BibleProject Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: An Introduction to an Urgent Letter
Date: January 12, 2026
Hosts: Tim (B) and Jon (A)

Overview

This episode launches a new series exploring the New Testament letter of Jude—referred to by the hosts using its Hebrew form, "Judah." The discussion centers on why this "urgent letter" was written, its major themes, and how Jude uses deeply Hebrew-scriptural language and patterns to address a crisis in the early Jesus movement. Tim and Jon highlight how Jude's (Judah's) familial connection to Jesus, and the cultural and theological context of early Christianity, shape the letter’s message and structure.

Main Theme

Jude's letter as an emergency intervention:
Jude, a brother of Jesus, originally intended to write about the “shared rescue” or “common salvation” of believers but was compelled instead to respond quickly to dangerous influences infiltrating the early church. The episode explores the letter’s opening, its structural patterns, and the urgent context that prompted its composition.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origin and Context of Jude’s Letter

• Jude is a brother of Jesus and emerges from the earliest ring of the Jesus movement, with deep roots in Jesus’ family and hometown (Nazareth) network ([00:18], [02:36], [02:43]).
• The letter’s provenance and its unique position among earliest Christian writings are discussed, with a recommendation to Richard Bauckham’s scholarly work for deeper context ([03:02]).

2. Jude’s Intended and Actual Purpose

• Jude initially set out to write about common salvation but pivoted due to urgent circumstances ([00:35], [13:27]).
  • “While making every diligent effort to write to you all concerning our shared rescue, I had the need to write to you all urging that you contend for the faith that was handed down once and for all to the holy ones.” (Tim, [13:27])
• The term “shared rescue” (koinonia soteria) echoes the communal salvation concept rooted in Hebrew Scriptures ([14:53]).

3. Insider Language and Patterned Structure

• Jude’s introduction is packed with triads—sets of three, a pattern mirroring the organization in the Hebrew Bible ([05:10], [05:31]).
  • Examples: Jude as slave, brother, servant; the community as loved, kept, called; and the greeting of mercy, peace, and love ([04:06]–[05:31]).
  • “He’s organized everything top to bottom of this letter in groups of three. Triads interact. Super interesting. Just like the Hebrew Bible.” (Tim, [05:10])

4. Language of Election and “The Chosen”

• The vocabulary “loved, kept, called” links to verses in Isaiah about Israel’s calling, weaving Jude’s thought into the grand biblical arc of God choosing a people—from all humanity, to Israel, to a smaller subset, to Jesus, and then to Jesus’ followers ([06:38]–[12:35]).
  • “The logic of election is important there. That election is a response to a larger group having received the election.” (Tim, [10:45])

5. Contending for “the Faith”

• Jude urges his readers to “wrestle” (ep agonizesthai) for “the faith”—a term that, in the early Christian context, encompasses both belief in Jesus and a way of life (obedience, loyalty) ([16:25], [17:23]).
  • “You’re gonna need to get into the arena with me. I am urging you to put in effort and get ready to wrestle. Get ready to wrestle? For the faith that was handed down once and for all to the holy ones.” (Tim, [16:25])
• “The faith” is both the story about Jesus and allegiance to his way—unique to early Christian terminology vs. later usage simply as “a religion” ([19:54], [21:12]).

6. Crisis: “Irreverent Ones” Infiltrate the Church

• The urgent crisis is that “certain people have crept in” (literally “sneaked in”—using a verb implying stealth), who display three traits:
  1. Their judgment was “written about long ago” in the Scriptures (Hebrew Bible).
  2. They are “irreverent” (better modern translation than “ungodly”).
  3. They distort God’s grace into “a lack of restraint” or license for immoral behavior ([22:40], [23:58], [26:52]).
  • “They have altered the grace of our God into a lack of restraint.” (Tim, [26:52])
• The term “irreverent” is explained as lacking due honor or respect for God—a profound disregard for divine authority ([24:26], [25:49]).

