You must sound loud horn blasts —in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, on the Day of Atonement—you must sound the horn in your entire land. So you must consecrate the fiftieth year, and you must proclaim a release in the land for all its inhabitants. That year will be your Jubilee; each one of you must return to his property and each one of you must return to his clan.
Leviticus 25:9-10 NET
Leviticus 25 describes two regulations of the covenant law between God and Israel. The first of these was the Sabbath Year. Every seventh year, the land was supposed to enjoy a year off—no planting, reaping, or tending to vineyards. You could eat what the land produced by itself, but you could not work the land.
The second was the year of Jubilee. After seven Sabbath-year cycles, the 50th year was a year of release. Debts were canceled, slaves were freed, and any land that had been sold reverted back to its original owner. It was essentially a leveling of the playing field. Jubilee ensured that the poor were not trapped in poverty. And it prevented the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few.
Unfortunately for Israel, there is no record that they ever kept either of these regulations. The rich and powerful would be especially opposed to the year of Jubilee since it would dramatically impact their wealth and power. And so, since they were in power, the chances of Jubilee ever happening were slim.
Jesus Is Our Jubilee
But the year of Jubilee did eventually occur. In Luke 4:16-21 we find Jesus going into a synagogue, reading from Isaiah, and then announcing that what Isaiah was looking forward to was fulfilled that day.
What was it that Isaiah looked forward to? He did not call it the year of Jubilee. But it included freedom for the prisoners and oppressed–the year of the Lord’s favor.
The year of Jubilee was to be announced on the day of Atonement. This day looked forward to, and was fulfilled by, Jesus’ atoning death on the cross.
And on that day, Jesus announced his Jubilee. And all who put their trust in the crucified and resurrected Jesus will experience his Jubilee. Release from bondage to sin (Rom. 6:6) and brought into the freedom of God’s children (Gal. 5:1).
Jesus is our Jubilee!
