In the post, “Who is Jude?,” I speculated that Jude might be Jesus’ brother. Aside from that, we only know one other thing about him. Jude views himself simply as “a servant of Jesus.”
Today, in a time when religious people parade their titles and promote their education as if they were badges of godly distinction, someone who calls himself a servant would be shockingly counter-cultural.
When people introduce themselves as “Reverend,” “Bishop” “Elder,” “Doctor,” “Prophet,” or my favorite, “Reverend-Doctor” so-and-so I wonder about their motives.
Who are they trying to impress? Others? God? Or maybe it’s a futile attempt to convince themselves they are someone who they truly know they are not.
How refreshing it would be for someone to simply say that he or she is a servant of Jesus. What a great and significant credential it would be, perhaps the best one possible.
I don’t think titles and degrees mean much to Jesus; he is looking for servants. After all, Jesus himself said he came to serve. Shouldn’t we—as his followers—do the same?
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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