If we would live a life of the highest standard of morality to participate in the New Testament jubilee and enjoy God to the uttermost, we need to be warned concerning hypocrisy, covetousness, and anxiety. We also need another warning—the warning concerning watchfulness and faithfulness. We should not be captured by religion or distracted by anxiety. Instead, we should learn to be watchful and faithful, that is, to serve our Lord, who is coming back, with watchfulness and faithfulness.
We need to pay careful attention to the third warning, for it concerns our participation in the jubilee in the coming age. In the New Testament the jubilee is of two ages: the present age, the age of grace, and the coming age, the age of the kingdom or the millennium. The jubilee in the age of grace is a foretaste of the jubilee in the age of the kingdom. However, not even the jubilee in the millennium will be the full taste of the jubilee. The fullness of the jubilee will be in the new heaven and the new earth. From this we see there are three stages of the New Testament jubilee: the first stage in the age of grace, the second stage in the age of the kingdom, and the third stage in the new heaven and new earth, when we shall participate in the eternal jubilee in the New Jerusalem.
The Lord Jesus was bringing Peter, John, James, and the other disciples into the reality of the jubilee in the age of grace. In the warnings recorded in chapter twelve there is an indication that there will be a further jubilee in the coming age. Hence, the jubilee is not only in this age of grace, but will also be in the coming age of the kingdom. The Lord seemed to be warning the disciples, “You are following Me now, and you may participate in the jubilee in this age. But you will miss the jubilee in the coming age if you are not watchful and faithful while I am absent.”
In chapter eleven we did not see anything of the jubilee in the next age. But in 12:35-48 the Lord refers to the jubilee in the coming age of the kingdom. Many believers will miss the jubilee in the next age. We may be in the jubilee in this age, but if we are not faithful in its enjoyment, we will miss the jubilee in the coming age. For this reason, in verses 35 through 38 we have a warning regarding the loss of the jubilee in the coming age.
In the jubilee we have the recovery of our inheritance. But after our inheritance, our right to enjoy the Triune God, has been recovered, we need to be watchful and faithful. Otherwise, we may lose this right again, not eternally but dispensationally in the coming kingdom. This means that in the coming age instead of enjoying our birthright in the jubilee, we shall suffer some kind of discipline, as indicated in the words “lashes” and “stripes” in verses 47 and 48.
Let us now put together the three warnings in chapter twelve—the warning of the hypocrisy of religion, the warning of covetousness and anxiety over earthly possessions, and the warning about being watchful and faithful. If we do not beware of the hypocrisy in today’s religion and covetousness and anxiety concerning material possessions, we shall not enjoy the jubilee in this age. Furthermore, we need to see that we may enjoy the jubilee in this age, but miss the enjoyment of the jubilee in the next age if we are not watchful and faithful during the Lord’s absence.
In order for us to participate in the jubilee in this age, we need the warning concerning hypocrisy in religion and covetousness and anxiety concerning possessions. If we heed these two warnings, we shall enjoy the jubilee today in the age of grace. But while we are enjoying the jubilee in the present age, we need to be watchful and faithful during the Lord’s absence. If we are not watchful and the Lord comes back and finds us not being watchful and faithful, then we shall lose the enjoyment of the coming jubilee.
Let us beware of hypocrisy in religion and of the anxiety that causes us to worry about our life, especially about food and clothing. Let us beware of these things so that we may participate in the jubilee today. Then as we are enjoying the jubilee, let us be watchful and faithful in carrying out the Lord’s commission. Otherwise, when the Lord comes back, He will find us not watching and not faithful. Then we shall lose the enjoyment of the jubilee in the coming age of the kingdom.