Jubilee and Justice

“And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.” (Leviticus 25:10)

The Year of Jubilee was a celebration for God’s people in the fiftieth year. God consecrated the year to be a time of celebration in which He claimed the land, and by extension its inhabitants, as His own. Through the Year of Jubilee we can see God’s care for His creation, and thereby the responsibility of Christ’s followers for Godly stewardship. Though modern Christians do not celebrate Jubilee, this concept nevertheless illustrates lessons about faith and wealth that are vital to understanding the Christian life. 

This land is not our own; it belongs to the Lord our God. “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me” (Leviticus 25:23). God is the sovereign creator of the world. Not only were the Israelites living by grace, we are also living by the grace and mercy of God, given that He has ownership over all. To be a stranger in the land means to respect and honor it, to not take its value for our own. As a result of God’s sovereignty over the earth, He ultimately determines what is acceptable to do with it. “In this Year of Jubilee each of you shall return to his property. And if you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another” (Leviticus 25:13-14). His command is to return (or redeem) property to the original owners. In this system, everyone is cared for because the land is allotted to all who need it. If someone needed to sell their land, the land is still returned to them, no matter how poor they may be. The profound grace of the Jubilee year is incredible. God also explicitly gives instructions for sales around this year, saying that no one should take advantage or engage in ill practice. These rules may seem excessive; however, they are put into place to demonstrate that the land belongs to the Lord. If all belongs to Him, then the Israelites must use it for His purposes of justice and prosperity of the people. This further demonstrates principles about godly wealth: that land may change and be returned, but all belongs to God. Ultimately, a relationship with Him is more important than earthly wealth. 

The Jubilee laws establish that God cares for the wellbeing of his people. They instruct God’s people in how to treat the poor: “If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you. Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your brother may live beside you” (Leviticus 25:35-36).

Rather than supporting your brother as a brother, you should support your brother as a stranger or sojourner. Instead of keeping score of any expenses that he accumulates when he stays, you should treat him as a guest who has no “tab.” He should not be judged by his background, but rather welcomed with open arms as a stranger, with no prior judgements attached. This passage is also notable for the mentions of profit and interest. One should not profit from his brother’s misfortunes, from “fear” of God. It is the fear and respect of God that create harmony between brothers. Fearing God produces living in rightness with Him, and thus treating a brother rightly. 

These rules are created not only for rightly living with God, but also rightly living with one another in community. Without commands to treat the poor well or redeem property, the community of ancient Israel could have become stratified and unjust. To prevent that, these commands exist for the benefit of all God’s people, so that all are seen and cared for. 

These ideas of justice in financial situations are not confined to the Old Testament. New Testament passages further discuss the treatment of the poor and help modern Christians know how to act. For example, Luke writes, quoting Jesus: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God… But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.” (Luke 6:20, 24) These ideas continue in Jesus’s parables in Luke: “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” (Luke 12:20-21)

This theme of stewardship towards God’s creation recurs throughout the Gospels, as seen in these passages. A relationship with God is emphasized above all else, and not a greedy relationship with money. Thus, the idea of the land of Israel belonging to God in the Old Testament carries forward even into our own era. Wealth may be a shield from seeing the suffering of brothers, but by focusing on Godly wealth rather than earthly wealth, Christians will learn to value heavenly treasures over building walls of riches for themselves. Community can then arise, built on Christ and his justice. 

A focus on God is a vital message in these passages. The purpose of the Year of Jubilee is to return land to the original owners, and both the Leviticus and Luke passages discuss wealth disparity. Yet the reason that any of this is important is because of God’s ultimate ownership over all. We are merely blessed to steward the wealth that we are given by God’s grace. True wealth is in the knowledge of Christ, and a relationship with Him. Wealth and money may be valuable on this earth, but that is the extent of its value. It cannot fill the need for community, the yearning for eternity. Only Christ is the solution for such core longings. 

We may not be able to apply the Year of Jubilee in the way the ancient Israelites had the opportunity to. However, the principles evident in the practice can still be applied. Mercy for the poor and suffering, selflessness, stewardship of the land, and most of all, recognition of God’s sovereignty are vital to Christian life. Knowing that God is sovereign over all means that Christians treat everything as belonging to God. Thankfulness and humility are at the center of life, as we recognize that we live that life on the earth that God has given.