How To Start All Over
Luke 4:16-21
By Dave Redick
Jubilee was jubilant for the guy on the bottom, the guy who had gotten to the place where he couldn't help himself, was miserable in his condition, and wanted out.
Introduction
How many times do you suppose you have said or heard it said, "If only I had it to do over again..."?
Hindsight is nearly always better than foresight, isn't it? We learn things by experience that often we could not see before. That would be good except for one thing - in most areas of life, we can't back up and do it over again. The old saying, "You only go around once," seems to apply in a lot of cases.
As a child I used to play with a toy called an Etch-a-sketch. Any of you middle aged people ever play with that now "ancient" toy? The Etch-a-sketch was a little red and grey drawing board full of sand (or at least something like sand). It had no digital readouts. It didn't beep at you or flash. It didn't even take batteries. You twisted two knobs on the bottom of the screen to draw a picture. If you messed up, all you had to do was shake the thing a couple of times and you got a clean screen - a chance to start all over.
Wouldn't it be nice if some parts of life were like that Etch-a-Sketch... Things like, say, your maxed out credit card account? Just pick up the card, shake it a couple of times, and the bill gets paid off?
I know. It doesn't work that way. Neither does most of the rest of life. You may dream of someday finding a winning lottery ticket blowing along in a street gutter somewhere, but the chances of that happening are pretty scarce.
It is possible to start all over with God, though. You see, we are all on this pilgrimage called "life." During the time we live here on earth we are determining where we spend will eternity. (Heavy stakes involved!) Somehow, though, all of us seem to mess up and get ourselves into deep trouble with God. We need a chance to start all over.
With that in mind, let me introduce to you the concept of Jubilee.... the blowing of the ram's horn on the ancient Day of Atonement among God's people that signaled a release of debt and a freeing of slaves. You see, the Old Testament people were no different than we are in many ways. They were great starters, but it wasn't long until they had messed things up. In that day, if an Israelite got so far in debt that he couldn't pay his creditors, he might sell the land that his ancestors had passed down to him. If he still couldn't pay his debts, he could be forced to sell himself and his family into slavery in order to pay off his bills. There were no bankruptcy laws. If you couldn't pay, you lost your property and your freedom. Pretty dismal prospects for somebody in hoc.
That is where the year of Jubilee came in - a sort of divine "Etch-a-Sketch." You see, every half-century, in the year of Jubilee, all the land reverted back to its original owners. If they weren't alive, it was given back to their families. And all Israelite people who had been sold into slavery because of their debts were freed. What a deal, huh? God gave the law of Jubilee for several reasons. First, it kept control of Israel's agricultural economy from moving into the hands of a few powerful landlords (a bit of divine anti-trust?). More important to the people, though, it gave those who had messed things up beyond hope a chance to start all over. That's what I want to focus on in this message: How to Start All Over.
The Israelite nation that God dealt with under the Old Testament system is gone. The Old Testament law (including the law of Jubilee) was nailed to the cross of Jesus Christ. Today the Church is the Israel of God and we serve under the terms of the New Testament. There is, however, a tremendously significant application of the concept of Jubilee that applies to us today. Let me show it to you. Turn with me to Luke 4:16-21.
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are downtrodden, To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord."
Besides being a prophecy of the coming of Messiah (which Jesus applied to Himself in this passage), it is also a quote from Isaiah 61, a passage that refers to the Jubilee. As a matter of fact, the phrase "To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord" is a reference to the 50th year, the year of Jubilee. The coming of Jesus Christ, then, brought the same opportunity to us today as the ancient year of Jubilee brought to the Israelites - a chance to start all over! So I'm asking the question, How can a person start all over? What is involved? What must we understand and do? We'll get the answers to that from this passage in Luke.
