The Way DAY 11 - The Year of Jubilee

Day 11: The Year of Jubilee

Leviticus 25:8-13

After his long fast in the desert, Jesus returns to his home region, recharged and ready to go: preaching, teaching, and healing. He’s already going viral. Then he goes home to Nazareth. Everyone’s excited to see the local sensation. They make way for Jesus to read Scripture in worship and teach about it. He picks Isaiah 61. He opens the scroll and reads about the Year of Jubilee. 

Jubilee was an Old Testament law ordering Israelites to forgive debts every 49 years. It was laid down in Leviticus 25. Jubilee aimed at giving every generation relief and opportunity. Imagine if we did that every 50 years: student loans - gone; credit card debt - gone; national debts - gone. It’s radical, so radical that we have no evidence they ever did it!

Jubilee became a powerful picture of God’s final freedom for people. So when Jesus says, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing,” he’s saying, “The time you’ve been waiting for has arrived. God’s going to make things right. And he’s doing it through me.” 

Jesus had 39 books of the Old Testament to pick from. Why did he pick this one passage? Jesus picked Isaiah 61 because it’s all about freedom. Right at the start of his ministry, he says the Way of Jesus is the way of freedom. Jesus is all about releasing burdens and restoring relationships - with each other and with God.

REFLECT
How does debt weigh people down, not just financially, but spiritually, emotionally, etc.? Why is debt also a good picture of other burdens we carry?

PRAY
Lord, you are the God of freedom. You don’t want us weighed down with burdens we can’t carry. Teach me how to walk in freedom. Amen.