Judas Thaddaeus: The Misunderstood Disciple Lesson 9 Series

A. WHY MISUNDERSTOOD

1. The early church father Jerome, called him Trionius, i.e., the man with three names.

a. Judas, Lebbaeus, Thaddaeus.

b. Judah, Judas, Jude.

2. Name meaning Judas in Hebrew is Judah, i.e., praise. One of twelve sons (tribes) of Jacob. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah (Matthew 1:1-2).

3. Mistaken with Judas. “Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him (Jesus, John 14:22).

4. Therefore, this Judas began using another name. “And Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus” (Matthew 10:3).

a. Lebbaeus means “white” He was prematurely grey, i.e., white headed.

b. Thaddaeus began using this name.

c. Finally went back to Latin of his original name Jude.

5. Because this Judas was often confused with Judas Iscariot, he finally used his family’s name in Latin Jude.

6. This Judas/Jude was often confused with the apostasy of Iscariot. So, he wrote the book of Jude to confront apostasy. “But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend (fight) the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 3-4).

7. This Judas/Jude is not the half-brother of Jesus (Matthew 13:53; John 7:5) because he did not believe.

8. Judas words are recorded only once in Scripture. “Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, ‘Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?’” (John 14:22, NKJV). He wanted to know:

a. How we can seek/know Jesus after He leaves to go to heaven.

b. How can believers see Jesus but the unsaved cannot?

9. One thing Jude wanted you to know about himself. “Jude … preserved in Jesus Christ” (Jude 1).

10. The one thing Jude wanted you to know about your faith. “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24).

B. TEN PRINCIPLES LEARNED FROM JUDAS THADDAEUS

1. Name-Identification Principle. Your name identifies who you are, what you stand for, and how you live.

2. When one has to defend his faith in personal experiences, he can teach and help others understand the truth.

3. Christians must be careful what “nickname” others call/attribute to them. Be a testimony in life, words, and your nickname.

4. First Opportunity Principle. You never get a second opportunity to make a first good impression. Jude changed his name to be a good testimony.

5. Only react according to Scriptures. We tend to react to the failures of others. Make sure we react biblically.

6. Learn from the mistakes of others. Jude learned a negative lesson from Iscariot.

7. When you learn from the mistakes of others, plus positive lessons on to others.

8. Emphasize the important of omit the unimportant. We don’t know how Judas/Thaddaeus was called by Jesus – it is not included in the gospels, and he doesn’t make reference to it. Emphasize what Jesus does for you and how He uses you.

9. Let Christian experience make a deep impression on you, so it becomes the theme of your teaching and testimony.

10. We must live and teach and minister within the space where God has led us, and how He has taught us.

If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:

Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.

For more information on the TRBC Pastor’s Bible Class, log on to the Internet for TRBC Home page at www.trbc.org/pbc.

Dr. Towns’ email is eltowns@liberty.edu.

Video presentations of the PBC are available online at trbc.org/pbc

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