Ruth 3:1-5; 4:3-17
Coming up to Advent, we have some wonderful readings, two of which we have just heard; the truly wonderful stories of Ruth and Naomi and the gospel account of the widow and her two measly copper coins.
We have been speaking much about the Kingdom of Heaven and the obvious thing that connects these passages is that the Kingdom here is coming through and by way of widows – who along with orphans the Old Testament describes as those most in need and care from the community.
This was so in Jesus’ day as well as Ruth’s, c. 900 or 1,000 years earlier.
Both are stories of how God uses the culture of the times to do his will in our society and teach us how we are supposed to care for each other.
In Old Testament times, the Law of Moses stated that the poor, orphans and widows were to be cared for, but in most cases the care that was provided was the bare minimum that was required.
E.g., farmers did a first harvest, but they were to leave the grain that had fallen to the ground and not put on the carts for the widows and orphans, who would gather up the crumbs of the leftover harvest - called ‘gleaning.’
That was what Ruth and Naomi were doing in the field. They were gleaning the grain that was left for widows such as Naomi.
Now Naomi and Ruth had a big problem. They were both widows and both Naomi’s sons are dead before Ruth had any children, so it was just Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth.
Naomi needed to do something, so she played matchmaker by encouraging Ruth to ‘introduce’ herself to her distant relative Boaz, who happened to own the field that they were working in.
Ruth followed Naomi’s advice, and the result was that she and Boaz married and became the parents of Obed, who became the father of Jesse, who became the father of King David, and from that lineage of David came Jesus.
Now the Lord famously said to Samuel concerning this same David; that God looks at the heart only and not what things appear to be.
God took a bad situation for the widow Naomi through her widowed daughter-in-law Ruth who had given Naomi her very life, and used it to fulfill his purpose in establishing the whole Davidic covenant of which Jesus is the fulfilment.
This is God’s perfect Law in action, and it is enacted by widows.
In our gospel today, during the week of his crucifixion, Jesus contrasts the hearts of those who bring offerings to the temple, in order to teach the disciples the true value of giving. The giving of money and also the giving of a whole life.
Jesus is teaching his disciples to beware of those who look great; so seemingly good and successful on the outside but are evil and corrupt inside. He uses the scribes (lawyers) as an example - they wore long flowing robes and enjoyed the privileges of their position.
They enjoyed the adoration they received from the ordinary people in the street, and they had the best seats in the synagogues.
They also used crooked schemes falsely interpreting the sacred law God gave to Moses and that had served Ruth and Naomi so well, and of which Jesus said, “woe to those who change the slightest stroke of one letter of the Law.”
Unfortunately, our governments and corporation and, in fact most people, do not have a heart to love and serve God, and often stand between us and God. Even now, somewhere, a widow is losing their house and using modern scribes to do it.
In contrast, all three widows reveal a wonderful depth of faith that God is a caring and compassionate God. A faith that God sees them and will not and has not overlooked them.
He did not overlook them, and he does not overlook us. The widows encourage us to hold on to our faith in a God who will not disappoint us.
Now the treasury contained thirteen trumpet-shaped chests where people could deposit their gifts and the temple tax. Jesus could see how much money people gave.
The wealthy gave out of their abundance. That is, they gave out of what they had left after they paid their bills and purchased the necessities of life, including food. In contrast, the poor widow gave all that she had.
It meant that she probably had to do without at least one meal. In Jesus’ eyes, she gave more than all the rich people simply because she gave everything to God.
The great metaphor here and is constantly made by Jesus is that the way the widow gave in the treasury, is the way we give our lives to Jesus; leaving nothing behind.
We also come to the uncomfortable conclusion that God measures giving not by what we give, but by what we keep for ourselves.
He measures the gift by the sacrifice involved. That is why Jesus valued the widow’s gift. She sacrificed her well-being in order to show her love for God - just as Jesus showed his love for us by dying on the cross to save us.
Ruth also sacrificed her own plans for her life to stay with her mother-in-law, and God rewarded her and Naomi by making them great-grandmothers of King David. If Ruth and Naomi, the widow, and Jesus can make sacrifices for others, then we can make little sacrifices for others too.
These widows show that love and giving describe our lifestyle and what we were made for. Life is meant to be lived outward to the world, not inward to ourselves. God has hardwired us for generosity.
When we live generously, it shows in our faces and in our lives.
Now here is the thing, when we live a sacrificial life like Ruth did, all around us are blessed. Listen again to what the women of the neighbourhood remind Naomi about what has flowed from God’s blessing of Ruth:
“Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you today without next of kin; may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher in your old age. Because your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him” (Ruth 4:14-15).
Now Ruth is simply the best love story in the bible, yet this is the only time the word ‘love’ is used, and it refers to the love Ruth has borne to Naomi. In addition, the women add the claim that Ruth is worth more than seven sons, a patriarchal mouthful to be sure!
The child born is grandfather of King David, but that is not the key to this story. The key is Ruth and her deep devotion, her love, for Naomi; that is what drives the tale, the same great overriding love for the Lord that the widow in the treasury had. Let me pray...