The Jubilee was a time for releasing slaves, returning loans and giving back land that had been sold from their birth-right. So it is a time for people to be magnanimous to others, to give without counting the cost. It is hardly surprising that these practices of Jubilee did not survive the passage of time and now they seem to be unheard of. But the idea is very much in the spirit of Jesus (I nearly said Christmas – and maybe I'm right!). It is often within our power to grant those sorts of liberty to others.
For we as Christians have a responsibility toward others, and especially to the poor. I am saddened by the way many better-off people regard the poor, saying they should get off their backsides and get to work, without thinking that maybe they are poor because they lack the talent or opportunity that we could provide.
Jesus fell under a similar scorn from the Pharisees when he read these verses in Isaiah and said they applied to him:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." Luke 4: 18-19 [NIV]
It was many years before I as a Christian dared to think that my Lord might want me to say those words of my own ministry. But when I did I found the wonderful thrill of offering Jubilee to others.
Maybe as we celebrate the Jubilee this week we could ponder how we might continue that "blast of liberty" to others.
Alan Cartwright
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