Episode 71: The Gift of Sabbath Rest, Part 3--Jubilee and Jesus

In the third and final part of their conversation about the gift of Sabbath, pastors Erica and Steve explore the way Jesus picks up the biblical notion of jubilee--the "year of the Lord's favor" in which old debts were cancelled, the displaced were returned home, and society was allowed to hit the "reset button" to keep anyone's family trapped in poverty forever.  While it seems doubtful that Old Testament Israel ever faithfully carried out the practice of jubilee (because it was always more tempting to make more money and hold onto old debts), Jesus' first public address back in his hometown uses jubilee language to talk about his own mission--and God's mission--in the world.  And while we may not live in a society that practices a 50-year jubilee policy, we can practice jubilee in our own lives in our practice of forgiveness and justice in all of our relationships.  Listen to see how an ancient and surprising law from Israel's history might inspire us to radical forgiveness ourselves today!