Perception

Jude

My business life was in sales, and my career path began very early, my first sales job was on my mother, getting her to let Tommy and I play in the farmer’s field that was across from the circle, where we lived on Liberty drive.  My next sales pitch, after Tommy moved, was to convince Mom I needed to go play ball with the kids at the big park down the street.  At about nine years of age I got my first real sales job, that paid real money; I was a door-to-door salesman with fresh hot donuts and I made a nickel for each dozen.

After Jan and I married, I worked at the job from hell in the oil patch, I was blessed to be fired and went to work for a company called 3M.  I had no understanding of who they were or what they did, but I sold copy machines.  After a few years of selling the worst copy machines ever made, I learned this concept, “perception” is not always true, but what matters is what you believe about a person or a thing.  So the question is, when reading the Scriptures what is your “perception”?

In the letter of Jude, the first two verses are a greeting, and in that greeting we see Jude’s perception of himself.  It begins in this manner; “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.”  (Jude 1:1-2 ESV)  Jude, a servant; was being a servant something to brag about in the time of Jude’s letter, sometime between 65-80 A.D.?

This is what we know about Jude also called Judas, but not Judas Iscariot, he was a brother to James and therefore another half-brother of Jesus.  Look with me at Matthew 13:53-55, “And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?”  This we know about the brothers of Jesus, at first, they did not believe in Him.  You will find this in John’s gospel chapter 7:5, “For not even his brothers believed in him.”  But after the resurrection they became His followers, found in Acts 1:14, “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.”  So Jude’s perception of his early unbelief may have made him not feel worthy to sign his letter, a brother of Jesus.  So he signs it as a brother of James, whom is believed to be Jesus’ half-brother, and as a servant of Jesus.

So what was the role of a servant in Jesus’ time?  Luke’s gospel gives us a great understanding in chapter 22:24-27, “A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors.  But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.”

A servant did not sit at his master’s table; the servant’s role was to watch and wait and to anticipate each and every need of his master.  The master did not thank the servant for doing what was expected of him, but did handout punishment to those who were unfaithful.  What wonderful words came out of Jesus’ mouth when He stated; “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:14-15.) 

So what is your perception of your role as a follower of Christ?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice