Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ...

Jude was the son of Mary and Joseph, and the half-brother of Jesus. Jude, as well as Jesus’ other half-brothers, did not come to faith until after Jesus’ death and resurrection, but once he chose his brother as his Savior, he was fully committed.

At the beginning of his letter, Jude identifies himself as a faithful, devoted, submitted, and dedicated servant of Jesus Christ. To be a servant of Jesus Christ is “the highest glory which any, either man or angel, can aspire to,” (Benson Commentary). Jude’s blood relation to Jesus is secondary to him. He knows it's more important to choose Jesus as Savior, than to be his blood-related brother. This points us to Jude’s humility. He wasn’t touting his family connection with Jesus. That wasn’t his platform.

No family or human relation gets us into heaven, but only our relationship with Jesus. “Without a doubt, Jude valued the fact that Jesus was his half-brother and that he grew up in the same household as Jesus. But even more valuable to him was his new relationship with Jesus. To Jude, the blood of the cross that saved him was more important than the family blood in his veins that related him to Jesus,” (David Guzik).