Isaiah 59:20
“The Redeemer will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”
declares the Lord.
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 59:15-21
Jesus is the Redeemer that will come to Zion. As a reminder, the kinsman-redeemer was established by God in his law to Moses:
“If one of your fellow Israelites becomes poor and sells some of their property, their nearest relative is to come and redeem what they have sold” (Lev 25:25).
“If a foreigner residing among you becomes rich and any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to the foreigner or to a member of the foreigner’s clan, they retain the right of redemption after they have sold themselves. One of their relatives may redeem them: An uncle or a cousin or any blood relative in their clan may redeem them. Or if they prosper, they may redeem themselves. They and their buyer are to count the time from the year they sold themselves up to the Year of Jubilee” (Lev 25:47-50).
The idea is that people and properties were to remain with God’s people. If they became poor and had to sell their property or even themselves to survive, a kinsman was to buy it or them back so that they didn’t fall under foreign control. However, the kinsman-redeemer had to be related, willing and financially able to redeem what had been sold.
Jesus checked all of those boxes when he came to redeem Israel and all of us as well:
“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people” (Heb 2:14-17).
“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:9-14).
Jesus was flesh and blood just like us. He was one of Abraham’s decedents making him a kinsman. He was willing to redeem us even though he knew the world wouldn’t recognize him as their kinsman. And he was able to do it. He was fully human in every way but also fully God in every way. He was the only one who could pay for us – redeem us – to keep us from remaining under the foreign control of him who holds the power of death.
Not only did the kinsman-redeemer need to be related, willing and able, but we must be willing to accept Jesus redemption as well. All we need to do is receive him and believe in his name in order to become children of God – brothers and sisters of Jesus our Redeemer.
“I know that my redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25-27).
Christ in the Old Testament 
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