You might have heard us say that Jews for Jesus was established in 32 AD, give or take a year. While Jewish people certainly have been following Jesus for two millennia, our organization was founded in 1973. And by God’s grace, Jews for Jesus is about to observe our 50th anniversary, our Jubilee.

Jubilee, or Yovel as this special year is called in Hebrew, is so much more than an anniversary. It’s an appointed time in the Hebrew Scriptures full of prophetic significance and anticipation. During the months of May, June, and July, we will be marking this Jubilee year with an all-out proclamation of the gospel to 20 Jewish audiences around the world.

The people of Israel were instructed by God to “consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you” (Lev. 25:10). This proclamation of liberty—announced by the blowing of a ram’s horn—meant that slaves were freed, debts were forgiven, property was returned, and the land and the people were to rest and remember that we belong to God (v. 55).

Isaiah was anticipating something that had not yet arrived, “the year of the Lord’s favour” (Isa. 61:1). It was this very passage that Jesus read in His hometown as recorded in the book of Luke: “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 4:20-21).

Jesus was able to announce the Jubilee, God’s promise of liberty, because of what He would accomplish not just for Israel, but for the whole world. And this is why we will be marking our 50-year Jubilee with an all-out effort to proclaim liberty in Messiah. Isn’t that exactly what you would expect from Jews for Jesus?

During the months of May, June, and July, our missionaries are going to conduct special outreaches to 20 unique Jewish audiences all over the world. Each missionary team has created a special Jubilee gospel message tailored for their community, proclaiming the freedom we have in Messiah Jesus. We have such good news to share, and together we can invite people to experience the Lord’s favor this year through faith in Jesus!