Today, I would like to share a message titled “The Year of the Lord’s Favor.” The year of favor.

The passage we just read comes from the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament. This book was written about 2,700 years ago. Jesus came to this earth 2,000 years ago, so this was written 700 years before His coming. In today’s passage, Jesus entered the synagogue and proclaimed this very scripture aloud. It contains a prophecy by the prophet Isaiah, which goes like this: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

This was a prophecy spoken through the prophet Isaiah about the work Jesus Christ would come to fulfill. Jesus Christ is truly remarkable. Long before He came, many prophecies had already been spoken about Him. In fact, people began writing about Him as early as 1,500 years before His coming. The passage we just read was written about 700 years before Jesus came to this earth. Since God revealed through the prophets the work He Himself would carry out, they faithfully recorded what was to come. And just as it was written, Jesus came—exactly according to the Scriptures.

God revealed all of this in advance and then sent Jesus—so that when He came, people would recognize Him. Let’s say you’re expecting an important guest from another country. But you’ve never seen this person before. Still, you’re told to go to the airport and welcome him properly. What would you do? You’d probably receive a phone call beforehand: “A very important guest is coming. Please be sure to welcome him at the airport.” And you might say, “But I don’t know what he look like. How will I recognize him?” Then you’d be told, “He’ll be carrying a cane. He’ll arrive at exactly this time.” With that description, when someone like that appears, you’d recognize him right away and say, “Ah, this is the guest we’ve been waiting for!” In the same way, when Jesus came to this world—when the Son of God came to fulfill God’s work—He came exactly as God had already spoken through the prophets.

One of the prophecies given in advance is exactly what we read today. It says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me…to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” This “acceptable year” is also known by another name: the Jubilee Year. In Hebrew tradition, it was called “Jubilee”—a year of joy and release. The word “jubilee” literally includes the character for joy, and it is often referred to as the year of favor or the year of grace. So what did Jesus come to do? He came to proclaim this Jubilee. He came to declare the year of the Lord’s favor.

However, many of you might not be familiar with what “the acceptable year” really means. That’s because this concept appears in the Law that God gave to the people of Israel long before Jesus came. Every nation has its own laws. And if you take a closer look at those laws, you can begin to understand the nation’s values and the spirit behind its society. In the same way, the Law that God gave to Israel reveals God’s heart. It shows us His character and the kind of work He would do. So if we look carefully into that Law, we come to know what kind of God He is.

The acceptable year, also known as the Jubilee Year, is already written in the Law. Let me explain what the Jubilee Year is. Among the people of Israel, there was something called the Sabbath Year. Here’s how it worked: they would farm the land for six years, but in the seventh year, they were commanded not to work the land at all. If you keep farming continuously, the soil never gets to rest. So in the seventh year, God told the Israelites, “Do not do any work. Do not plant. Do not harvest.” During that year, the land would rest on its own. Of course, some seeds from the previous harvest might still grow naturally. And though it wouldn’t yield as much as usual, some crops would appear in the fall. But God told them not to touch it—not to harvest it, not to cultivate, not to fertilize, not to weed. They were to leave it just as it was. Then who would eat from that land? God said to leave it for the Gentiles living among them, for the strangers passing through, for the poor, and even for the wild animals—so that they too could eat from it.

This is the nature of the God we serve. He deeply cares for the weak, the poor, and those in difficult situations. In our culture, we were taught from long ago to pick up even a single grain of rice that falls to the ground. We learned that doing so was a way to treat everything with care and not let anything go to waste. And while that may seem good on a personal level, when we step back and look at it from a broader perspective, it manifests something quite desperate. The poor go out into the fields, hoping to find something—anything—that might have fallen to the ground. But often, there’s nothing left for them to eat.

