The Con Artist, Jude 1:12-16
- Kraig Smith
- Jul 21
- 4 min read
Just because something isn't a lie does not mean that it isn't deceptive. A liar knows that he is a liar, but one who speaks mere portions of truth in order to deceive is a craftsman of destruction--Criss Jami
Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions--Niccolo Machiavelli
--> Give away $50,000 to a "mysterious man in a white Mercedes SUV"? Not me!
--> Be willing to buy a government-owned, historical monument like the Eiffel Tower? Not on your life!
--> Believe that New Jersey is being invaded by Martians? I did NOT just fall off a turnip truck!
Between you and me, I am far too smart to fall for these kinds of scams … right? Well, the science says I am probably NOT too smart, and neither are you! The great con artists (Anna Sorokin, anyone?) are masters of human psychology and judges of character. They know how to "mark" a person as the target and then manipulate that person to the con artist's own ends. The most common tools of a con artist are as follows:
Tools of a Con Artist
Target the person's (aka, the mark) insecurities;
Mirror the mark's beliefs;
Promise radical change;
Claim importance;
Paint a bright and shiny picture of the future;
Live inauthentically;
Deny all efforts at accountability.
Unfortunately, con artists are found wherever honest, trusting people are to be found--education, politics, car lots, aviation, medicine, law, and the Church, to mention a few. These are exactly the kinds of people Jude is warning his congregation of. As an astute leader of the Early Church, Jude recognizes the dangers his congregation will face. He knew that the Early Church--widely recognized as caring, loving, and generous--would draw in the self-centered, those insulated from reality, imposters, and con men. Much of his letter to the Early Church is spent preparing his people for this onslaught of false teachers and leaders. In verses 12-16, Jude describes the con artists in graphic detail, at the same time illustrating their tools referenced above.
In verses 12-13, Jude writes descriptively that these con artists posing as teachers and leaders are "dangerous reefs … waterless clouds … autumn trees without fruit … spewing out foam … wayward stars …". A con artist creates havoc by promising (in some cases, quite literally) to meet the mark's greatest desire. The con artist will promise change. As they listen to their mark(s), they quickly get a sense of what the mark wishes was different. Is it government? Finances? Relationships? Stability? Whatever it is, the con artist will promise a way to make that desire become reality. For Jude's listeners, the desired change seems to be a lessening of the strictures of the Gospel and a draw to live their own lives apart from God's will. This is tempting--oh, so tempting!--but following that path leads to shipwreck (thus the "dangerous reefs"). The con artists promise refreshment and true nutrition, but deliver only "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing" (Shakespeare, Macbeth). As "wandering stars" who turn people away from True North, they are unfit for navigation.
Verses 14-15 speaks of people who commit ungodly deeds and are due judgement. The con artist lives as a double agent. A successful con artist must convince the mark that he or she is living a life the mark wants to live, even while living the complete opposite! Deception is, by its very nature, unworthy of the term "godliness." Jude recognized that these false teachers would come in professing to live a life of godliness and claiming to be the needed example, but this deceiving act would constitute ungodliness and merit judgement.
Verse 16 is particularly damning. Jude uses two adjectives for the con artists he warns against. They are "grumblers" and "fault-finders." Con artists prey upon the insecurities of their marks. The con begins when the con artist targets the mark's insecurities and biases. And this is where we, as human beings, are most susceptible. Most of us are masters at comparing ourselves to others and rationalizing how we have been cheated out of having that next thing! And so we grumble and complain and find fault. The con artist picks up on those grievances (real or imagined) and magnifies them. This is the oldest trick in history. When the serpent sidled up to Eve, he immediately hit upon a grievance she had. "You are not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil because God knows you will become like Him. He is holding you back from your full potential!" (paraphrased from Gen 3). The con artist can't provide a better life/future/change if the mark is not unhappy with the current reality!
Jude says these con artists are "bombastic." They are prone to speech that is high-sounding but meaningless. Con artists are wordsmiths who capture the imagination, paint a picture of DANGER or NEED or MISSING OUT, and lead the listener away from rational thought into the dangerous territory of emotion where the mark is more easily swayed (The Music Man "Ya Got Trouble").
Yeah, just like that.
What is the end goal for every con artist? Jude is very succinct here. It is "their personal gain" (v. 16).
Jude clearly warns his readers against those false teachers and leaders certain to be drawn to a burgeoning early Church. Verses 4-16, taken as a whole, characterizes these false teachers and leaders as self-centered, insulated from reality, imposters, and con artists. Jude recognizes that none of us, on our own, are able to withstand this torrent of grifters. Therefore, in the final verses of this short letter, Jude seeks to arm his congregation against these false teachers and leaders. And that, my friends, is for next week!
REFLECTION
When have you ever been scammed or conned?
What tools did they use?
Describe a leader who turned out to be a con artist.
What are ways these tools can be used for good?
What makes the difference between a con and leadership?
FOR FURTHER READING
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