Paul McCartney concluded the opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympic Games in London with the Beatles classic Hey Jude.
McCartney wrote the song in 1968 for the Lennon family when John and Cynthia Lennon separated due to John’s affair with Yoko One.
The Lennon’s son Julian has long been recognized as the subject of the song although John thought the song was about him.
Hey Jude, at the top of its release, was the longest single ever to top the British charts (7 minutes in length).
The song was also the longest running number one Beatles hit in American music history (9 weeks).
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As McCarthy, age 70, belted out this classic in front of a television audience of a billion people worldwide (including me), two things came to mind…
1. What an odd choice for the Olympic games (being a song about divorce)
2.The Book of Jude (no connection to the song, but hey it got me back in the Word)
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The Book of Jude is only 25 verses long and it located in the New Testament right before Revelation.
It is one of the shortest books in the Bible, but it includes some key messages as highlighted in the publication The Spiritual Man.
Here are 3 messages in the Book of Jude that are worth noting:
1. Author’s greeting as a Brother second
“Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.” (Jude 1:1)
Jude was a brother of James, one of the early church leaders. He was also a half brother of Jesus.
Both of those relationships are significant, and yet Jude states he is a servant of Jesus Christ first.
We all are.
2. Those without the Spirit
“But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.” (Jude 1:17-19)
This verse divides people into two camps, those with the Spirit and those without the Spirit.
And those without the Spirit merely follow their natural instincts.
Let us not fall into that camp.
3. Praying in the Spirit
“But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” (Jude 1:20-21)
This verse advises followers to pray in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit.
Interestingly, the Apostle Paul also references praying in the Spirit in his letter to the Ephesians (6:18):
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
To my knowledge, these are the only two references in the Bible to praying in the Spirit.
A good cross-reference is also from the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:26-27:
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
Encouraging words indeed.
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What are your thoughts on the messages in Jude?
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Photo credit: Getty Images
The book of Jude in the bible is about reconciliation not divorce. Hey Jude! Ironic #Olympics
Indeed. Thanks Pat.
Another trivia note on Jude, it is the only book of the Bible that quotes from the Apochrypha, a reason that it was almost rejected into the cannon.
Good observation brother Chris. Right you are. Thanks for sharing.