first century Church grew rapidly and the Good News of Jesus Christ is now shared by believers in much of Asia.

The Lord’s other brother Judas, who now preferred to be known as Jude, also wrote a brief letter to fellow Jewish believers in Jesus (Yeshua). Like any letter Jude sent it to the saints by messenger sometime around A.D. 65-80, decades after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension.

‘Christians,’ as the Jews and pagens denounced them at every opportunity, continued to see the world’s hatred for them increase. In fact, the world seems to decay into hatred’s destruction of fires and wars of the Roman Empire in Jerusalem, Asia, Egypt and even Rome itself.

Faithful followers of Christ Jesus refuse to conform to worldly standards and consequently suffer in an environment of sociatal sin.

Jesus’ biological brothers, the same ones who once urged the Lord to refrain from such radical teaching now write to the saints of many churches — Christians who now also suffer for His Name.

What Jesus said about his brothers

One time when Jude, James and Mary went to see Jesus among the crowds the Lord had claimed only those who followed Him as family.

“Who is My mother, and who are My brothers ^G80?”

And extending His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold: My mother and My brothers ^G80!

Matthew 12:48b-49 NASB20 – Strongs G80 – adelphos

Now in the many years after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension Jude humbly claims Jesus as His bond-servant. Jude does not take advantage of his biological connection to this first Son of Man, also a son of Mary.

The Letter of Jude

It's very short. (Read it above on a secure link.)
OR
Read & Comment on my previous 3-part series on Jude (linked below).

Jude greets faithful saints:

Hear a tenderness of Jude’s greeting to the church, the very same personal love Jesus exemplified throughout His thirty mortal years:

Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,

To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:

May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

---

Oh mercy, how by grace we all need it.

Peace – εἰρήνη, that is: eirēnē, Christians know best from benedictions at closings of church gatherings and departure from each another.

“Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.

John 14:27 NASB20 – Jesus’ encouragement to the Disciples prior to His crucifixion

And ‘love‘ of which we have just spoken.

God’s Personal Love -2 His Love of the Church

agapē love (as Jude uses in his greeting)

‘āhaḇ in Hebrew [i.e. thou shalt love ^H157 thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.] – אָהַב

AND also phileō love defined for the church — That’s right, same as a city church to which the Apostle John will write — Φιλαδέλφεια.

Known for its “brotherly love,” philadelphos – philos or ‘friend’ and ἀδελφός adelphos – literally ‘a brother from the womb.’

Jude, a brother of Jesus who had not believed his brother IS the Messiah, now urges the Church through a letter to keep to their true faith.

Christians: Called, Beloved and Kept

Jude.. To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:

Called, because the Lord chose you to receive His grace
Beloved, because God loves those who accept His immeasurable love &
Kept, for eternal life and the glory of Christ's holiness.

Christians to whom Jude now writes may hear his message as Good News. It is the same Gospel James and Jude had heard before straight from their very own brother, Jesus.

Yet like Jesus’ brothers before, not all will receive the Gospel written for the saints to whom Jude writes.

Then and now some so-called ‘christians’ gather in the guise of worship without mention of Jesus our Lord and only Savior. And some pulpits bring rise to power as well as false teachers (just like now), Jude’s central concern for the church.

How do we know who to believe?

Jude now humbly preaches Christ crucified and risen in the flesh as he has witnessed personally in the Person of his own brother Jesus. He addresses his letter and his preaching to those attentive to the Spirit with ears to hear.

Who are the true saints and followers of Jesus Christ? They are those whom Jude exhorts to faith.

Christians who receive this word of Scripture are: Called – invited by God or divinely selected ; Beloved – agapaō (You recognize this love from our previous post) and Kept for Jesus Christ.

Jude 1:3 NASB –

Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all time handed down to the saints.

Jude has just written to the Church greeting Christians who are ‘called,’

(‘I know that,’ you will witness and claim your calling.)

..beloved (Not only important to us as Christians, but what attracts others to Jesus)

and kept (A rather quaint concept. What does Jude mean in calling us kept?) .

Kept in Christ’s Holiness

Let’s define this refining of faith that keeps Christians in Christ as exhortation. It’s a sort of ‘religious word’ which points to the loving fatherly discipline of the ‘One who will come again.’

• I urge you to consider our relationship of being ‘kept’ by Christ Jesus.
  • Can you answer this:
• Who keeps Christians ‘in Christ?’

In our NEXT message of this series on GOD’S PERSONAL LOVE, we will look to the Lord’s exhortations for seven churches.

Jesus’ message sent by revelation to John is specific exhortation for the ‘saints’ of His ‘Church.’

And just as the Lord’s brother Jude exhorts the church in his letter, Jesus will warn followers of the Lord — servants who claim Christ — that we must respond to Him who is to come.

Exhortation

παρακαλέω – parakaleō

1. to call to one’s side, call for, summon
2. to address, speak to, (call to, call upon), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc.

Suppose that your church received a letter from one of the Lord’s brothers AND that Jesus also sent an appeal for the faith of scripture.

How would you respond?

Will you comment below, beloved brother or sister in Christ?

To be continued, God-willing...