For ancient Israel every fiftieth year was a year of Jubilee. They were to, “Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants” (Lev. 25:10). These words (which are inscribed on the cracked Liberty Bell in Philadelphia) remind us that true emancipation comes from the Lord.

During this time of Jubilee, debts were forgiven, and slaves released. It was a time of great joy and celebration. The year of Jubilee began on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 25:9) after the High Priest offered the sacrifice to atone for the sins of all the people (Lev. 16). How appropriate then that on the year of Jubilee the people, empowered by the very grace they had received, would then also forgive those who were indebted to them(Matt. 18:21-35). Being liberated from their sins, they could now share that liberation with others.

Surely the prophet Isaiah had the year of Jubilee in mind when he wrote, “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor” (Is. 61:1-2). But did Isaiah only have in mind a one-year Jubilee? Or did he have in mind something more—an eternal Jubilee—a never-ending liberation brought about by the Lord Himself?

In His first sermon in His hometown, Jesus quoted this passage from Isaiah, then to the amazement of His hearers he added, “Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). Here Jesus is linking the Old Testament with the New Testament. He is uniting the Year of Jubilee—and all the joy and liberation it contained—with His very own ministry! The work of Jesus inaugurates a Jubilee celebration that has no end!

In Him all who are bound by the shackles of hate find their liberation. All who are oppressed by sorrow find their emancipation. All who are tormented by chaos find their release. “A man is slave to whatever has mastered him” (2 Pet. 2:19). But in Christ there is freedom from all that would enslave us (John 8:36). How are we to live in this ongoing Jubilee? We live like the Israelites who, following the Day of Atonement, shared their liberation with others.

We share our freedom in Christ with those who are still oppressed. As St. Paul wrote, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery . . . .You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love” (Gal. 5:1-13). May you live in the freedom of Christ—an eternal Jubilee— now and always.

Prayer: O Lord, just as You liberated the children of Israel from the bondage of the Egyptians, so You have liberated me from the bondage of my sins. Help me to always share this liberation by forgiving others as You have forgiven me.

Amen.

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Updated: Monday February 11, 2008