Reflections with Andy - Jude 1: 5-16 – Make Me a Captive, Lord

In this Monday reflection on Jude 5–16, the letter's central concern becomes clear: these false teachers are not being led by the Spirit but by their own unchecked desires — almost certainly the Gnostics encountered in Second and Third John, who believed the body was irrelevant and therefore lived however they pleased. Jude's devastating poetic description of them — waterless clouds, twice-dead trees, wild waves, wandering stars — paints the picture of lives completely unmoored. The deeper question Jude raises is one of captivity: we are all captive to something, and the only choice is whether we'll be captive to God and his Spirit or to our own desires. One leads to life; the other to destruction. Make me a captive, Lord — that's the prayer. The reflection also pauses on a fascinating detail: both the story of Michael disputing with Satan over Moses's body and the prophecy of Enoch come not from Scripture but from Jewish legend and extra-biblical texts. Jude quotes them not to canonize them, but because his audience knew them and they illustrated his point — a reminder that the Bible was written by real people in real cultural contexts, and knowing that context only helps us understand it better.

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You can read today’s passage here - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jude%205-16&version=NRSVUE

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