January 19: THE MESSIAH’S EARTHLY MISSION (part 3)
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn. Isaiah 61:2
The phrase, to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, is reminiscent of the year of Jubilee. This exciting time was the 50th year—the year that followed after seven sabbaths of years (Leviticus 25:8-11). It was a joyful release and a time of refreshing designed for God’s people. Slaves were freed, debts were cancelled, and land that had been sold to pay debts reverted back to its original owner. It placed back into proper balance the imbalances that had come about as a result of unfortunate circumstances and faulty man’s dealings. To use a modern word, a reset. The sabbaths of years meant rest for the land from cultivation every 7th year.*
Jesus closed His mission announcement among the local worshippers of Nazareth with “to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD”. His longing desire was to see a rest and a release from sin’s grip upon the lives of people. Paul, in understanding the description of the Lord Himself as the real Israel (see Isaiah 49:3,8) told the Corinthians: Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2b). There is a sense of urgency that applies to our need for the Redeemer. The day of salvation marks the event of awakening to the need and accepting Him for the Savior that He is. The mission of Jesus also includes the process of being saved: willingly submitting to the transformation of walking with the Holy Spirit. Being redeemed means confidently casting out — day-by-day — the defective character traits which do not belong in your life as a follower of Christ. In this, your personal “Jubilee”, joyfully allow the vengeance of our God to ruthlessly drive out the thought patterns and behaviors that will not be allowed to enter the eternal kingdom. His love for you is matched by His hatred of anything that would prevent you from coming to heaven on the Day of His return.
To mourn here (and in Matthew 5:4) means to experience deep sorrow for the pain in the Lord’s heart caused by one’s own plans and actions against His covenant of love. His desire is to restore the covenant relationship! Beloved, if you are mourning for your sins, regretting the pain that you have caused the Lord, then look up and see that He is reaching out to comfort you!
“When humanity breaks trust, God does not abandon the covenant. He carries it. That’s why the story keeps moving forward: Eden, to Abraham, to Sinai, to Jesus. One promise repeated again and again because love does not give up.” Roger Esteves
Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4
* Today we know that such a rest prevents depleted soils. After the 70-year Babylonian captivity ended, the Jews allowed rest for the land, at least for a few generations. Historical records show that both Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar exempted the Jews from paying taxes in sabbatical years. Unfortunately (and ironically), this principle again came to be ignored, due to man’s greed for profit. The poor quality and lower volume of produce from inferior, depleted soils that have resulted has led to the development of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and unnatural genetic modifications that are proving to usher in more disease in the world, even among younger and younger victims.