Leviticus 24:1-25:46
Mark 10:13-31
Psalm 44:9-26
Proverbs 10:20-21
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CityLight Pastor Commentary:
“The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me” (Lev 25:23). Every 50 years marked a celebration called the Year of Jubilee for the children of Israel. Anyone who had purchased land would redeem it to its rightful (original) owner. Such a tradition would never fly today – especially not in New York City! What right does God have to take away everything His people had worked so hard for over the last 50 years? It is His. All the land is His. All the people were, and are, His. We are His prized possessions, and He has the right to mold and shape our lives however He wills. The Year of Jubilee was put in place to 1) prevent reliance on material possessions and 2) emphasize the importance of family. Giving up everything they owned and returning to their original allotment from God forced the Israelites to build their identity in Him and with each other: never in material goods. Later in today’s reading, we see that adherence to such an attitude would have prevented the rich young ruler from turning away from Jesus (Mk 10:22). Our relationship with God and His Son Jesus Christ is the only eternal possession we carry. Cherish it accordingly!
Prayer:
“Father, help me to never put too much stock in possessions and material things. Your Son, Jesus Christ, is the only One who matters; my life with Him is the only legacy that lasts. Help me to be devoted with all that I am!”