Behar-Bechukotai “on the mountain” and “in My statues”
It is customary for religiously practicing Jews to read from an annual cycle of weekly Old Testament readings called Torah Portions. This is said to be the same reading schedule that was taught every Sabbath in the Synagogues during the times of Jesus in the first century.
As Christians exploring the Torah portion cycle we must maintain a balance of including the Old Testament, the prophets, and the gospels in our weekly bible study.
Torah Portion Name and Readings-
Behar-Bechukotai is a double Torah portion. Behar is the Hebrew word for “on the mountain”, while Bechukotai is the Hebrew word for “in My statutes”, this is the name for the weekly Torah Portion reading for the Leviticus starting in chapter 25 verse 1 and going through chapter 27 and verse 34.
Prophets and New Testament-
It is also important to point out that along with the Torah portion readings and teachings, there are what are called Haftarah portions which are readings from the Bible in the books of the prophets. This week’s haftarah readings come from the book of Jeremiah in chapter 16 verse 19 through chapter 17 verse 14.
The gospel readings incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of Matthew in chapter 16 with verses 20 through verse 28.
Torah Portion Overview-
In this torah portion, the final torah portion of Leviticus we get mostly laws governing the freedom of the Jubilee year. First comes the commandments for the seventh year, the Sabbath year. Then the commandments for the Jubilee year, seven sevens of years, which was announced on the day of atonement on the fiftieth year. Property was returned to it’s original owners, and property that had been sold could be redeemed. Within these laws of freedom we also see the command for Israel to support their relatives. If a family member had become poor then they were to be supported. If they had to sell themselves into slavery to their family member (in order to live) then they were to be treated as hired servants not slaves. They were also to be freed on the Year of Jubilee. However, not all were protected. Those who were foreigners, who were outside of the covenant and thus, outside of the protection of the Torah, were treated as slaves. A distinction was made with Israelite slaves, because they could be redeemed by family members. Servants were not to be permanent slaves but were to be set free on the year of Jubilee. Next we see listed the reward for faithfulness to the covenant and obedience to Yahweh. Then comes the curse of the law, punishment on all those who break the law. A promise was issued that the Lord would have mercy on those who repent. We then see laws governing the valuation of offerings. Lastly came the restrictions on selling or redeeming anything devoted to destruction as well as the law of the redemption of tithes. Over all these laws have to do with freedom, generosity, and keeping Israel away from perpetual slavery and poverty.
Today I want to focus on the Jubilee. The Jubilee, as well as the seventh year, were a time of freedom. The economic system laid out in the Torah was designed so that an Israelite could only be in debt for six years and in slavery to another Israelite for six years. If he was sold to a foreigner then he could only be in slavery for 49 years. Here is an outline of those commands:
• The Jubilee marked the time when each Israelite would return to his or her property (Leviticus 25:10).
o The land belongs to Yahweh (Leviticus 25:23).
• Israelites would return to their clan (Leviticus 25:10).
• Israelite slaves that were owned by foreigners were released in the year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:54).
o Israelite slaves that were owned by Hebrews were released in the seventh year (Exodus 21:2).
• Debts were released every 7 years (Deuteronomy 15:1-2).
It is important that we distinguish here the difference between being owned by a fellow Israelite and being owned by a foreigner. Israelites, as those who had themselves been slaves, were not allowed to own another Israelite slave for longer than six years (unless the person chose willingly to become a bondservant). This would allow someone who was struggling financially to sell themselves for a short time, in order to try to recover. Doing this would not put them or their family in danger, because they knew that they would be released.
This kept an Israelite from ever becoming a permanent slave. If a slave class existed in Israel it could never be made up of Israelites (if these commands were obeyed). They were destined for freedom, not slavery and debt.
Secondly because the land belonged to Yahweh, and the Israelites were in effect given the land to work, if a house had land (it was not in a walled city), then it would return to it’s previous owner. A house in a walled city however, would not return, as it had no land. Thus, if a farmer wanted to purchase his neighbors house and land to grow his farm, he could only do so until the Jubilee. This kept someone from destroying their families wealth if they were foolish. They could only lose their house and land for their generation (49 years).
Thirdly, with the release of all debts in the seventh year, the economic system of Israel was clearly designed to protect familial wealth in a way that recognized that some are good with money and some are not. Some will have to sell themselves into slavery to pay for their living, some will be able to buy their neighbors land and house. However, no matter the skill or lack of skill of a person, they could not destroy their family’s heritage. The land would eventually revert.
Sadly, to our knowledge, these beautiful acts of freedom were not ever practiced! Jacob Milgrom in his commentary on Leviticus 23–27: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 3B of Anchor Yale Bible, points out that the Jubilee was never actually kept (p. 2247). This is heartbreaking because the point of these laws was freedom. Yahweh had set Israel free, and they should not use this freedom to enslave others! Instead, freedom was to be granted. Yet, year after year, as the fiftieth year approached, they did not set their brothers free.
The fact that this was never obeyed, puts into context the words of Jesus. For during His ministry He read the prophecy of Isaiah and said that it was fulfilled by Him!
