In brief
Jude is one of the brothers of Jesus named by the people of Nazareth, along with James, Joses and Simon. During the ministry of Jesus, his brothers did not yet believe in him. Jude later introduces himself as a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, without relying on his family tie to the Lord. He wrote the Epistle of Jude, a short letter urging believers to contend for the faith delivered to the saints once for all, and ending with the certainty that God is able to keep his people from stumbling.
What does the name Jude, brother of Jesus mean?
Jude is the English form of the Greek name Ioudas, which corresponds to the Hebrew Yehudah (Judah). The name is usually linked to the idea of praise: when the patriarch Judah was born, his mother said she would praise the Lord (Genesis 29:35).
The world of Jude, brother of Jesus
Jude lived in the first century, in the world described by the Gospels and Acts. He grew up in Nazareth, in Galilee, in the family of Jesus, with Mary, with James, Joses and Simon, and with sisters whom the text does not name. The Gospels show that during the ministry of Jesus his brothers did not believe in him. After the resurrection, the book of Acts finds them praying with the disciples and with Mary in Jerusalem. Paul met James in that city, whom he calls the Lord’s brother, and elsewhere he mentions the brothers of the Lord among those who have the right to take a wife along with them. Jude belongs to this circle and introduces himself as the brother of James. His letter answers a precise danger: certain men have slipped into the congregations and turn grace into an excuse for indecency. Jude does not name his readers and gives no date. The letter is usually placed in the first century, without being more precise. The author knows the Old Testament well: he cites the wilderness, Sodom, Cain, Balaam and Korah to warn his readers, then urges them to stand firm.
The story of Jude, brother of Jesus
A brother of Jesus in Nazareth
Mark 6:1-6Jesus goes to his own country and begins to teach in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Those who hear him are astonished at his wisdom and his mighty works, but they know him too well: “Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon?” The World English Bible spells the name Judah, which is the same name as Jude. His sisters live among them as well. Jude appears here, without further detail, as a member of the family of Jesus. Jesus answers that a prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives and in his own house, and he marvels at their unbelief.
Brothers who did not believe
John 7:1-10The Feast of Booths is near. Jesus walks in Galilee, for he will not walk in Judea, where the Jews seek to kill him. His brothers tell him to go into Judea so that his disciples may see his works: “no one does anything in secret while he seeks to be known openly.” John adds a heavy remark: “even his brothers didn’t believe in him.” Jesus answers that his time has not yet come, while theirs is always ready. They go up to the feast, and then Jesus goes up too, not publicly, but as it were in secret. The text does not name Jude, but it describes the attitude of his brothers.
Praying with Mary in the upper room
Acts 1:12-14After the ascension of Jesus, the disciples return to Jerusalem and go up into the upper room where they are staying. Luke lists the eleven apostles, then writes that all these “with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” Those who doubted during his ministry are now among the believers. The text gives no account of their journey and names none of these brothers, so it is impossible to say which of them were present. But the change is plain: the family of Jesus now prays with the church.
A servant of Jesus Christ
Jude 1:1-2The letter opens with a very plain introduction: “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James.” The man who grew up in the house of Jesus does not claim a blood tie but a service. He writes to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ. These three words, called, sanctified and kept, describe a salvation that rests on the initiative of God. Jude wishes that mercy, peace and love be multiplied to them. The tone is pastoral before it is polemical.
Contending for the faith
Jude 1:3-4Jude explains why he changes his plan. He was very eager to write about “our common salvation,” but he feels bound to urge his readers to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” Faith here is not a personal opinion but a message received, complete, that must be guarded. The danger comes from inside, for “certain men” have “crept in secretly.” They turn the grace of our God into indecency and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Their fault is double: they excuse sin in the name of grace, and they refuse the authority of Jesus.
Examples drawn from Scripture
Jude 1:5-16To warn his readers, Jude reminds them of what they already know. The Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who didn’t believe. Angels who didn’t keep their first domain are kept for the judgment of the great day, and Sodom and Gomorrah are given as an example. He mentions the archangel Michael, who dared not bring an abusive condemnation against the devil but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” Then he names the way of Cain, the error of Balaam and the rebellion of Korah, and cites Enoch’s prophecy of judgment on the ungodly. Finally he describes these men with images: clouds without water, trees without fruit, wild waves of the sea.
Standing firm and rescuing others
Jude 1:17-23After these warnings, Jude changes his tone: “But you, beloved, remember the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He recalls that mockers would come in the last time, men who cause divisions. To stand firm, he gives three practices: keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, and keep yourselves in God’s love, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. He then calls for action toward others: have compassion on some, and save others by snatching them out of the fire with fear.
A closing word of praise
Jude 1:24-25The letter ends without a threat: the last word is praise. Jude writes of him who is “able to keep them from stumbling” and “to present you faultless before the presence of his glory in great joy,” and he ascribes “glory and majesty, dominion and power” to “God our Savior, who alone is wise.” The one who called his readers to contend for the faith ends by giving everything to God. Keeping is not the believer’s work alone: God keeps, from the beginning to the glory. The brother whom Nazareth took for a carpenter’s son is here confessed as Lord.