In order to start all over you must first
1. Realize the Quality of God's Mercy.
This passage tells us that Jesus was anointed to preach the Gospel (a word that means "good news"). Notice in these two verses that there are three phrases that describe the reason the gospel is good news. It is a "release," a "recovery of sight," and a "setting free." A captive gets his freedom back. A blind man regains his sight. A downtrodden man gets out from under the heel of his oppressor.
Under the OT system, this good news was all very literal. The land was released, the slaves were set free, and people could see things once again as free people. Therefore,
A. Jubilee was and is a prime illustration of God's mercy and kindness.
Do you realize the merciful quality of God's character as you should? Sometimes I think we're more inclined to emphasize His justice over his mercy.
One night in 1935, Mayor LaGuardia of New York, showed up at a night court in the poorest ward of the city. The judge of that district had a reputation for being jaded and harsh in his sentences. If you went before him, you knew you would get the maximum sentence the law allowed. On this particular occasion, La Guardia dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself. One case involved an elderly woman who was caught stealing bread to feed her grandchildren. La Guardia said after she pleaded guilty to the crime, "I have to punish you. Ten dollars or ten days in jail." It was obvious she couldn't pay. As he spoke, he threw $10 into his hat. He then fined everyone in the courtroom 50 cents for living in a city "where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat." The hat was passed around, and the woman left the courtroom with her fine paid and an additional $47.50 in her purse.
Solely out of the goodness of his heart, the Mayor of New York helped this women who couldn't help herself. He gave her the opportunity to pay her debts and start all over. Which kind of judge would you rather stand before, one like La Guardia or the other one?
More to the point is this: Which kind of judge is God? Sometimes we are more inclined to think of Him as like the jaded, grouchy, vengeful one. But even when He must punish one who has knowingly rebelled against Him, he takes no joy in it.
The prophet Ezekiel put it this way in Ezekiel 33:11 "Say to them, 'As I live!' declares the Lord God, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live."
God would much rather pardon a sinner than condemn Him. Kindness and mercy are strong parts of the nature of God. Nave's Topical Bible lists over 200 verses that describe the merciful nature of God.
The 136th Psalm, written about God's goodness and mercy says 26 times in its refrain, "His lovingkindness is everlasting."
Ephesians 2:4 tells us that God is "rich in mercy."
I Peter 1:3 says that God has "great mercy."
God is more merciful than man is. One time King David of Israel disobeyed God in taking a census of the people of his nation. As a consequence, he was given a choice: Seven years of famine, three months of defeat by his enemies, or three days of pestilence. His words clearly state the difference between the mercy of man and the mercy of God: "I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the Lord for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man." (II Samuel 24:14). David knew that God was far more merciful than man.
B. Jubilee is also a great illustration of the magnitude of God's grace.
The word used in Luke 4:18 for "release" described a total canceling of a debt. It wasn't a partial payment so that the indentured slave could finish by working his way into freedom. It was complete. It covered all the debt.
Long ago, a poor woman from the slums of London was invited to go with a group of people for a vacation at the ocean. She had never seen the ocean before, and when she saw it, she started crying. Those around her thought it strange that she would cry after such an enjoyable holiday had been provided for her. Finally one of them asked her why she was crying. Pointing to the ocean, she answered, "This is the only thing I have ever seen that there was enough of."
Listen, God has oceans of mercy. There is enough of it to extend to every person who desires it and enough of it to cover all of your debt of sin. That's good news! Micah 7:19 says that God will "cast all your sins into the depths of the sea" if you will turn to Him. (That was said in a day when a man could dive no deeper than a lung full of air could take him.)
At the height of the Vietnam war, two G.I.s were sitting in a freshly dug fox hole. They were taking turns raising their heads from the hole to look out across the terrain to the nearby jungle. One of them was eating a candy bar as the other started to raise up and look. Suddenly a hand grenade landed in the hole between them. The one who was on his feet just stared wide-eyed at the grenade, paralyzed in fear. The other, though, popped the rest of the candy bar into his mouth and jumped on it. It exploded, killing him instantly.
