Today’s Scripture Reading (March 8,
2015): Jude
There are
two discussion stoppers which I think should be removed from our speech. The
first is to tell someone how much education that we have. First of all, if you
have to tell me how much education you have, I sincerely doubt that the
education has done you much good. The most educated people in my circle of
influence have never told me how educated they are. Often it is by mere
accident that I find out how and where they were educated. But their behavior
and thought process often hints well to the level of education that they have
attained. But, to be honest, I am little jaded. I had an undergrad professor
who was known for parading his education around to anyone unfortunate enough to
listen to him (and he passed away a few years ago.) He was educated in the best
schools and had obtained some of the highest grades. Except that it wasn’t
really true. He had attended some of the best schools, but had never graduated –
an embarrassing little point that was found out when someone actually took the
time to check on his education references. I would question my own education
having been taught by him, except that I failed the only course I had taken
with him. (Maybe now I can blame my failure on him. No, it is still my fault.)
The second
discussion stopper that needs to be erased, especially from Christian language,
is “God told me.” The problem with both of these statements is that they stop
the conversation. I mean, what is the appropriate reply to either of these
statements. I have to admit, I have tried “well, evidently God forgot to tell
me” but that didn’t work out too well. There really is no reply to either one
of these statements that is not insulting. And therein lies the problem. The
discussion stops and the opportunity to learn is extinguished. I have often
learned from people who have had less education than I have, and I believe that
I have also taught people who possess more education than what I have been able
to attain. But the only way that that happens is if we are willing to have open
and honest dialogue with each other – not try to use our education like a
sledgehammer to get our own way.
I do believe
that God has spoken to me. But the proof of that is often in that someone else in
my community (and usually several someone elses) have received the same message
from God. We come together and we affirm together the direction in which God is
leading us. But, again, it is only through open conversation that this direction
can be discerned.
What follows
next is really a lot of my personal opinion, but I have always found it interesting
how Jude decides to introduce himself in this letter. He is the brother of
James, most likely referring to James the Just who was the leader of the Church
in Jerusalem at the time that this letter was written – and that, in and of
itself, is a powerful connection. But He could have said more. Many people,
generally Roman Catholics, believe that Jude was also one of the twelve
disciples, possibly Thaddeaus although there is also a local tradition within
Syria that Jude was Thomas – sometimes referred to as Judas Thomas. If that is
true, Jude remains silent on the connection.
But there is
an even more important connection that Jude omits in his opening. Jude was the
half-brother of Jesus. The idea that he might be the disciple Thomas, at least
partially, based on the idea that Thomas and Didymus, another name used for the
Apostle Thomas, both mean twin. The thought is that this affectionate name
implies that he was the brother of someone else in the apostolic group – and if
it was this Jude, then his brother is none other than Jesus himself.
But that is
not the authority that Jude claims for himself. I think that is because to
claim that you are the half-brother of Jesus and another son of Mary is a
discussion stopper, which is not the intention that Jude has for his short
little letter. So Jude simply introduces himself as the brother of James,
knowing that his readers will make the other connection anyway. And what Jude
wants is to be part of the important discussion in the early church, and not to
dogmatically form or change the church. The church did not belong Jude, it
belonged to Jesus, and Jude was humbly content to be the servant of his oldest
step-brother – and the brother of James.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 John
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