However, God commanded the Israelites, “Work for six years, and in the seventh year, do not work at all.” Now, some people might have thought, “Then how are we supposed to survive in the seventh year?” But God had already given them a promise. “In the sixth year, I will give you enough food for three full years—so do not worry!” That means the land would yield an abundant harvest in the sixth year—enough for that year, for the Sabbath year that follows, and even for the year after that, until they could start farming again. God promised to provide all in advance, all at once. If they truly believed His promise, they could rest during the Sabbath year. But those who didn’t trust His promise—they would still go out and try to work anyway.

In the same way, many believers today choose to close their stores on the Lord’s Day—to serve God. God commanded us to keep the Lord’s Day holy, and He promised that whatever we lack by not working on that day, He will provide in other ways. Those who truly believe this promise are able to close their shops and rest. But those who don’t trust His word find it difficult to do so. That is why many Christians lay down their worldly work on the Lord’s Day and come to church to worship Him. And just as He promised, God provides and fills what they’ve entrusted to Him.

As I mentioned earlier, God established the Sabbath Year so that people could rest. It wasn’t just the land that was given rest—people, too, were allowed to rest every seventh year. That means even the Gentiles who worked as servants or laborers, even those in lowly positions, would be able to rest in the seventh year. Everyone rested together, right? This shows us the kind of heart God has. He cares deeply—not only for people, but also for the land, and even for the animals. That’s His nature: full of compassion and consideration for all.

Now, we just talked about the Sabbath Year. The Sabbath Year came once every seven years, right? Now after seven cycles of Sabbath Years—that is, 7 times 7, which makes 49 years—the following year, the fiftieth year, was called the Jubilee Year. So what kind of year was the Jubilee? It was the fiftieth year, and just like in a Sabbath Year, no work was to be done during that year either.

But the Jubilee year involved something even more important. God brought the Israelites into the land we now know as the region of Palestine. And He divided the land among the twelve tribes. Each tribe received its own portion by God’s distribution. So the land ultimately belonged to God—it was not private property. As time went on, some people fell into poverty while others grew wealthy. As a result, poor families sometimes had to sell their land to someone from another tribe in order to survive. So, what did God command them to do? He said, “You may sell your land temporarily, but when you’re able, you must buy it back.” Otherwise, if the land were permanently passed into another tribe’s hands, the tribal boundaries God had established would be blurred. But what if the person was too poor to buy it back? In that case, a close relative who had the means was required to redeem the land and return it to the original family. This way, the land should not end up belonging to a different tribe. However, if there was no relative nearby who could help, and the original owner lacked the means to redeem it himself, then he would simply lose the land—and remain in poverty.

However, at that time, what mattered most was the Jubilee. When the fiftieth year—the Jubilee Year—arrived, land that could no longer be bought back by one’s own ability or financial strength was fully restored to its original owner. Even if someone had sold their land because of poverty, in the Year of Jubilee, it had to be returned—unconditionally. Everything returned to how it was in the beginning. It was a fresh start. A return to zero.

There was another situation as well. Suppose someone fell into deep poverty and had to borrow money. But the person he borrowed from wasn’t even an Israelite—it was a Gentile living among them. When he couldn’t repay the debt, he and his entire family had no choice but to go into that household and work. In other words, they became slaves. Now imagine that. The people of God, living as slaves to the Gentiles—how painful and humiliating that must have been. To be bound in someone else’s household. They had no freedom. So God gave this command, “If there is a relative who has the means, let him pay the price and redeem this person. Set him free.” But what if there were no such relatives? Sometimes all the relatives were poor, too. In that case, the person had to remain in that household, living as a slave. But then—thankfully—came the Jubilee. And then? When the fiftieth year arrived, the one who had been enslaved in another’s house was set free. Without paying anything. Everything was restored. He could return to his place, fully released.

That is why the Jubilee was the year when all debts were canceled. It was also the year when anyone who had become a slave in someone else’s house was restored to their original place. This took place once every fifty years. So even if the gap between the rich and the poor had widened over those fifty years, in the Jubilee, everything was reset. The differences that had built up over fifty years were all restored, and everyone was given a new chance to begin again. Those who had lived in poverty could reclaim their land and return to their homes. And from there, they could say, “Yes, I’m going to start over! I’ve been given another chance!” They could rise up with new strength and begin again. This is what the Jubilee was—to give people a new opportunity.

