In Deuteronomy 15, Moses reminds YHWH’s command to cancel debts every seven years. Greed has always been a problem for humans – it affects our lives and the way we treat others. Instead of trying to what others owe, Jesus demands that we selflessly share his Good News because he has already taken care of our every need – that even if you do not receive what is owed, Jesus has already taken care of your every need – just as He has done for them as well.

Unifying Phrase: To Love is to be Selfless

• In a combination of justice and fairness, but also self-centered selfishness, Israel had been in the practice of holding long records of debt over the heads of their brothers and sisters who had borrowed money, goods and other possessions, so much so even that it could even lead to the point of indentured servitude.
• Yahweh commanded Israel that every seven years, that, whether they were paid in-full or not, the debts of all fellow Israelites should be cancelled and erased from the ledger. It was a reminder of what God had done for them.
• As Jesus began to preach in Nazareth, He announced that he came to 1) proclaim good news to the poor, 2) proclaim freedom for the prisoners, 3) recover sight for the blind, 4) set the oppressed free, and 5) proclaim the year of The Lord’s favor - this was said without making any distinction between Jew or Gentile.
• No matter your background, Christ has come to release you from the burden of sin.
• With your debt being erased from the ledger, you now have the ability to release others from the debts (repayments, grudges, entitlements, etc...) you have been holding over their heads.