There is nothing quite like a dispute over inheritance to bring out the worst in families or amongst friends or other benefactors if there is perceived unfairness. The deceased may have thought hard about the reasons for the way the estate is to be apportioned, and may have seen the needs or behaviours of others through a different lens than is either understood or accepted.
We are all motivated by different things in our lives. In the next couple of verses from Jude we come across a comment about false teachers who appear to be part of the life of the Church while in fact working only for themselves. The context is love feasts which were a part of Church life in the early days.
These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
The Greek word translated here as ‘blemishes’ is more literally and usually translated as ‘rocks or hidden reefs dangerous to ships’. It only took one iceberg to sink the Titanic; many lesser vessels have foundered on the rocky coasts of our West Country.
Every time we hear another story in our news about people who have turned out to be selfish when we thought the were selfless, we again come up against this warning to beware of those who ingratiate themselves in order to help themselves. A minority perhaps, but a wrecking minority for that.
I have heard recently of a family dispute where a brother ingratiated himself with his elderly parents in order to gain more than his share from the estate. His sister was disadvantaged and a sibling relationship was wrecked. How sad, I thought, and it was not even as if he needed what he gained…
A prayer
Lord, help me to be honest with you and myself about my motives and transparent with my family, friends and all around me. Help me not to be a wrecking taker but a net giver in the great feast of life for you have given all I ever needed when you died for me. Amen.