In Japanese Buddhism, a deceased soul wanders between the world of the living and the dead for 49 days. Every 7 days for 7 weeks, the soul is judged. Memorial ceremonies are also held during these days. Hōyū marks the day when the soul enters Paradise. It is only after this day that mourning ends for the bereaved.
Interestingly, Hōyū has similarities with the Jubilee year. Jubilee came once every 49 years. All land was returned to their original owners. All bond servants were released. Also, the land of Israel typologically symbolizes the new heavens and new earth. So, in the same way, it is as if the forgiven Israelite was given Paradise.
Compare Hōyū with Jubilee. In Hōyū, the Buddhist is judged on their own merits whether they may enter Paradise. Family and friends help them along the way by remembering the good the deceased has done. Only if judged worthy, will they enter Paradise. Not so with the Jubilee. If you made a bad business deal, if you fell on hard times, even if you sinned, no matter. You were forgiven. Your land was returned. You were released from your debts. God proclaimed liberty in the land! Not because you were worthy. In fact, the Jubilee year most helped those who were probably the most unworthy: the foolish, the impetuous, the greedy. But they are redeemed due to God’s grace! The Jubilee, of course, pointed to and is fulfilled in Christ (Luke 4:16-22)!
Bible Reading
“You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan. That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines. For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you. You may eat the produce of the field.
“In this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his property. And if you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another. You shall pay your neighbor according to the number of years after the jubilee, and he shall sell to you according to the number of years for crops.
Leviticus 25:8-15
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
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 4:18-21
Prayer Prompts
- Please pray that Japanese Buddhists will recognize their inability to attain heaven on their own merits.
- Please pray that Japanese Buddhists will recognize their need for a Savior.
- Please pray that Japanese Buddhists will hear and believe upon the finished work of our Jubilee Savior, Christ.
The ESV Bible. Crossway, 2001, www.esv.org/.