7. The Problem of “Grace as License”

• Early Christian communities struggled with misinterpretations of grace as an excuse for indulgence—especially sexual immorality and lack of self-control.
  • Jude’s concern echoes Paul’s and Peter’s letters, battling misunderstandings that “grace means you can do anything” ([30:03], [31:36]).
  • “What does this mean? That there’s a group of people who are altering the grace gift of God and distorting it into a license to party and do whatever you want. Yeah, that’s the issue happening.” (Tim, [29:01])

8. Jewish and Early Christian Ethics on Sexuality

• Contrary to Greco-Roman norms—where gods were uninterested in morals—Jewish and early Christian traditions deeply linked sexual ethics with worship and allegiance to the Creator ([31:42], [32:41]).

9. Denying Jesus as Master and Lord

• Living without restraint, the “irreverent ones” effectively deny Jesus as “Master” (Despotes) and “Lord” (Kyrios). “Despotes” is a rare New Testament title for Jesus, with roots among Jesus’ own relatives in early church communities ([33:17], [35:03]).
  • “It’s very rare to call him despotes… and this is the term used by the relatives of Jesus who had honored status in early Christianity, called the desposini—those who belonged to the master.” (Tim, [35:03])

10. Structure of Jude’s Letter

• The letter’s structure:
  1. Introduction—address, blessing, urgent purpose
  2. Core Argument—series of triads using Hebrew Bible stories and analogies (rebellion in the wilderness, sons of God, Sodom and Gomorrah; Cain, Balaam, Korah) ([39:24]).
  3. Exhortation—returning positively, instructing readers to build up faith, keep in God’s love, and wait for Jesus’ return ([36:05]).
  4. Doxology/end
• Jude’s midsection demonstrates a uniquely Jewish way of reading the Bible—seeing design patterns and applying ancient stories to present crises ([40:54]).
  • “So these are sort of like his Hebrew Bible design patterns… it’s a window into how Judah reads his Bible.” (Tim, [39:31])

11. Reading the Bible as a Unified Story

• The hosts emphasize that Jude’s method—using scriptural patterns and broader Jewish literature—is foundational to the BibleProject’s mission:
  • “Our mission: to read the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus. That’s how Judah read the Hebrew Scriptures.” (Tim, [41:15])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Jude’s Unwritten Letter:
  “Oh man, I wish we had that letter… It would have been like an early messianic Jewish biblical theology of salvation.” (Jon, [15:32])
• On Wrestling for Faith:
  “You’re gonna need to get into the arena with me… I am urging you to put in effort and get ready to wrestle.” (Tim, [16:25])
• On “Irreverent” vs. “Ungodly”:
  “Irreverent, I think in English captures the idea… somebody who doesn’t think God has any authority over them.” (Tim, [25:49])
• On Rare Title for Jesus:
  “It’s very rare to call him despotes… [it] was used by the relatives of Jesus who had honored status in early Christianity, called the desposini.” (Tim, [35:03])
• On Reading Like Jude:
  “The letter of Jude is a very special window not just into a church community network from the first century…but it also is a great little window into how they read their scriptures and then connected it to Jesus.” (Tim, [41:13])

Timestamps of Important Segments

• [00:05–01:10] – Introduction: Who is Jude; context for the letter
• [04:06–05:56] – Jude's Address and Blessing; triads and Hebrew Bible influence
• [12:35–14:53] – Hebrew Bible background to “loved, kept, called”
• [13:27–14:53] – Jude’s original intent to write about “shared rescue”
• [16:25–18:19] – Urgent call to “wrestle/contend for the faith”
• [22:40–23:58] – The crisis: “Irreverent ones” infiltrating the church
• [26:52–29:23] – Distorting grace into license for immorality
• [33:17–35:54] – Denying Jesus as Master and Lord; unique “Despotes” title
• [39:24–41:15] – Letter’s outline and Jude’s biblical argument
• [41:13–41:58] – BibleProject’s takeaway: learning to read scripture with Jude’s methods

Conclusion & What’s Next

The episode closes with a preview of the next installment, where the hosts will unpack how Jude references three major rebellion stories from the Hebrew Bible and the teaching technique behind his approach ([42:05]).

Summary in Their Words:
“The letter of Jude…a special window into a church network from the first century, [and] into how they read their scriptures and connected it to Jesus. That’s the thing we’ve been after for a long time at BibleProject: to read the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus.” (Tim, [41:13])

For more episodes and resources, visit bibleproject.com.