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Leviticus 25:1-13; Luke 4:16-20
Background
Leviticus is one of the least studied books of the Bible. Perhaps this is because the book doesn’t include many narrative accounts. Instead of stories about the Israelites, Leviticus primarily contains instructions for the priests of the Lord as they lead the Israelites in worship. These priests were called Levites. They were from the tribe of Levi and were assigned responsibility for worship first in the tabernacle and then in the temple.
A main theme of Leviticus pertains to holiness. We can think about holiness in several ways. Holiness means to be set apart in service to God. Holiness also means purity and piety. If something is holy it is sacred. In Scripture, we often see the word sanctification associated with holiness. God identifies himself as holy and calls upon his people to be holy.
I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. Leviticus 11:45
The theme of ritual purity is also prominent in the book of Leviticus. There were certain ways to dress and live that allowed you to worship God. Obedience to the ritual law kept the Hebrew person pure.
The third part of Leviticus revolves around the idea of Atonement, or how God provided for his people to become pure again. Cleansing rituals allowed God’s people to once again be a part of the worshipping community. Leviticus gives instructions on how the blood sacrifices were to be offered for the sins of the people. These animal sacrifices point forward to the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross for our sins.
Leviticus also contains holiness codes, which were the laws that concerned eating and drinking, language, priestly conduct, and sexual purity. The passages that we will discuss in this lesson are a part of the holiness code and speak to the Israelites about the Sabbath and the Year of Jubilee.
Verses 1-7
Moses was engaged with God on Mt Sinai for a period of time. The people can’t come up on the mountain so Moses carries God’s message back and forth. God gives the Israelites instructions on how to care for the land. When the Israelites came into the Promised Land, they are to work the land for six years and let the land have a “Sabbath rest” during the seventh year. There was both a practical and a theological reason for the Israelites to adopt this practice.
Practical reason: The nutrients in the soil needed to be replenished. The land would be more productive because there was a break from cultivation. Without rest, the land would eventually become less fruitful but with rest there would continue to be abundance.
Theological reason: When the Israelite did not farm the land during the seventh year, he was indicating that God had the authority over his life and his property. The time of rest was a reminder that God was the Giver of every good gift including farm land and crops. When the farmer agreed to let his land “rest” in accordance with the law, he was recognizing his responsibility as a steward of all that God has given. Notice that the provision that came in the seventh year was to be shared with the servants and those foreigners who were a part of the extended household. The “Sabbath” for the land required that the owner of the land place his trust firmly in the provision of God and be willing to extend God’s blessings to other people.
What is the purpose of the Sabbath that God instructs his people to observe on a weekly basis? How does Sabbath rest contribute to a person’s well-being? How is Sabbath rest for land similar to Sabbath rest for God’s people?
Verses 8-13
The remaining verses in this passage discuss the Jubilee year. God commanded that his people celebrate Jubilee during the 50th year. During the Jubilee, God instructed that all land be returned to its original owners and all those who had been enslaved be set free. The land would remain fallow for this year of Jubilee.
When the Israelites had entered the Promised Land, each tribe had been assigned a portion of the land that they were to live on and be responsible for. When individuals encountered financial trouble, they would sell their property. In doing so, they jeopardized their own livelihood. When individuals and families incurred enough debt that they could not pay, they would be taken as indentured servants or slaves. Although the year of Jubilee sounds unreasonable to us, the intent was to prevent generational poverty. Everyone gets to begin again. Poverty-stricken families are not mired in debt decade after decade. Verse 9 references a trumpet which was to sound to indicate the year of Jubilee had arrived.
In our modern times we have established ways to deal with the issue of generational poverty. Although we can debate the effectiveness of the current system, we know there is biblical instruction to care for the poor in our midst and to help families be successful.
Many scholars believe that the phrase “year of the Lord’s favor” indicates a Jubilee Year. If this is so, then the idea of the year of Jubilee was ultimately fulfilled in the life and death of Jesus.
Read Luke 4: 16-20
Jesus comes to the synagogue in Nazareth and prepares to teach the people. He reads from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 61. This is the announcement to the people that are returning from spending 70 years in exile that God is with them. God will renew their relationship. Now Jesus says that this renewal is fulfilled in him. With his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus will make reconciliation with God possible. Jesus will bring the blessings of God to the poor and the prisoner and the ones who have been overlooked and cast aside.
Notice the freedom that is described by the prophet Isaiah in these verses. The blind will receive their sight. The poor will hear the Good News. The way Jesus teaches and lives in the world gives us a picture of the Jubilee that God intends.
As we think of what it looks like to follow Jesus, we recognize that our lives must also be characterized by a commitment to extend love and mercy to those who need our help.
How best can you live in accordance with all that the Jubilee means to the people of God? What steps should an individual Christian and a community of faith take in order to apply the principles of Jubilee in our modern-day context?
