Talk
BRO. AUDEE VILLARAZA:
So, we’re talking about Jubilee.
According to the Bible, Jubilee was supposed to happen every 50 years. But if you scroll through historical books, even in the Old Testament, there was no record that the Jubilee happened. Nothing in the Bible that says the Israelites practiced it.
If we are practicing Jubilee today, it would be weird. Imagine if you have a debt that you can no longer pay… All you must do is hide for the next 50 years.
After 50 years, you no longer have that debt.
But we don’t do that. Some of us even inherit the debt of our parents or grandparents. Debts aren’t canceled until you finally pay them. But why is it that every prophet, especially Ezekiel and Isaiah, talked about this point in time in the future about the Jubilee happening?
Jesus quoted it in a way that He was saying it wasn’t old news.
It’s still living news.
Let’s have a little Bible study.
So, Jubilee means release. In the Hebrew language that was used in the Book of Leviticus
and of Isaiah, the word for release is deror which literally connotes release from debt and release from slavery.
In the New Testament, the word release is called aphesis which literally means freedom or release from sin. It’s freedom for your spirit.
When you put those two together, they simply mean that Jubilee was both physical freedom and spiritual liberation. Not or. It’s and.
Good News
Now you may ask, “How is this relevant in my life now?
How is Jubilee relevant in my life?”
Here is the message:
God doesn’t just care about your spiritual life but also your physical, mental, and emotional life. In short, God cares for everything in your life.
If you think about it… Oh, my God!
Jesus fed the 5,000 with bread when they were hungry– that’s physical. Jesus forgave sins and drove away demons from the oppressed people — that’s spiritual. Jesus healed the sick — that’s physical.
So, it means that Jesus is concerned about everything in my life.
He’s concerned not just about my spirit. He’s also concerned about my health.
Isn’t that Good News for you? That He wants you to be strong so you can serve others?
Jubilee is holistic. It’s across the board.
I believe that when you try to separate physical health and spiritual life, this is dangerous– because there are two extremes of reducing Jubilee.
Since most of you are here every week, it’s obvious that you love going to The Feast. We hold The Feast in big venues like PICC, cinemas, and function areas, in convention centers. And, they cost money, right?
I’m sure at least one of you has asked, “Wouldn’t it be better if we just use the money to help do the work of salvation and evangelization instead of spending it on lavish venues?”
It’s a rational question if you think about it. I’ll answer that right now.
It’s not easy. Some wake up as early as 3:00 a.m. just to serve the Lord. Some of us here work from Monday to Saturday but still choose to serve on a Sunday.
Why do we organize The Feast? Two reasons:
How many times have you seen miracle after miracle happen at The Feast? Marriages are strengthened, healing happens, broken bodies get repaired, hearts get mended, and young people are empowered.
This is the stepping stone for many of us to encounter or re-encounter Jesus to start walking with Him forever and ever.
The Feast Mission
With just those two reasons, I believe that every peso we spend matters.
The Feast takes care not only of your spirit–because you’re flesh and bones too. I want to share this milestone: Last month, Anawim marked its 29th Founding
Anniversary. It’s our home for the abandoned elderly. Right now, they are taking care of 70 lolos and lolas.
But do you know the monthly living cost of each elderly? About P25,000 per elderly per month If you do the month, that’s about P1.7 million per month or P21 million a year.
A Singaporean who visited Anawim was blown away by the operations.
He told Bro. Bo: “Wow. We do the same charity projects in Singapore and they’re fully funded by the government. How much does your government give you?”
Bro. Bo smiled and said, “Zero. We must raise every peso.”
The portion that you give to The Feast doesn’t go just for your spiritual nourishment. It feeds our Mercy Ministries. It’s not just Anawim.
We have He Cares Mission, which maintains a shelter for street children. We have Jesus Cares for Cancer, our center for poor cancer patients. We have Grace To Be Born, our center for pregnant unwed mothers in crisis. We have Jeremiah, a center for sexually abused teenage girls. We have the Prison Ministry, our center for inmates. We have our Pastoral Care that provides psycho-spiritual support for those seeking help and prayers.
So, don’t ever think that you’re sustaining just The Feast here. You’re sustaining the bigger part of The Light of Jesus Family.
Tell the person beside you, “Thank you for your giving.”