After the war, the surviving GI went to see the mother of the friend who had saved his life. As he sat with her he kept saying over and over, "I don't understand why he did it. I don't know why he did it." After awhile, she interrupted him and said incredulously, "You're wondering whether he really loved you, aren't you?" He just could not explain or understand how someone could love him that much. Yet it was true. Sometimes, when we've really messed up, we wonder how God could love us, too. That's where the message of this passage comes in.
To the forgotten, insignificant, indebted slave who had nothing to offer to God, Jubilee was a statement of the great love and mercy of God! If you want an opportunity to start over, you must realize the quality of God's mercy. It will reach you if you want it.
You must also
2. Understand the Identity of the Recipients of God's Mercy.
In stressing the quality of God's mercy, it is possible to misrepresent its nature by leaving the idea that it is for anyone in any situation. Clearly, while it is available to all, not all are willing to qualify for it. You have to be someone very special to qualify. Having said that, though, don't despair. The qualifications are surprising to some who have never seen them.
This passage in Luke 4 speaks of three characteristics of people to whom the good news is proclaimed: captives, the blind, and the downtrodden.
Jubilee was jubilant for the guy on the bottom, the guy who had gotten to the place where he couldn't help himself, was miserable in his condition, and wanted out.
You good parents know about that sort of thing. When your child is suffering from a severe cold with a sore throat, runny nose, thick congestion, and assorted aches and pains, and all he can do is throw his arms around your neck and cry - he doesn't have the strength in himself to fight it anymore - what does it evoke in you? Doesn't it awaken your pity? Doesn't it cause you to reach out and try to relieve the child's distress in any way you can? His misery brings forth your mercy.
You see, to be a recipient of the pardon and release that is the good news of this passage, a person must admit that they are powerless to save themselves. They must admit that for all eternal intents and purposes, they are washed up and bankrupt. They must admit that they are powerless to overcome their captor (the devil) who has them downtrodden and blinded.
Ah, but that is a problem for some. Someone said, "But, Dave, what's this business about being poor and blind and downtrodden? I'm not poor and no one is oppressing me! What are you talking about?"
I'm taking about being poor in the things of God - the things that get you into heaven. I'm taking about being blind to spiritual truths that only God can give. I'm talking about being under the control of Satan.
Though many are too proud or ignorant to admit it, anyone outside of God is enslaved and blind and downtrodden. They are slaves of Satan, blind to the truth, and Satan rides roughshod over them. To receive God's mercy, they must humbly admit that they cannot get to heaven on their own power. Let me explain that further.
Do you know how many sins it takes on your record to condemn you to Hell according to the Bible? One! That's right. Only one. Now, how many sins do you suppose are on your record? If there is at least one, you know where you're headed. So how do you get that sin off your record? The Bible says that the price of sin is your life. (The wages of sin is death). How many lives do you have to pay? Only one. So, when you're finished paying for one sin, what's left? Nothing. You're bankrupt. You can't pay for anymore. But are there any more sins in your life? (You know there are!). So what are you going to do about that? Answer: There is nothing you can do! You've sold out to the other side. The devil owns you now. The only reason you didn't know that before now is that your are blind to spiritual truth. So... you see, you're enslaved, you're blind, and you're downtrodden. Any questions?
That's where the good news applies! When you realize that, you are in a position where you can be a recipient of God's mercy! Only those who recognize their helpless condition before God are the recipients of God's mercy.
Thirdly, you must
3. Accept the Release God Has Provided.
You would think that the kind of mercy and grace offered by God so freely as illustrated by the jubilee would be something everyone would take advantage of. Sadly, that is not the case. Some are too afraid to let go of their old life to accept it.