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Luke 4:18-21 (ESV)
Jesus mission is spoken of in this way:
1. Proclaim the good news to the poor,
2. Proclaim liberty to the captives,
3. Recovering of the sight to the blind,
4. Set at liberty those who are oppressed,
5. To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
The poor is a reference to a plethora of different social circumstances. As Joel B. Green explains in The Gospel of Luke, The New International Commentary on the New Testament,
“Who are the poor? Numerous attempts have been made to find here a referent to the “spiritually poor” or, more recently, reflecting the concerns of a materialist-oriented interpretative method, to the economically poor. Both of these definitions of the “poor” are inadequately grounded in ancient Mediterranean culture and the social world of Luke-Acts. In that culture, one’s status in a community was not so much a function of economic realities, but depended on a number of elements, including education, gender, family heritage, religious purity, vocation, economics, and so on. Thus, lack of subsistence might account for one’s designation as “poor,” but so might other disadvantaged conditions, and “poor” would serve as a cipher for those of low status, for those excluded according to normal canons of status honor in Mediterranean world. Hence, although “poor” is hardly devoid of economic significance, for Luke this wider meaning of diminished status honor is paramount.”
Jesus came, not just for the financially poor but also the social outcast, the lowly in status, the uneducated. The good news was not a message to those who were well off, but for those who were broken. Indeed, this is the case today. For what of us does not find ourselves a sinful beggar at the table of our Lord? We are not worthy of anything He would offer. We are broken, we are downtrodden, we are pressed on. But the good news is that we have Jesus! We are not called to remain poor, because with Christ we find the greatest treasure!
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and reburied; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
Matthew 13:44-46 (NRSVue)
No matter what we lack, no matter how much money we have or don’t have, we cannot be poor when we have Christ. Indeed, we cannot truly be rich, for the only great wealth is Christ.
What of the captives, who are they? It is likely that the captives are those who are oppressed by demons. As John Nolland explains in vol. 35A of Word Biblical Commentary,
“The extent to which one should spiritualize the references here to the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed is a vexing question. The captives and the oppressed are not mentioned again and no specific ministry to them is recorded. A connection with exorcism is, however, near at hand. (Note the immediately following exorcism in Capernaum and see 13:16 and Acts 10:38. cf. Busse, Wunder, 64–65.)”
Jesus, as part of bringing the Kingdom of heaven, often cast out demons. He went about setting the captives free! Remember that a difference was made between those who were Israelite and those who were foreign when it came to freedom. It was the slaves of the foreigner that were released on the day of atonement, and so, Jesus comes here to the foreigner, the enemy that seems to have right over the Jews, and He sets them free! The enemy does not have a right over us, we are set free! The enemy holds no power over us. Any semblance of power is just a bluff, they don’t have true authority. The good news is that all those who have sworn allegiance to Jesus, all those who trust Him for their salvation, are no longer subject to the enemy. They are do not belong to demons, but to the Most High!
What of the blind? Over and over Jesus healed the physically blind during His ministry. However, often when He is healing the blind the Gospel authors put in juxtaposition to the blind the spiritual leaders of His day. They are the true blind. Indeed, when Paul sees Jesus he is struck blind. This was to show that although he could see, he was blind. Yet in turning to Christ he was healed of his blindness. Thus, He came to heal the physically blind and the spiritually blind, all those who would turn to Him.
Next Jesus refers to another prophecy of Isaiah, that those who were oppressed would go free.
“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?”
Isaiah 58:6 (NRSVue)
I believe this is a reference to the work of Christ in setting us free from sin. We are no longer bound to sin, as a master, but we are free! We are free to live in righteousness and serve God! In other words, we were, once again, a slave to a “foreigner”, but now we are released.
This is the work of Christ! He sets us free! We look to Him and we worship Him because of what He has done. This is the good news that must be shared with all, that our Messiah has died and resurrected so that we would no longer remain poor in spirit, bound to the foreign gods, walking about in blindness, and chained up in our sins. He has set us free from this all.
We find in Christ the Jubilee that was never kept, we find in Him the true Jubilee! We are free, we are no longer slaves. Let us rejoice in Him. We do not have to wait for the fiftieth year, because when we swear allegiance to Him, when we trust in Him for our salvation, we find true freedom.
Live as those who are free, live as those who find peace, love, and joy in God. Let the Holy Spirit be with us and so spread this great news to those around us!
Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-
Leviticus 25:1 The commands for the Sabbath year.
Leviticus 25:8 The commands for the Jubilee, the return of property, redemption of property.
Leviticus 25:35 Support your poor relatives. Family that becomes servants shall be free at the year of Jubilee.
Leviticus 25:44 The laws of foreign slaves.
Leviticus 25:47 Hebrew servants may be redeemed by their family.
Leviticus 25:54 Servants are set free at the Year of Jubilee.
Leviticus 26:1 The reward for obedience and faithfulness.
Leviticus 26:14 The curse of the law.
Leviticus 26:40 The Lord will have mercy on those who repent.
Leviticus 27:1 The valuation of offerings.
Leviticus 27:28 Restriction on selling or redeeming anything devoted to destruction.
Leviticus 27:31 The law of redemption of tithes.
Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-
Jeremiah 16:19 The nations shall come to Yahweh instead of their idolatry.
Jeremiah 17:1 Judah’s sin is written on their hearts and Judah will be punished.
Jeremiah 17:5 Cursed is the man who trusts in man but blessed is the man who trusts in Yahweh.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is wicked and the Lord searches it and judges their deeds.
Jeremiah 17:14 Jeremiah cries out for healing and salvation.
Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-
Matthew 16:20 Jesus tells his disciples not to tell anyone that He is the Messiah yet.
Matthew 16:21 Jesus explains that He must suffer in Jerusalem and die and be resurrected and He rebukes Peter.
Matthew 16:24 Jesus calls His disciples to follow Him in taking up their cross.
References-
Jacob Milgrom, Leviticus 23–27: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 3B of Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 2162–2166, 2245–2247.
Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 210–211.
John Nolland, Luke 1:1–9:20, vol. 35A of Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1989), 197.
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