That’s how we’re able to bless people with their physical needs. We need provision. So, please help us in the mission.
Jesus’ Jubilee Team
The second extreme is the complete opposite. Taking care of our earthly needs, food-feeding programs or outreach activities are not bad.
But if we focus on that, then we cannot be called a church. We will be just a non-governmental organization or a charitable institution.
But because we belong to the Catholic Church, we believe that the greatest needs of humanity are not jobs, schools, food, or medicine.
The greatest need of humanity is Jesus. We need Jesus.4
That’s why the greatest mission of The Feast is to make disciples for Jesus.
So, we spread our love– building small communities of love all around the world. That’s what we do.
It’s not easy doing the Jubilee work. Thank God, we don’t have to do it alone. We get to do it with Jesus. The truth is Jesus isn’t creating the Jubilee by Himself. Jesus has a Jubilee team– and you’re part of it.
This is proof that Jesus wants us to work with Him.
Jubilee Work Is Sharing
The Book of Luke mentions that women provided financial support for Jesus and His disciples. Disciples had different tasks.
The Jubilee work is not for the Builder alone. It’s not for Jesus alone. It’s for everybody to do.
In the New Testament, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a tax collector. When he converted to Christianity and felt the love of the Lord and received the mercy of Jesus, what did he do?
He promised: “I will give half of my wealth to the poor. Lord, if I cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much.”
Question: How many of you like pancit canton? If I gave only a pack of pancit canton to one person, would that be Jubilee work?
No. Because Jubilee work should be equal. The Good News is that after The Feast, each of you will get a pack of pancit canton outside.
It’s not from The Feast. One donor from Monde Nissin just reached out and said, “Bro. Audie, we want to bless your congregation. We’re sending 4,500 packs of Lucky Me Pancit Canton for all your attendees and servants.”
May I recommend something? In one pack, there are four kinds of noodles which are good for a family. Please get one pack per family, all right? Thank the Lord for His blessings.
That’s Jubilee work. There is enough for sharing. Jubilee work is when people care enough to share their wealth with other people. Even if you don’t have a lot of money but you still choose to give, that’s Jubilee work.
You might say, “Bro. Audie, we’re talking about Sabbath, which is supposed to be about rest, but you’re talking about work.”
Work and Rest
I tell you that work and rest go together. Right now, I’m doing Sabbath work by preaching to you. Our servants who came here today are doing Sabbath work by serving you.
After The Feast, some of you will serve your family by attending to their needs — especially if you’re a husband and father. You’re doing beautiful Sabbath work for the Lord.
That’s what Sabbath is. It’s not just about lounging all day, watching Netflix, or doing random activities. Sabbath is working with the Lord and serving the people of the Lord– healing people, forgiving people. I will go back and read to you the verse we read earlier.
So, we don’t understand.
You know, my Friends, when you think about the Jubilee, there is a disconnect somewhere. The truth is that we’ve never experienced Jubilee. We’ve never experienced being released from captivity, debt being canceled, and returning your land to its original owner.
Prophets were pointing to a time in history when the Jubilee would happen.
It was something that they were looking forward to.
I’m sure you also want to see Jubilee happen, right? But what is Jesus and the prophets talking about?
What is it that I should look forward to that I might never experience? Some of us are already in our 60s or 70s.
You mean I have to wait for the next 50 years to see Jubilee?
… Until I realized this week– when Jesus spoke, when He read that scroll and read that document.
Jesus said, “Today, the scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus didn’t say “…will be fulfilled.”
So, we’re not looking for a point in time when the Jubilee will happen.
We’re looking at it right now— because Jesus is right now! He is right here.
How many of you need a reset in life? How many of you are tired because you have been burdened by your circumstances? How many of you want a new life? How many of you want freedom from addictions and obsessions? How many of you want to experience equality?
Here is the Good News: The brainer of the Jubilee is here.
Jesus is the Jubilee.
He said today– not tomorrow, not next month. But today, you can get to experience Jubilee! Experience healing. Experience peace. Experience freedom. Experience liberation.
Jubilee started 2,000 years ago when Jesus came. It will not start 50 years from today.
All you need to do is open your hands and say, “I’m ready, Lord. I receive You today.”
Put your hand on your chest and say:
“Lord, this is my time. I need a reset. I need a restart. Today, I claim Your promise that my Jubilee has begun at this moment. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
