"Make 2021 a Year of Jubilee" by Andrew Nash
Earlier this year, I saw this video by an Internet smart person CGP Grey. I got hooked on the idea of themed years instead of New Year’s resolutions: Year of Health, Year of Order, Year of Consistency, etc. I made 2020 my Year of Learning.
It may be surprising to know that God’s people, in one form or another, have also had themed years, but under a different name. In fact, it’s biblical.
Most of Numbers 25 discusses the themed Year of Jubilee for the Israelites. In short, it was meant to be celebrated every fiftieth year to cap off seven sabbaths of years (seven times seven years). This fiftieth was meant to be special. The passage instructs not to sow nor reap. All land that was sold reverts back to its original owner, with special discounts based upon how close it was to a Year of Jubilee (though some exceptions for walled cities). Also, all slaves were to be freed in the Year of Jubilee, so long as they were Israelites. Debts were also to be forgiven.
Sounds great, right? However, my Bible’s footnotes state that “There is no indication in the Bible that the Year of Jubilee was ever carried out.” It appears that the Torah said the Year of Jubilee also only applies if the Jewish people are living in the Land of Israel according to their tribes, which, since the exile of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, hasn’t happened since roughly 800 B.C.
Catholicism also has a tradition of a Year of Jubilee every 25 years, or whenever declared by a pope. Usually, this means simply allowing the doors of certain churches to be open to the public for a year. The most recent was 2016, an “Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy” meant to encourage both physical and emotional acts of mercy, like feeding the poor or forgiving someone.
What could a Year of Jubilee look like at Second Baptist Church? Perhaps we could work to free people from onerous debt. Perhaps we could celebrate what the Lord has done by being intentional with our sabbaths. Perhaps we could use 2021 as a year to wipe the proverbial slate clean.
After 2020 inadvertently became a Year at Home, consider what a Year of Jubilee could mean in your life.