Sharon H. Ringe

“Forgiveness" in the Jubilee traditions is at heart a political word. The images by which forgiveness is presented in those traditions are of people set free from the dehumanising effects of social role definitions (Luke 7:36-50; 19:1-10), from the stigma as well as the physical consequences of disease (Isa. 61:1-2; Mark 2:1-12), and from the vicious cycle of economic oppression (Leviticus 25; Matt. 18:23-35). The traditions in which these images are found point to an actual change of circumstances for those who suffer, and thus to a change in the power relationship between oppressor and oppressed. Far from being an easy of cheap route of escape for the privileged, "forgiveness" becomes their "liberty" as well, whether that be the genuine liberty marked by acts of justice or the "liberty" of the consequences of business as usual (Jer. 34:17). As the satrap discovered (Matt. 18:23-25), if one opts to live with the pattern of forgiveness, that choice must govern those situations from which one benefits as well as those where one's own debt is insurmountable.”
― Sharon H. Ringe, Jesus, Liberation, and the Biblical Jubilee: Images for Ethics and Christology

“The images of the Jubilee traditions highlight the fact that in Christ people are met by the healing, freeing, redeeming presence of God at their points of greatest pain. The redemptive work of Christ is depicted as touching all of human life. The Jubilee images point towards God's liberating and healing intent wherever institutions, customs, or physical conditions are seen to limit human life. Divisions between sacred and secular are removed. The political, economic, and social realities of life do not provide mere illustrations of the way in which God's reign is experienced. Rather they are identified as the precise arenas where the impact of God's reign is felt.”
― Sharon H. Ringe, Jesus, Liberation, and the Biblical Jubilee: Images for Ethics and Christology