Caring enough to Intervene! (Jude 22-23 Part 2)

And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

THE STUDY:

Yesterday we looked at the first way of reaching out to the non-believers: having mercy. Today we are looking at the next way Jude describes for believers to reach out. Judes dear friends must snatch others from the fire and save them. Some people need to be helped directly and vigorously. Fire is used frequently in the Bible as an image of everlasting punishment (e.g., Matt 5:22; Mark 9:43, 48). The appeal is probably influenced by Zech 3:2, where Joshua the high priest is described as “a burning stick snatched from the fire.” Wesley understands fire as imagery for “sin and temptation.” These lead people to the fire of final judgment.

Those snatched from the fire are probably believers who have fallen into sinful behavior under the influence of the false teachers. They have not already fallen into the fires of hell through their sinful behavior. But they are on the brink of it and can be snatched back before they fall into it.

Snatching is a vivid word. It means “to seize upon with force.” The word suggests that an aggressive and direct path of action is required for the salvation of some people. The faithful Christians of the community were to snatch and save others before it was too late.^[1]

           

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away with the understanding that believers are not only to show Mercy but there will come a time when we need a more drastic approach such as with force (Snatching).  

APPLICATION:

          Have you ever watched the show “Intervention?” It’s a program about the realities facing addicts of many kinds. Each program follows one or two participants, each of whom has an addiction or other mentally and/or physically damaging problem and believes that they are being filmed for a documentary on their problem.

An intervention is an orchestrated attempt by one or many, people – usually family and friends – to get someone to seek professional help with an addiction or some kind of traumatic event or crisis, or other serious problem.

As I read this passage this morning I thought about this show! Jude tells us that we must love the non-believers by displaying mercy. But there will come a time when are love must go to the next level which is by force. This is not promoting physical harm to someone but loving them enough to physically do something (Taking away their phones, their computers, their car, and the list could go on). We need to love them enough to say “it matters to me whether you spend eternity with Christ or not!” Let us care enough to intervene!

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Powers, D. G. (2010). 1 & 2 Peter/Jude: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (295–296). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.