Laughing Jesus Artist Richard Caemmerer, Jr.
(from the collection of Joel Nickel)
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident
to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer
and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus.”
Philippians 4:4-7
The imperative “rejoice” doesn’t seem to be an apt word for a viral pandemic, but here
it is anyway: “Rejoice!” The word takes us out of our cocoon existence into the
broader world of God’s grace, peace and love in Christ. It is the very sort of existential
awareness that can bless us during this strange time of masks and social distancing.
Jesus himself was up against a difficult time in Galilee when poverty was pandemic,
when Roman military occupation left people angry and hopeless, when religious
fanaticism turned zealously violent, and apocalyptic visions were the conspiracy
theories of the day.
What does Jesus do? He invites people to celebrate the Jubilee! This important social
justice equalizer is outlined in Leviticus 25: every 50 years (7x7+1=50) the land would
rest (no tilling or planting), foreclosed property would be returned to the original family
or clan that owned it, all slaves would be set free, and all debts would be forgiven.
With this prescription the Lord prohibited the accumulation of property to the detriment
of the poor. The evidence that Israel ever practiced the Jubilee Year to this extent is
debated. But Jesus thought that this recipe for social healing should be part of the
inaugural onset of the kingdom of heaven.
How do we know this? It is part of the Lord’s prayer: “Forgive us our debts as we
forgive those in debt to us” (Matthew 6:12). Jesus begins his ministry with his first
sermon in his hometown of Nazareth by using as his sermon text Isaiah 61:1-2 (and
applying it to himself): “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor…freedom for prisoners…sight for the blind…release
for the oppressed…and proclaim the [Jubilee] year of God’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). His
sermon introduction is: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing!”
At first everyone spoke well of him, but approval quickly turned to rage and Jesus had to leave town. That in itself is cause for pause. Opposition? Sweet Jesus! Yes, in Nazareth and
seemingly in some other towns as well (Matthew 11:20-24). There was a failure among
the people to turn amazement into gratitude, relief into celebration, and release into
reciprocity (see Matthew 18:21-35).
There were exceptions: a “good” Samaritan, a tree climbing tax collector by the name of
Zacchaeus, a Roman centurion and Syrophoenician woman, to name a few who joined
the “Jesus Jubilee.”
Practicing the Jubilee is never easy when the survival instinct gets in the way of generosity or a calculation of worthiness blocks charity. There are times when faith has more to do
with our pocketbooks than with our prayer books.
What about us? Can we practice the Jubilee in time of a pandemic? Having tasted
and seen the grace of God, being known by Jesus our companion in breaking bread,
will the kingdom of God be within us (Luke 17:21)?
Jesus knew the liberation of self-giving. He was like the widow who “gave her
all” (Mark 12:41-44; 2 Corinthians 8:9)). There is enormous freedom to be discovered
in such self-giving, a joyous liberation of the spirit especially when the gift isn’t
calculated to bring credit, honor or accolades to oneself. Let us practice random acts
of kindness and anonymous gifts of mercy simply because we belong to Jesus and
God’s kingdom. Now is “kairos”—the time of opportunity. Put joy into the world with
your time, talent and treasure. Jesus and the angels will smile and heaven will have a
rollickingly good time.
We pray:
Renew us, O Lord God, by your invigorating Spirit to join the Jesus Jubilee
with joyous hearts and minds. Bind us together in the tether your love, that herein we
may find all the strength and courage we need to be servants in the name of Jesus. As
our companion during this time of fear and disease, encourage our trust in your mercy
and let us find comfort in your peace. This we pray in Jesus’ name. AMEN.
We sing:
“We give Thee but thine own, whate’er the gift may be;
All that we have is Thine alone, a trust, O Lord, from Thee.
The captive to release. The lost to God to bring,
To teach the way of life and peace—it is a Christlike thing.” LBW #410 verses 1 & 5
The Rev. Joel Nickel, STS