Hi First Presbyterian,
Tonight in my Bible Study class we’ll be discussing the biblical character Enoch. He shows up in Genesis 5 and is mentioned as the seventh generation after Adam. All it really says about him is this: he had some children, he lived a long time, and that, because he “walked with God,” God “took him.” That last part – that God “took him” – is a bit cryptic and has perplexed interpreters for millennia. That’s the last we hear about Enoch until he suddenly shows up in the New Testament. In Jude 1:14-15, we’re told that Enoch prophesied, “See, the Lord is coming with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all, and to convict everyone of all the deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” Where in the world is Jude getting his information about something Enoch supposedly prophesied? It’s certainly nowhere in our Bible! That’s because Jude is quoting from a book called 1 Enoch, which was a Jewish apocalyptic text written in the centuries before the time of Jesus. The book is an imaginative and creative Jewish story about things that might have happened to Enoch while he was “taken” by God. Think of it as Jewish fan-fiction about Enoch.
As I think about all of this, two thoughts come to my mind. First, there is always more that lies under the surface, especially when it comes to the people in our lives. Sometimes reading the Bible is like listening to only one side of a phone conversation. Jude was quoting from a Jewish text that many Christian readers today probably have never even heard of, let alone read. Christians reading the book of Jude might become confused and have no idea what Jude is talking about, until they realize that he’s quoting something with which many of his original readers would likely have been very familiar. Doesn’t this kind of thing happen to us all the time? We hear something out of context and make snap judgments. We only catch one side of a story and mistakenly think we know what happened. When we come across a challenging or confusing idea or situation, maybe we should ask ourselves: What might I be missing that would help me understand what’s happening here? It might just help us be more careful readers of scripture and more charitable friends and neighbors to the people around us.
Second, I think it’s really significant that the passage from 1 Enoch that Jude quotes is a clear reference to God. In other words, when 1 Enoch says, “The Lord is coming…,” it is speaking of God. That makes it all the more noteworthy that when Jude quotes, “The Lord is coming…,” he’s clearly referring specifically to Jesus. Why? Because in Jude’s mind, God and Jesus are one and the same.
Take some time today to acknowledge that you might not be seeing the whole picture or have all the information concerning those with whom you disagree or dislike. It might be hard to do that, so take comfort and strength from knowing that Christ is indeed Lord and God and will help you.
Peace to you,
Pastor Neff