What Jesus' Brother Jude Wanted Us To Know | Verse 12, Part 1 | Hidden Reefs
“These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves.” | Jude 12
The “these” of Jude’s epistle are the false teachers that continue to be the object of Jude’s denunciation and warning. Having just identified three individuals in the Old Testament—Cain, Balaam and Korah—who epitomized all subsequent false teachers in history, Jude warns the readers that these types of men will not only be dangerous in the pulpit, but in how they live and move and have their being in the church; how they mingle and gather; how they interact and fellowship.
One such place that the Church would gather for an intimate time of fellowship would be the “love feast.” Nowadays, the Church refers to this as the Communion, but in the early church this celebration of the Lord’s death and resurrection was more than briefly consuming a miniscule cracker and half an ounce of juice—they gathered for a whole meal. They had real, baked bread and real wine. The modern version of this is not insufficient as the point is in what it is symbolic of—Christ’s body and blood. However, for the early church the love feasts certainly offered more opportunity for close fellowship outside of the normal context of formal, biblical education.
This meal, like Communion is to be today, was for Christians only. Those seated around this table were the true brothers and sisters in Christ. They could let their guard down as they were now in an environment that was based on the unity of the gospel of Christ. They were not at home partaking in a regular meal where half of the family believed in Christ and half did not. This refreshing meal was where true, deep relationships were grown because of the fact that everyone there was a part of the kingdom of God—or were they?
Because of the nature of the love feasts, false teachers knew it was the best place to gain credibility. It was the full immersion experience. Indeed, it would have been unheard of to be a part of the church and not attend these meals, but regardless of the expectation, false teachers love these opportunities. It provides yet another point of affirmation for their supposed spiritual credibility. There is a hidden agenda with false teachers and it is always some form of exploitation; it is always a form of selfishness; it is always driven by an appetite for sin.
We have seen in previous posts that Jude is reemphasizing much of what the Apostle Peter had said in 2 Peter 2. This point is no exception. Peter said, “They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you” (vs. 13).
The terminology that both Peter and Jude use is very similar. Peter identifies these men as being the spots; the blemishes. The Greek word for “blots” is spilos, which is a “fault” or “moral blemish.” The only other time it is used in Scripture is when the Apostle Paul says that Christ is going to present the Church to Himself “in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Eph 5:27).
In other words, these false teachers are the very blemishes that Christ will remove “by the washing of water with the word” in order to purify the Church. These personalities are a part of all that is ungodly and unholy and unwelcome in God’s economy.
The other Greek word that Peter uses for blemishes is momos, which means “disgrace” or “insult.” It is the only time it is used in Scripture.
Jude, however, uses the word spilas, which is very similar to Peter’s use of spilos. A spilas is a rock or reef in the sea and is used metaphorically to speak of immoral men who morally wreck others by their conduct. This is the only time in Scripture we see its use.
There are other times in Scripture, however, where these metaphors are used. The Apostle Paul charged Timothy to “keep the commandment unstained” (1 Tim 5:14) (emphasis mine). He told him to charge others “not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith” (1:3–4), going on to say that “by rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith” (vs. 19) (emphasis mine). This demise is exactly what Jude is trying to protect his readers from.
The reality of the situation is, Jude explains, that these men are not merely content to be accepted. They intend to wreck the faith of the saints. They intend to persuade those in the Church to believe false doctrines—that is, things that are not true. They are not passive; they are bold; they have no fear.
“These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves.”
Friends, at the risk of sounding redundant I urge you to consider Jude’s warning today: false teachers still exist. Twenty centuries later we are still inundated with men and women who claim to receive revelations from God, rebuke demons, or heal diseases. We continue to be barraged by those in religious circles who say that homosexuality is not actually a sin, or that abortion is not actually a sin. Time and time again we are told that God’s greatest concern is that you live an empowered life with no anxiety; that you live your best life now.
We must mark and reject these men and women. To court their friendship is to be at enmity with God and to throw his words of caution and protection to the wind—as if off the stern of our spiritual ship.
We all know where that will lead.
In Christ Alone,
