By Brent DeWees

 Golf can be a frustrating sport. One day you’re at the top of your game, and the next day it feels like you’ve never swung a club. 

A Do-Over

Thankfully golf has an age-old tradition known as the “mulligan.” Simply put, it is a do-over: if you hit the ball into the woods or a pond, or if your shot bounces backwards, you can do it again by calling a mulligan. It’s a great concept. 

The Year of Jubilee was a do-over for the Israelites. Past debt and bondage were forgiven. Everyone wants a do-over from time to time, especially when our past mistakes seem to haunt us and we can find no relief. That is why God sent Christ—to offer us a do-over.

Plan for the Jubilee

The year of Jubilee required a lot of planning. If Jubilee was just a year away and you sold a field, the price would be low because it would come back to you the following year. The year after jubilee, the price would be high because the field would not return to you for 48 years. Every deal had the element of jubilee in it. Once we accept Jesus, every deal, plan, and desire we have is influenced by our relationship with Christ.

Celebrate a New Beginning

Jubilee was important to the poor and those in bondage, but some may not have liked the arrangement. A man who had spent 48 years acquiring vast lands would suddenly be without. Jesus did not come for those who thought they were already perfect or righteous. He came to save sinners, those who really needed a do-over! Luke 15:7 says, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” Now, that’s a do-over! Let’s celebrate!

Brent DeWees is the preaching minister of the Ripley Church of Christ in Ripley, West Virginia. He, his wife Diane, and son Nathanael live in Sherman, West Virginia.