In the Old Testament era—in the time of the Israelites—there was a law like this. The people of Israel, as we know them today, were a nation that lived under such laws. And within those laws, the nature of God was clearly reflected. When the appointed time came, even those who had become slaves to others were given a chance to return.

And now, just earlier, Jesus read from the writings of the prophet Isaiah and spoke these words: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

In the past, when the fiftieth year arrived, the high priest would stand before the people and proclaim. But before that, he would first offer sacrifices to God. He would present the atonement offering—the sacrifice that covered all the sins of the people. And then he would declare: “This year is the Jubilee! The acceptable year of the Lord has come! People, you are free!” After that, those who had been slaves in another’s house would return home. Those who had been in debt would have their debts forgiven. Those who had been separated from their homeland would return to their hometowns. It was a year of new beginnings. A year of great joy. And during that year, no work was done. Instead, people lived off the abundant harvest that God had already provided the year before—rejoicing and celebrating in the fullness He had given.

Jesus came to this earth for one reason: to proclaim the Jubilee to us. Jesus is our High Priest. And He now stands before all humanity and declares: “Hear Me, all mankind! You were slaves from the beginning! Because of sin, you were sinners before God—unable to escape judgment. In the end, you were destined for hell. And the devil seized that opening and used it to torment you. Demons harassed you. You were trapped in this desperate suffering. But now, I declare to you—from this moment on, the acceptable year of the Lord has come!”

Now, Jesus has already proclaimed the Jubilee to us. That’s why we who believe in Jesus are already living in the joy of the Jubilee. We were once slaves. Slaves to what? Slaves to the world, slaves to sin, slaves to death, slaves to poverty, slaves to sickness, and slaves to the devil. We were people who lived in pain on this earth—and in the end, our souls were headed for hell, where we would suffer eternally. But Jesus came and fully paid the price for all our sin. By being crucified, He paid the price for all our sin. And by being scourged, He paid the price for all our sicknesses. That is what He came to do two thousand years ago. And after doing it, He declared, “This is the Jubilee! Be Set Free!”

So now, whoever receives this can simply return home. They no longer need to live as slaves under a debt they could never repay. They can come back and live as free people. That is what it means when we come to church, believe in Jesus, and are baptized. We are accepting the merit of what He has done for us. “Jesus paid the full price for all my curses! Jesus paid the full price for all my sins! I acknowledge it! I receive it! I accept the joy of the Jubilee that Jesus has proclaimed!” That is what it means to accept Jesus into us.

Our God is the One who came to bring liberation—freedom for those who were enslaved, oppressed, and poor. And because He knows just how precious that freedom is, He made it known throughout history, in the lives of the Israelites. And finally, to give us eternal freedom, Jesus Himself came and proclaimed the Jubilee to us.

Jesus has already proclaimed the Jubilee. And now, I proclaim to you the very words that He declared. The acceptable year of the Lord has already been declared. You no longer need to live as slaves. Even if you have sinned, you no longer need to live as a slave to sin. Even if you didn’t know God until now, you no longer need to live in darkness. Even if you have lived in poverty, you no longer need to suffer in it. Even if sickness has tormented you, you no longer need to remain in pain. You have been given the right to come out of it all. He has opened the way to eternal life to you. In the name of Jesus, I bless you to receive—deep in your heart—the proclamation of this Year of the Lord’s Favor, declared by Jesus Christ. I will pray.

Our Father God, we thank You that our Lord Jesus came to this earth and proclaimed the Year of the Lord’s Favor. We thank You that even while we were still sinners, You died for us and revealed Your love toward us. You did not want us to remain oppressed under the weight of sin, but You planned—long ago—to give us freedom. And You fulfilled that plan through Jesus Christ. Help everyone here today to receive the merit of what Christ has done for us. Let us truly understand the love of God that sets us free. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.