And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family. – Leviticus 25: 10

Older than the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, the Liberty Bell of 1752 is a symbol of the freedom which America has always represented. A little regarded fact about the Liberty Bell (which still stands today in Philadelphia, PA) is that it has scripture engraved on it. From Leviticus 25: 10 it says: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” The designers of this bell intended these words to signal the end of English colonialism and the beginning of an era of American freedom.

However, with these words, the author of Leviticus announced the arrival of the year of Jubilee. According to Leviticus 25, every fifty years, release was to be proclaimed. Land was to be given rest from sowing and reaping, debts were to be forgiven, property was to be returned to its original owners and slaves were to be set free!

Whatever happened to the Old Testament practice of Jubilee, no one really knows for sure. But, we Christians certainly know what happened to the principle of Jubilee. It found its realization and true revelation in Jesus Christ. Jesus is our Jubilee.

This is what Jesus announced at his initial sermon in Nazareth (Luke 4: 18-21):

And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 “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; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” 20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

The first Jubilee only came once every fifty years. The Jesus Jubilee came once and the liberty He brought then, we can enjoy forever.