Jubilee

In the book of Leviticus (25:8ff), God lays down rules that the years shall be divided into groups of seven and the year following the seventh seven, that is the fiftieth year, shall be called a jubilee year. It was the year in which debts were to be wiped out and forgiven. A year in which everyone could experience a new beginning, a new opportunity to to seize life without any encumbrance and to begin afresh.

This year, 2002, we also celebrate a jubilee year. It is fifty years since Elizabeth our Queen began her reign, following her father’s untimely death. It would be hard in this article to innumerate the myriad changes in lifestyle, working conditions and practice, communications and travel that have taken place in those fifty years. We must simply acknowledge that anyone who had not been present during those years, but unexpectedly returned today would find it almost incomprehensible that such vast changes had occurred.

However, despite this being a jubilee year it is indeed doubtful whether there will be anyone forgiven and released from their debts whether to family members, to the bank, or to the building society. I am absolutely certain that no such actions will take place, indeed even on the anniversary of the coronation I am sure that somewhere in our land a computer will churn out another reminder to someone of their indebtedness!

But here my friends is another absolute certainty, our God does not wait for a year of jubilee to forgive us our sins, our debts to Him. He forgives us the moment we confess them to Him, declaring our own helplessness, and our belief in the atoning sacrifice of our Saviour Jesus on the cross of Calvary. The debt that we owe is vast, impossible for us to pay back, hopelessly enormous, always visible, a burden too much to bear, yet Jesus gathers them all and takes them to Calvary. “Hallelujah, what a Saviour!”

So we have no need of a jubilee year, but rather a need for that Sunday by Sunday reminder of our freedom and forgiveness in Christ. A celebration of His love, grace and mercy to us - individually and collectively. Yes, let us celebrate with her Majesty in her jubilee - Long live our gracious Queen! But let us, as children of the Father, disciples of the Master, practise jubilee daily, “forgiving those who trespass against us (are indebted to us)”