Jude 12These are feasting together with you at your love feasts without fear as hidden reefs, shepherding themselves, waterless clouds sweeping away by the wind, fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; 13wild waves of the sea, foaming up in themselves shame; wandering stars, for whom the deep gloom of the darkness has been reserved forever.
The sneakers in verse 4 were causing problems in the church, and Jude wrote this letter to expose them and help the church understand what was going on. These two verses use vivid images to show the seriousness of the situation. One of the obvious problems was happening at the love feasts (agapais). Early Christians ate many communal meals, sharing their resources and having times of fellowship (Acts 2:44–47; 6:1–2). Eating shared meals was a common practice among Jews; other cultures and groups also shared in meals. In the early decades, certain meals became more significant and symbolic as a reflection of Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples. The evidence suggests that the Eucharist and the love feasts were similar, if not the same, early on. As time went on, and later into the second century, in certain regions of the church, they became separate. Jude’s mention of this special meal in verse 12 is the only clear reference to the love feast in the New Testament, but 2 Peter 2:13 might hint at it also. Whatever the practices surrounding this time of close fellowship, at the heart of it was to be love, as Jesus called his disciples to have as their primary identity (John 13:35).
Jude uses six vivid images to show the utter futility and danger of these false teachers and infiltrators. Hidden reefs give the image of coasting along, not knowing the danger below the surface. Reefs have caused many shipwrecks because the crew did not know they were present. These people were just below the visible surface but were dangerous because they pretended there was no problem. The real issue was selfishness as they were shepherding themselves and did not care for the spiritual welfare of others. It was all about themselves and what they could get out of others. The image of the white, fluffy clouds being blown away by the wind conveys that their message was meaningless and untruthful. It promised something (rain) but could not deliver it (blown away). Fruitless trees give the image of effort without result. They bore no fruit but only liked the position. These people may have made promises or claims that lacked support and substance. Their words sounded nice but lacked the power of God’s inspiration because they were deceitful and not based on the truth of the gospel. They boasted in what they are doing, spewing out their false teaching like the foam of the sea. They stirred things up like wild waves, but in doing that, they only exposed their shame and emptiness. Wandering stars could refer to planets or comets. Most of the night sky remains the same, but certain lights move and seem to go on their own routes. The false teachers were going their own way, and the result would be deep gloom, which could represent eternal judgment. The scenarios Jude provides in these verses are not good and only lead to condemnation.
Some leaders are like this today, focusing their ministry on themselves, which is a subtle temptation for any leader, especially those who serve as pastors. We need to constantly put our selfish tendencies on the cross where they can be crucified. Christ must be Lord of all our lives. This is the only way to avoid the problems that these false teachers were having. Jude’s language is strong, but that is what was needed. We must take this warning seriously and do our best to ensure that our leaders stay close to the cross.