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| The design for the Jubilee Year meant that Israelites who had lost their personal liberty or property to their fellow Israelites would have their debts forgiven and be restored to their families and inheritance. This gift of atonement symbolized God’s forgiveness of their debts and restoration of them to perfect fellowship with God. It is this idea of grace for all of humanity, bringing freedom to the captive and rest to the weary as well as to the earth, which made the Year of Jubilee the symbol of the Messianic year of grace (Isaiah 61:2). The Messiah would restore the universe to its original harmony, both for humanity and all of creation. Hearing Jesus read from the prophet Isaiah and identifying himself with that Messianic passage was incredibly exciting for the listeners in Nazareth that day. Then, when Jesus went on to say this Good News was for everyone—foreigners and enemies as well as the Jews—the people were as disturbed as they’d been thrilled. They just weren’t ready to go there. The Jews who heard Jesus in Nazareth weren’t the only ones with different expectations of him. Because the Romans occupied the land of Israel, the Zealots wanted a military Messiah to overthrow the Romans. The Pharisees wanted someone to fulfill the scriptures. The Sadducees wanted someone to lead the temple. The Essenes wanted the Messiah to rid the temple of the Sadducees and bring “pure religion” back. Everybody had their expectations of Jesus, and he came proclaiming a a totally different way to live. In many ways, it’s the same story today, isn’t it? |
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