In the foregoing messages we covered the first three sections of the Gospel of Luke: the introduction (1:1-4), the preparation of the Man-Savior in His humanity with His divinity (1:5—4:13), and the ministry of the Man-Savior in His human virtues with His divine attributes (4:14—19:27) both in Galilee (4:14—9:50) and on the way from Galilee to Jerusalem (9:51—19:27). Now we come to the fourth section of this Gospel—the Man-Savior’s presentation of Himself to death for redemption (19:28—22:46). After the Savior finished His ministry in 19:27, the time came for Him to go up to Jerusalem to present Himself to the death ordained by God for the accomplishment of eternal redemption.
The Lord’s transfiguration on the mountaintop took place toward the end of His ministry in Galilee. The purpose of that transfiguration as reported in the Gospel of Luke was to show the disciples that for the enjoyment of the jubilee there is the need of transformation signified by transfiguration. After completing His ministry in Galilee, the Man-Savior began to make the long journey from Galilee to Jerusalem.
While the Lord was making the journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, He had a number of talks with His disciples. In those talks certain main things were covered. First, the Lord showed the disciples how to receive God’s salvation. Then He revealed to them how to serve God. To receive God’s salvation is to enjoy His jubilee today in the age of grace. Serving God qualifies us to enter into the coming kingdom to enjoy the jubilee in the next age. At least five times in the Gospel of Luke the Lord speaks concerning how to follow Him and serve Him so that we may be qualified to enter into the coming kingdom and enjoy the jubilee in the next age. He speaks of this in chapters fourteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen, where He gives the parable of the servants who received gifts with which to serve Him (19:11-27). As servants who have received gifts from the Lord, we need to make a profit for Him so that we may be qualified to inherit the earth and rule over it as kings. Participating in the coming jubilee in the millennium, therefore, will be a reward to the overcoming saints.
The Man-Savior’s ministry was carried out first in Galilee. It began with His proclaiming the jubilee of grace, and it continued until His transfiguration. The Lord’s transfiguration signifies that all His followers need to be transformed in order to share in the enjoyment of the jubilee. After completing His ministry in Galilee, the Lord left Galilee for Jerusalem. On the way from Galilee to Jerusalem, He repeatedly taught His disciples and followers how to take God’s salvation, that is, how to receive the kingdom of God, which is actually the Man-Savior Himself, in order to enter into the enjoyment of the jubilee today. The Lord also taught them that to follow Him and serve Him, we need to renounce material things. We must overcome all distractions and frustrations so that we may love Him to the uttermost and serve Him faithfully. Then we shall be qualified to enter into the kingdom in the coming age and have the full participation of the jubilee in the millennium.
We all need to see that enjoying Christ as the kingdom of God in this age qualifies us to enjoy Him as the jubilee in the next age. In other words, the present enjoyment of Christ qualifies us to enjoy Him in a further way in the coming age. However, thousands and even millions of those who believe in the Lord and who have received His salvation do not enjoy Him. This failure to enjoy the Lord today will disqualify them from enjoying Him as the jubilee in the coming age. We need to be impressed with the fact that today’s enjoyment of Christ qualifies us to have the enjoyment of the jubilee in the next age and even ushers us into this enjoyment. Therefore, let us learn to enjoy Christ in the church life so that we may be qualified to enjoy Him in the kingdom age.
The jubilee proclaimed by the Lord Jesus in chapter four of Luke is of three stages: first, the stage of grace in this age; second, the stage of the kingdom in the coming age; and third, the stage of the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth for eternity. These are the three stages of the enjoyment of the jubilee. The jubilee in this age is a foretaste. The jubilee in the coming age will be fuller than today’s jubilee. Ultimately, in the New Jerusalem we shall enjoy the jubilee to the fullest extent for eternity. There all believers will enjoy Christ as the jubilee. For eternity there will be a testimony that the Lord Jesus is our jubilee, that He has set us free from bondage and has brought us into the full enjoyment of the processed Triune God.