Jude, brother of Jesus's family
- mother
- Mary Mark 6:3
- brother
- Jesus Mark 6:3
- brother
- James Jude 1:1
- brother
- Joses (Joseph) Matthew 13:55
- brother
- Simon Mark 6:3
Test your knowledge
What Jude, brother of Jesus teaches us
- Being close to Jesus does not replace personal faith: his brothers first doubted him, yet God can transform an unbelieving heart.
- A true servant has no need to lean on family ties or titles: he presents himself as a servant of Jesus Christ.
- Defending the faith is a struggle God asks of every believer, for the truth of the gospel and against whatever turns grace into an excuse for sin.
- Building up your faith, praying in the Holy Spirit and remaining in the love of God form the best protection against going astray.
- The believer is not called to stand by his own strength alone: it is God who is able to keep him from stumbling.
Key verses
The evangelist observes that the brothers of Jesus did not believe in him. This verse reminds us that faith comes neither from family nor from closeness, but from a personal encounter with Christ.
Jude urges believers to contend for the faith delivered to the saints once for all. The message of the gospel is a trust received, which must be neither altered nor abandoned.
Jude gives a practical path: build yourselves up in your most holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit and keep yourselves in the love of God while waiting for the mercy of Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
The letter closes with praise to God alone, our Savior, who is able to keep his people from stumbling and to present them blameless and with great joy before his glory.
Bible verses to meditate on
Sermons about Jude, brother of Jesus
Frequently asked questions
Is Jude, the author of the epistle, the brother of Jesus?
The author introduces himself as Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James. Since Mark 6:3 names James and Jude among the brothers of Jesus, the author is generally identified with this Jude. However, he does not claim that family relationship in his letter.
What does the name Jude mean?
Jude is the English form of the Greek Ioudas, which corresponds to the Hebrew Yehudah, that is, Judah. The name is usually linked to praise: when she named her son Judah, Leah said she would praise the Lord (Genesis 29:35). The Bible gives no explanation specific to this Jude.
Where can I find the story of Jude in the Bible?
Jude is named as a brother of Jesus in Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3. The attitude of the brothers of Jesus is described in John 7:1-10. His message is found in the Epistle of Jude, which has a single chapter of 25 verses, just before Revelation.
When did the brothers of Jesus come to believe in him?
John 7:5 states that even his brothers didn’t believe in him, and Mark 6:3 shows them among the people of Nazareth who were astonished at him. But the book of Acts then places them in prayer with the disciples and with Mary, after the ascension (Acts 1:14). The text does not describe the exact moment of the change or how it happened. We can only affirm the result: relatives who did not believe became believers. That is an encouragement to those who pray for their families, because God can reach a heart that closeness had not opened.
Is Jude, the brother of Jesus, one of the twelve apostles?
The Bible does not say so. The eleven listed in Acts 1:13 include a Judas, son of James, but the author of the letter introduces himself as “a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,” not as an apostle. In verse 17 he even speaks of the apostles as others than himself: “remember the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Mark 6:3, for its part, lists Jude among the brothers of Jesus. It is better to keep the two figures distinct and not fill the silences of the text with identifications that Scripture does not make.
What is the link between Jude and James?
The author calls himself “brother of James” (Jude 1:1). Mark 6:3 names James and Judah among the brothers of Jesus, and Galatians 1:19 speaks of “James, the Lord’s brother,” whom Paul meets in Jerusalem. Later, Paul goes in to James, and all the elders are present (Acts 21:18). James is therefore well known and respected in the church, and Jude chooses to identify himself by reference to him rather than to Jesus. The Bible says nothing more about their ages, their shared life or how well they got along.
Why does Jude cite the archangel Michael and Enoch?
In verse 9, Jude recalls that the archangel Michael, when contending with the devil and arguing about the body of Moses, dared not bring an abusive condemnation, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” This sets him against those who speak evil of whatever things they don’t know. In verses 14 and 15, Jude cites a prophecy of Enoch, “the seventh from Adam,” about judgment on the ungodly. Jude does not say where he learned these details, and it is wiser to add nothing. What matters is the use he makes of them: to warn, and to remind readers that God’s judgment is certain.
What does it mean to “contend for the faith” according to Jude?
Verse 3 speaks of the faith “once for all delivered to the saints.” To contend does not mean to attack people: Jude recalls that even the archangel Michael dared not bring an abusive condemnation. It means guarding the content of the gospel against those who turn the grace of our God into indecency and deny Jesus Christ (v. 4). The means are given later: keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love (vv. 20-21), then have compassion and save others (vv. 22-23). The contest is therefore first of all faithfulness and love.
Was Jude married, or a missionary?
The Bible does not answer for Jude in particular. Paul asks in 1 Corinthians 9:5, “Have we no right to take along a wife who is a believer, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?” This sentence speaks of the brothers of the Lord in general and suggests that some of them were married and traveled in the service of the gospel. It does not name Jude and does not allow us to say what he did, where he lived or how his life ended. Any account that goes beyond these verses leaves the biblical text.