Jose Saramago, one the most important writers in the last 100 years said, “Not everything is as it seems and not everything that seems is.”
One place this is true is in China. Earlier this month zoogoers in China were outraged that the baby panda exhibit was actually chow-chow dogs dyed black and white to look like pandas.
Indeed not everything is as it seems. This was also true in Jude’s day. The false teachers that worried Jude were men who were not what they seemed. He knew it, and he was anxiously writing to the churches so that they would know it too. He wanted them to know they weren’t pandas at all, but merely dogs that looked like pandas. It reminds me of 2 Timothy 3:1-5…..”having a form of godliness but denying its power…”
This really comes home in verses 12-13. The way Jude uses examples from nature is really to show how the reality of these people is far different than their appearances. There are six analogies Jude makes in these two verses: 1) hidden reefs, 2) self-serving shepherds, 3) clouds, 4) autumn trees, 5) waves on the sea, and 6) wandering stars
HIDDEN REEFS (v12)
There is apparently a division among scholars over the meaning of the word for “blemish” here. Some say the Greek word should be “blemish” while others say it should be “hidden reefs.” Since everyone else has an opinion I’ll add mine: I think it should be “hidden reefs.” Sure these false teachers are “blemishes” or stains on the fellowship of the Church, but hidden reefs really seems to be the better interpretation here:
- First, hidden reefs is the literal meaning of the Greek word and the primary definition. So if that definition fits best why they didn’t use it is a mystery to me.
- Second, notice how Jude has the natural world in mind here in these verses, verses 12-13. He refers to clouds, trees, waves of the sea, stars in the universe. Blemish is not a part of the natural world, but hidden reefs are.
- Third, the point of each of these references to nature is to show the falseness of the appearances of these things. Clouds that should give rain but don’t, trees that should bear fruit but don’t. The word “blemish” doesn’t convey that idea, but hidden reefs does. Hidden reef has the idea of a danger that is not immediately visible. The surface of a sea looks safe but underneath the surface it is dangerous. Ships often would run onto these reefs and such damage would be caused that the boats would be sunk or shipwrecked. Ancient poets would use the term to describe “men who by their conduct damage others morally, wreck them as it were” (Thayers)
That’s what these false teachers are – hidden dangers to the church. This makes even more sense when you remember in verse 4 Jude said, they have “secretly slipped in” to their fellowships. They are hidden among them. Just like reefs will cause shipwrecks so these kinds of people will shipwreck the faith of believers.
Turn with me to 1 Timothy 1:19-20. These are two examples of people who were false teachers and shipwrecked their faith. They are the kinds of people Jude was warning about. Jude warned about men who blaspheme and heap verbal abuse on authorities and angels, and Paul says he handed these two men over to Satan because they were blasphemers in order that they would learn not to blaspheme.
Jude is sending out the warning that all is not safe in the Church. Just below the surface are hidden dangers that can ruin someone’s faith. Those dangers are people who pretend to be Christians, who hold positions of spiritual leadership, who in many ways don’t give any sign of danger, but they are indeed dangerous.
Yet, we can detect them. I don’t want to give the impression there is nothing we can do about it. Turn with me to Matthew 7:15-20…..We will recognize these wolves in sheep’s clothing, these false teachers, by their fruit. The fruit of their lips and the fruit of their lives. Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:9, “But they will not get very far because…their folly will be clear to everyone.” Ephesians 4:14 says, “Then we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” When we grow by good teaching of God’s word and obedience to it we leave spiritual infancy behind and one of the dangers of infancy is being tricked by false teachers.
APPLICATION: Devote ourselves to God’s word, to know it and grow in it, and demand the word of God is handled correctly.
APPLICATION: Do not be naive. We must be aware that Satan does indeed send his servants to the church.
SELF-SERVING SHEPHERDS (v12)
Second we see they are self-serving shepherds, verse 12 says, “…
First, they are hypocrites. “Eating with you without the slightest qualm.” They are perfectly comfortable in their hypocrisy. They aren’t true Christians but they are at home among Christians. Not because they belong to Christians, but because Christians are their market. Not being of the same fabric as true Christians doesn’t bother them because their motivation and agenda is not the same as true Christians. They are motivated by money, by status, by influence. They are self-deceived too, that is for sure. But in their self-deception they are instruments of deception in Satan’s hand.
Macbeth said, “false face must hide what false heart knows.” These men put on false faces to hide from true Christians what is really in their false hearts. Second Corinthians 11:13-15 points out that Satan’s human ambassadors will come into the Church “masquerading as ambassadors of righteousness.” They put on a Christian “face.” They seem to promote righteousness. Just like 2 Timothy 3:5 says they “have a form of godliness.” Their substance is only outward, as Jesus said in Matthew 7:15, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”
APPLICATION: Ensure that both you and those who shepherd you have integrity.
The other thing Jude says about them as shepherds is that they are self-serving. “Shepherds who feed only themselves.” The very essence of a shepherd is one who cares for the sheep, and the most primary caring is seen in feeding the sheep. But a false shepherd not only fails to feed the sheep, he is concerned only with feeding himself. When Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep Jesus prefaced it with Peter’s love for Jesus. Peter’s love for Jesus would ensure Peter’s faithfulness to feed the sheep of Jesus. A shepherd must first love Christ, and that will cause him to love the sheep of Christ and that will drive him to ensure those who belong to Christ are well-fed and well cared for. A false shepherd doesn’t have that love for Christ, and therefore doesn’t have that love for His sheep, and therefore has no concern for ensuring they are fed. He is not concerned about what he can give the sheep – he is only concerned about what he can get from the sheep.
APPLICATION: Ensure that you are being spiritually fed by your shepherd.
CLOUDS (12)
Most of the time clouds are a glorious thing in Scripture. The LORD led the Israelites by cloud through the wilderness, the Father spoke out of a cloud at the baptism and transfiguration of Jesus, and when Jesus comes back he will come in great power and glory on the clouds of heaven.
But here clouds are a negative thing. For two reasons. First, because these clouds are “without rain.” They don’t water the land. They come overhead but don’t bring any benefit to the land. They appear but do nothing. Clouds are the source of water for the land but these clouds don’t water the land. False shepherds come looking like real shepherds, making the people anticipate spiritual benefit from their ministries, but they just come on the scene and do nothing for the people of God. Actually they leave the people of God dry, thirsty, and wilting. They can’t grow because they aren’t being given what they need!
Second, these clouds drift along by the winds. In other words, wherever the wind blows these clouds go. Whatever is popular and trendy in the day determines what they teach. They aren’t anchored by the Scriptures. They blow around with modern ideas and aren’t fastened down to eternal truth. They are mere mouthpieces for the ideas of the day, and their only skill is making it look like the Scriptures support contemporary ideas.
APPLICATION: You don’t want men who teach the ideas of the day in which you live. You want men who teach the timeless truths of God’s word. Demand that. Don’t be those in 2 Timothy 4:4, “They surround themselves with teachers who will tell them what their itching ears want to hear.”
APPLICATION to the APPLICATION: You want men who evaluate modern ideas with the authority of God’s Word. Some teachers make Scriptures bow down to modern ideas. Others make modern ideas bow down to Scripture. You know who you should follow.