Dec. 15: Third Sunday of Advent

An approaching jubilee

Zep 3:14-18a; Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6; Phil 4:4-7; Lk 3:10-18

Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. (Zep 3: 14b-15)

Today, the Third Sunday of Advent, we take a break from philosophizing and reflection and are called to shout for joy (Zep 3:14a). We are commanded to rejoice (Phil 4:4), just as we are told that God rejoices over us and sings joyfully because of us (Zep 3:17b). In the Alleluia prior to reading the Gospel, we hear part of a verse from Isaiah (61:1), which also appears in the Gospel of Luke (Lk 4:16-21):

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.

These are the first words we see Jesus speak to people in the Gospel of Luke. This is a unique aspect of Luke’s Gospel. In the other synoptic Gospels, the first word we hear Jesus say is “Repent!” The first thing Jesus does in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew, then, is to point to what is wrong.

But in Luke, the first thing he does is use this text from Isaiah to proclaim what is called a “jubilee year.” According to the Old Testament, this is a year where all debts are forgiven, the land is granted rest and is returned to its original owners and slaves and laborers are freed (Lv 25:8-55). 

The Lucan Jesus does not tell people about their sinfulness and their need to repent. Instead, he tells them that they are good in God’s eyes. Jesus’ citing of Isaiah here is not a mere messianic statement, though it is often overlooked as such, but it is an important statement about restoration.

Jesus knows what these people have suffered; what they are going through as a people who are occupied and oppressed under the Romans. So, he reaches back into his religious texts and finds the message they need to hear. He sees and focuses on the goodness within them. He knows what God created them to be, and he tells them they will be able to get there again: to be restored.

In today’s Gospel (Lk 3: 10-18), we see John the Baptist almost preempting the message that Jesus will share in the next chapter. John urges all of those who come to him to essentially give each other a break. If you have something someone else needs, share it. If you have a position of power, do your job fairly and do not expect more than people can give. John still has a message for those who continue to reject this way of living (3:17), but overall, it is a message exhorting the people to create a gentler, calmer world. A world of jubilee.

This upcoming year will be Jubilee 2025: Pilgrims of Hope. Of this upcoming jubilee year, Pope Francis said:

“We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision. The forthcoming jubilee can contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth that we so urgently desire ...” 

Perhaps during this third week of Advent we can take some time to think about where we find hope in our lives and in our world. How can you dedicate this year to building a more open spirit and trusting heart within yourself? May this upcoming jubilee year bring us closer to a world in which debts are forgiven, land is given rest and those trapped in chains are freed.