Stay Humble
Have you ever met somebody who just says it like it is—called a spade, a spade—even if it's a bit of a shock to the listener?
I think Jesus’ brother Jude was such a person because he wrote one of the shortest books in the Bible, the book of Jude in the New Testament. It's quite a hard read because he just says it like it is! But I'm kind of glad he does because there's a lot of truth in what he says. It was obviously relevant then and it's just as relevant now.
So go and read the book of Jude if you have 5 minutes, and let's see what God teaches us as we go through it.
Jude’s Humble Introduction
I think the first thing that Jude teaches these people in this letter is to stay humble. He doesn't say it in so many words, but he reveals his own modesty and humility in the first sentence of his letter. He introduces himself like this: "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James."
Now Jude and James were Jesus’ half-brothers. Their mother was Mary. Jesus’ father was the Holy Spirit, whereas the father of James and Jude would have been Joseph. So they were half-brothers, and yet Jude doesn't seem to be boastful about this.
I remember when I was in high school. I moved from school to school for a little while. I spent Grade 8 at CBC, and then in Grade 9 I went to King Edward School in Joburg. I joined the tennis team when I was there in 2005, and Roger Federer was the untouchable number 1 tennis player in the world at the time.
One day I was walking back to the car after tennis practice, and an older school kid came up to me and started chatting. He said, “Who's your favourite tennis player?” I said, “Roger Federer,” and he kind of smirked and said, “I'm Roger Federer's cousin.” Man, he was so proud of it! Federer's mom is South African—from Kempton Park, actually—so it could have been true. But I'll never forget that moment. He was so chuffed with himself for being related to the best tennis player in the world.
Now Jude could have started his letter saying, “I am the brother of Jesus Christ!” He could have been arrogant and proud and used his family connections to boost his authority. But he didn't. He mentioned that he's the brother of James. The whole church in those days would have known James very well. But as for Jesus, he called himself a servant of Jesus. That modesty is something you and I can learn from.
A Changed Heart
By all accounts, Jude didn't always believe in Jesus as the Saviour. In fact, there was that moment in Jesus’ life when He was busy teaching and His family arrives to speak to Him. People say to Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are outside. They want to talk to You.” And Jesus says, “Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?” And He points to the disciples, saying, “Here are My mother and brothers. Whoever does the will of My Father in Heaven is My brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:48–50).
Jude must have been hurt. Jude, by all accounts, wasn't there to see Jesus die on the cross. When He was dying, Jesus looked down and he had to ask John to look after His mother because His brothers were nowhere to be found.
But in the end, Jude came to believe—he must have—because here he is, writing to the church saying, “I’m a servant of Jesus Christ.”
Are we humble, friends? Are we modest? Does our faith make us humble? Or do we exalt ourselves because of our connection to Jesus?
Saint Augustine once said, “It was pride that changed angels into devils. It’s humility that makes people into angels.”
Stay humble, because even Jude, the brother of Jesus, did.
