1 

1:11 Woe unto them - Of all the apostles St. Jude alone, and that in this single place, denounces a woe. St. Peter, to the same effect, pronounces them "cursed children." For they have gone in the way of Cain - The murderer. And ran greedily - Literally, have been poured out, like a torrent without banks.After the error of Balaam - The covetous false prophet. And perished in the gainsaying of Korah - Vengeance has overtaken them as it did Korah, rising up against those whom God had sent.

1:12 These are spots - Blemishes. In your feasts of love - Anciently observed in all the churches. Feeding themselveswithout fear - Without any fear of God, or jealousy over themselves. Twice dead - In sin, first by nature, and afterwards by apostasy. Plucked up by the roots - And so incapable of ever reviving.

1:13 Wandering stars - Literally, planets, which shine for a time, but have no light in themselves, and will be soon cast into utter darkness. Thus the apostle illustrates their desperate wickedness by comparisons drawn from the air, earth, sea, and heavens.

1:14 And of these also - As well as the antediluvian sinners Enoch - So early was the prophecy referred to, Jud 1:4.The seventh from Adam - There were only five of the fathers between Adam and Enoch, Ch1 1:1-3. The first coming of Christ was revealed to Adam; his second, glorious coming, to Enoch; and the seventh from Adam foretold the things which will conclude the seventh age of the world. St. Jude might know this either from some ancient book, or tradition, or immediate revelation. Behold - As if it were already done, the Lord cometh!

1:15 To execute judgment - Enoch herein looked beyond the flood. Upon all - Sinners, in general. And to convict all the ungodly, in particular, of all the grievous things which ungodly sinners (a sinner is bad; but the ungodly who sin without fear are worse) have spoken against him, Jud 1:8, Jud 1:10, though they might not think, all those speecheswere against him.

1:16 These are murmurers - Against men. Complainers - Literally, complainers of their fate, against God. Walking - With regard to themselves. After their own foolish andmischievous desires. Having men's persons in admiration for the sake of gain - Admiring and commending them only for what they can get.

1:17 By the apostles - He does not exempt himself from the number of apostles. For in the next verse he says, they told you, not us.

1:19 These are they who separate themselves, sensual, not having the Spirit - Having natural senses and understanding only, not the Spirit of God; otherwise they could not separate. For that it is a sin, and a very heinous one, "to separate from the church," is out of all question. But then it should be observed,

1. That by the church is meant a body of living Christians,who are "an habitation of God through the Spirit:"
2. That byseparating is understood, renouncing all religious intercourse with them; no longer joining with them in solemn prayer, or the other public offices of religion: and,
3. That we have no moreauthority from scripture to call even this schism, than to call it murder.

1:20 But ye, beloved, not separating, but building yourselves up in your most holy faith - Than which none can be more holy in itself, or more conducive to the most refined and exalted holiness. Praying through the Holy Spirit - Who alone is able to build you up, as he alone laid the foundation. In this and the following verse St. Jude mentions the Father, Son, and Spirit, together with faith, love, and hope.

1:21 By these means, through his grace, keep yourselves in the love of God, and in the confident expectation of that eternal life which is purchased for you, and conferred upon you, through the mere mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1:22 Meantime watch over others, as well as yourselves, and give them such help as their various needs require. For instance,

1. Some, that are wavering in judgment, staggered by others'or by their own evil reasoning, endeavour more deeply to convince of the whole truth as it is in Jesus.
2. Some snatch, with a swift and strong hand, out of the fireof sin and temptation.
3. On others show compassion in a milder and gentler way;though still with a jealous fear, lest yourselves be infected with the disease you endeavour to cure.

1:24 Now to him who alone is able to keep them from falling - Into any of these errors or sins. And to present them faultless in the presence of his glory - That is, in his own presence, when he shall be revealed in all his glory.

23 

23:1  Mat 27:1; Mar 15:1; Joh 18:28.

23:4 Then said Pilate - After having heard his defence - I find no fault in this man - I do not find that he either asserts or attempts any thing seditious or injurious to Cesar.

23:5 He stirreth up the people, beginning from Galilee - Probably they mentioned Galilee to alarm Pilate, because the Galileans were notorious for sedition and rebellion.

23:7 He sent him to Herod - As his proper judge.

23:8 He had been long desirous to see him - Out of mere curiosity.

23:9 He questioned him - Probably concerning the miracles which were reported to have been wrought by him.

23:11 Herod set him at nought - Probably judging him to be a fool, because he answered nothing. In a splendid robe - In royal apparel; intimating that he feared nothing from this king.

23:15 He hath done nothing worthy of death - According to the judgment of Herod also.

23:16 I will therefore chastise him - Here Pilate began to give ground, which only encouraged them to press on. Mat 27:15; Mar 15:6; Joh 18:39.

23:22 He said to them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? - As Peter, a disciple of Christ, dishonoured him by denying himthrice, so Pilate, a heathen, honoured Christ, by thrice owning him to be innocent.

23:26  Mat 27:31; Mar 15:21; Joh 19:16.

23:30  Hos 10:8.

23:31 If they do these things in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry? - Our Lord makes use of a proverbial expression, frequent among the Jews, who compare a good man to a green tree, and a bad man to a dead one: as if he had said, If an innocent person suffer thus, what will become of the wicked? Of those who are as ready for destruction as dry wood for the fire?

23:34 Then said Jesus - Our Lord passed most of the time on the cross in silence: yet seven sentences which he spoke thereon are recorded by the four evangelists, though no one evangelist has recorded them all. Hence it appears that the four Gospels are, as it were, four parts, which, joined together, make one symphony. Sometimes one of these only, sometimes two or three, sometimes all sound together. Father - So he speaks both in the beginning and at the end of his sufferings on the cross: Forgive them - How striking is this passage! While they are actually nailing him to the cross, he seems to feel the injury they did to their own souls more than the wounds they gave him; and as it were to forget his own anguish out of a concern for their own salvation. And how eminently was his prayer heard! It procured forgivenessfor all that were penitent, and a suspension of vengeance even for the impenitent.