I suppose there are certain times when a man needs many words to get his point across. Times when a brief explanation simply will not do. It may very well be that the true mark of manhood is how many words a man requires to be adequately understood by his listeners. Jesus has few recorded words, but all of them carry the weight of gravity. Paul gives believers a lifetime of content in significantly less space than Augustine or Aquinas. More often than not man should make brevity his guide. After all, if man is commanded to be brief in talking with God (Eccles. 5:2), how much more brevity should he exercise when talking with his fellow man?
It is the obvious facts that need no explanation, but in the modern age it is the obvious facts that are being described the most. Chesterton wrote, “Every high civilization decays by forgetting obvious things” (The Way of the Desert, The New Jerusalem). Things like the difference between a boy and a girl, or whether a baby, for centuries recognized as the most precious being on earth, should be slaughtered by her mother for being an inconvenience. The books, the discussions, the forums, the podcasts, the conferences, the think tanks, the speakers, and the politics are devoted to the exploration of these most basic and obvious facts. Anyone who has been a Christian for more than twenty-five seconds will not be surprised to learn that the world stays confused about obvious things. However, it should shock the man of God into immediate action when he hears someone in the pulpit who seems to think these issues have never been resolved by the word of God. This is precisely why the book of Jude should be studied by anyone calling himself a student of Scripture. Jude uses his words as a weapon; wielding them with absolute precision against the enemies of God. He fights the thankless fight that causes him to speak timeless truths the world does not want to hear. This proceeds from the fact that he intimately knew the truth, and thus, had been set free. The complete freedom with which he wrote means that his speech was not constructed to appease dissenters, for his speech had only one guide - the truth. The book of Jude, therefore, is as important today as it was in the first century. Jude fights for those within the church, those sheep, who are being led astray by those playing the part of shepherds; evil actors who feign innocence while conjuring hidden strategies to lead their flocks into pastures far away from home. The reader can take great courage in knowing Jude was already fighting the battles faced by the church today. And it is clear from the sheer fact that his letter has circulated for two millennia that this is a battle that can be won. Though much more could be said of the reasons to read the book of Jude, the best thing is to begin to dig into the verses themselves. Before following along with this commentary take the time to read the entire book of Jude. As when reading any passage of Scripture, an effective tactic is to read it twice. Read it the first time on a macro level, without stopping, taking it all in. The second reading should be done slowly, listening to every word intently, letting the Holy Spirit reveal anything to which you should pay extra attention. In these last days it is tempting to see the success of the enemy and be quick to despair, forgetting that beneath the dark clouds there remains a remnant the Good Shepherd will defend with all His might. For He “...is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory…” (Jude 24). The book of Jude reminds the reader that the blessing of mercy is both given - and received - by the child of God. And it does so in seventy-two fewer words than are found in this introduction.
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