my way or the highway?
“This fiftieth year you shall make sacred by proclaiming liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you.” —Leviticus 25:10
In the year 2000, we celebrated the greatest of all jubilees (Toward the Third Millennium, Pope St. John Paul II, 16). God’s plan was that slaves would be freed, debts forgiven, and land restored to its original owners (Lv 25:10ff). A jubilee year can be an unprecedented time of justice and freedom.
When Jesus announced the Jubilee Year, the “year of favor,” at the beginning of His public ministry (Lk 4:19), the crowd’s mood changed from favorable to hostile. They wanted the Jubilee Year their way. They were not interested in beginning the Jubilee with repentance, as the Lord commanded (see Lv 25:9). They wanted to skip repentance and immediately get into healing (see Lk 4:23). The Lord refused to oblige. He insisted on prophesying and calling the people to repentance (Lk 4:24ff). Because they could not get the Jubilee their way, they tried to murder Jesus and throw Him over a cliff (Lk 4:29).
Will we let God’s “year of favor” be done to us according to God’s Word (see Lk 1:38), or will we miss it by insisting on having it our way?
Prayer: Father, Thy “will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10).
Promise: “Do not deal unfairly, then; but stand in fear of your God.” —Lv 25:17
Praise: St. Eusebius worked for unity within the Church by encouraging other clergy to adhere to the Nicene Creed.
Reference: (For a related teaching on Keep Holy the Lord’s Day view, download or order our leaflet on our webpage.)
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