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 countercultural.
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?
[Jude 1:1 and Matthew 20:28]
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
