The Terrible Triple Crown

“Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones” (v8).

Baseball has the Triple Crown. That’s when a player leads his league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in. Horse racing has a Triple Crown. A thoroughbred must win the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes, and the Preakness. Both are historic achievements. Both are rare. But Jude tells us that there’s another Triple Crown. An unholy Triple Crown. A team of false teachers have pulled off the sinful big three. They defile the flesh. They reject authority. They slander VIPs. This is one Triple Crown you never want to win. Ever.

Jesus’ kid brother is sending out an all points bulletin for believers to be on the lookout for a posse spiritual hucksters. They’re traveling from city to city, weaseling their way into local churches, and then destroying them from the inside out with their deceptive message (Jude 4). He flips back to the Old Testament and compares them to three different bad examples. Jude makes the side-by-side comparison when he writes, “Yet in like manner these people also” (v8). The false teachers are just like Jude’s OT examples of the rebellious Israelites (Num 14:22-23, 29-30, 35,37; Jude 5), the renegade angels (Gen 6:1-5; Ezek 28:14-17; Jude 6), and the Twin Sin Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18:20-33; 19:1-14, 23-28; Jude 7). The hucksters’ sin is so historic that it can only be compared to previous Triple Crown winners.

So just where are these false teachers getting their whacked out lesson? Not some ancient manuscript. Not a certain spiritual guru. Not even the internet. These knuckleheads are “relying on their dreams” (v8). Okay, we’ve all had dreams that seemed real. But these dream weavers are have apparently based their entire message on stuff that they see after they put their heads on the pillow and close their eyes. That’s not to say that God can’t speak in and through dreams. Just ask folks like Jacob (Gen 28:12) and Joseph (Gen 37:6-7; 40:12-13; 40:25-36). But we need to be careful and make sure our dreams line up with God’s Word. He never contradicts Scripture. EVER. Relying simply on our dreams will end up being a nightmare.

By basing all of their teaching on their dreams, we see accomplish the first leg of the terrible Triple Crown. First of all, they “defile the flesh” (v8). These hucksters have no moral seat belt. As a result, they corrupt and contaminate their lives and those under their influence. This happens through sexual sin. Remember, Jude compares these bozos to the sinful citizens of the greater Sodom and Gomorrah metroplex. They have absolutely no restraint when it comes to sex. Anyone. Anywhere. Anytime. Marriage doesn’t matter. Gender goes out the door. Paul wrote to his protege Titus about some folks just like this on the island of Crete. “To the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works” (Titus 1:15-16). Here’s the deal. God is VERY pro-sex. Hey, He invented it! But He gives us guidelines for sexual intimacy to protect us from ourselves. These con artists run right through God’s sexual stop sign.

The false teachers knock off the second leg of the Triple Crown when they “reject authority” (v8). The Greek verb here (Gr. atheteo) actually means to set aside. They don’t believe anyone has the right to tell them what to do. Not you. Not me. Not Jude. Not even his big brother. A big part of the reason they give God a spiritual stiff arm is because He makes it very clear who we should sleep with. As a result, power can’t be trusted. Power must be rejected. They declare any authority outside of themselves as invalid and unworthy. They fight the power. That’s what we all do before coming to Christ. We do what we want. Nobody, but NOBODY is going to tell us what to do! That includes God. We see Him as cosmic killjoy. We think He’s holding out on us. That’s the lie our first parents believed when they listened to a satanic snake (Gen 3:4). What He’s really doing is protecting us from ourselves. The glorious irony that we only experience true joy and absolute freedom when we’re under His authority.

The spiritual infiltrators achieve the final portion of the Triple Crown when they “blaspheme the glorious ones” (v8). Because they laugh in the face of anyone in a position of power, they openly talk smack about dignitaries and VIPs. Jude gives us a clue as to the “glorious ones” in the very next verse. In describing the story of the Archangel Michael’s fight with Satan over Moses’ body (Jude 9), the author seems to be talking about angels. Despite being in a position of authority as top dog among all the angelic beings, Michael just delivers God’s message of judgment by announcing to the leader of the fallen angels, “The Lord rebuke you” (Jude 9). Mike simply delivers God’s mail. Doesn’t talk junk. Simply talks truth. Don’t run down anyone in authority, no matter who they are. Including angels.

The false teachers have executed their three point plan to perfection. Sexual sin. Authority rejected. Dignitaries dissed. I love what the Message says here. “This is exactly the same program of these latest infiltrators: dirty sex, rule and rulers thrown out, glory dragged in the mud” (v8, The Message). What these con artists have done is nothing new. As a matter of fact, they’ve used a pattern that’s historic. Historically sinful, that is. They’ve made history in the process. Add their names to the list of winners of this terrible Triple Crown.