A few years ago a large group of Vietnam veterans met in New York to commemorate the Vietnam War and its effects on their lives. Many were still suffering emotional wounds from that devastating conflict. A Vietnamese Buddhist monk came to the gathering and told a moving story. During the war, a young Vietnamese woman was killed. She left behind her husband and her young son. The husband, needing to provide for himself and the boy, traveled far and wide looking for odd jobs. Often he left the child with neighbors. After one long trip looking for work, the man returned to find his village demolished and his neighbors gone. Searching through the rubble, he found some small bones scattered around. He was sure that these were the remains of his son. He wrapped the bones in cloth and carried them with him everywhere he went. Many years passed, and one night the old man heard knocking on his door. He called out, "Who's there?"
"It is your son!" the voice outside replied. "My kidnappers set me free, and I have spent many years trying to find you!" The old man yelled, "You are a fake and a cruel man. My son is dead. Leave me alone!" He would not open the door. The pounding continued for a while, but then it stopped. The young man gave up and left.
The old man never found happiness. He lost his son who was still living. Why? Because he was determined to hold on to the bones of the past.
Some people reject the offer of God's mercy and grace because they want to hold onto an old lifestyle they're afraid to give up. What they don't realize is how much better the new life could be if they would just open the door to it.
Then there are those who are too preoccupied to accept God's grace. They remind me of a story I heard a few weeks ago.
A man in charge of a drawbridge across a large river brought several of his children to work with him one day. This particular bridge controlled a rail trestle for passenger trains as well as river traffic. The attendant was enjoying showing his children the various structures of the bridge and explaining how they worked. About ten minutes to eight o'clock, he stopped and told them he must get back to his control booth because a train was due to pass through at eight o'clock. He put them in a safe area and admonished them to stay there and watch as the bridge was lowered, then climbed to the control area and began checking his gauges and levers in preparation for lowering the bridge. As the train approached he looked below and saw that his youngest son had left the safe area and was climbing up into the huge gear mechanism that controlled the bridge pulleys. In near panic he screamed to the children below to get back where they were told. But the noise of the approaching train drowned out his frantic screams. There was no time get the child out of the gears. He was faced with a choice. Save the people or save his precious little son. As the train thundered onto the bridge, he closed his eyes and pulled the lever to lower the draw section. As the train passed by he could see the people in the passenger cars. They were eating, talking, and enjoying themselves, totally oblivious to the sacrifice he had just made on their behalf. Suddenly, as the train was nearly clear of the bridge he shouted out above the noise, "Don't you realize what I have done for you?" The train went on without even slowing down. This is similar to the position of God as he has sacrificed his only Son on man's behalf while the people of this earth hurtle onward, utterly oblivious to what has been done for them. People like that are too preoccupied to recognize the peril they are in and what has been done on their behalf.
Then there is that matter of pride that keeps people from responding to God's grace and starting over.
Before the United States pulled its troops out of Lebanon several years ago, Anthony Lewis wrote a column titled, "The Longer We Stay, The Harder It Will Be to Get Out." He was concerned about the "no turning back" pressure that seemed to grow daily as the U.S. watched the marines become more and more involved in Lebanon's strife. One act of commitment led to another. Lewis projected that the country's predicament sounded something like this: "We'd look weak if we left under pressure. We just have to stick it out until there is some way of saying that we have accomplished our mission." Although U.S. troops were able to leave Beirut, history indicates the Lewis' arguments were well-founded. Pride makes getting out of a difficult situation even harder as time wears on. A proud person, interested in saving face will find it very difficult to get out of the bondage of sin.
Conclusion
The Liberty Bell is a pre-Revolutionary War relic that was first hung in 1753 in the newly finished Pennsylvania State House, the building that would eventually become Independence Hall. On that now famous bell are inscribed these words: "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the Land..." The inscription then attributes the words to Lev. 25:10, the Old Testament passage that describes the Jubilee.
Of course, the liberty bell developed a crack some years after it was originally rung, to the point that today it is quiet. The same could be said for the Old Testament jubilee. As a law of God, it is now silent. But the liberty that Jesus Christ proclaimed nearly 2000 years ago is still being rung every day, every hour, calling men and women to come to God and be set free. Could it be it is calling you?
Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.
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