Have you ever heard the phrase, “You don’t just marry the person, you marry the whole family”? It is true. The character Ruth in the Old Testament book which bears her name is a good example of someone who took to heart the obligation of marrying the whole family. Her faithfulness to her widowed mother-in-law Naomi even after Naomi suggested that Ruth return to her mother and stay in her homeland has been lifted up as an example of true family devotion through the centuries. Ruth’s pledge of undying commitment to Naomi has become a popular declaration included in weddings even today. 

In this third week of Advent, we are remembering the story of Ruth because she is the third woman mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus (see Matt. 1). Interestingly, Ruth’s presence in the list of Jesus’ ancestors brings up just as many questions as did the inclusion of Tamar and Rahab which Matthew also included (see previous two blog posts). Some commentators have said that Matthew wanted his Jewish audience to begin to see the reality of the church including Gentiles.

Ruth was from the country of Moab and was called a Moabite woman in the scripture. The country of Moab was where Naomi’s husband had chosen to take his wife and two sons when the country of Judah had a famine. The Jewish law forbade Jews from marrying Moabites (see Deut. 23:3), and yet Naomi’s husband allowed his sons to marry Moabite women. One was Ruth and the other was Orpah. While the family was still in Moab, Naomi’s husband died and soon after, her two sons died. This left three childless widows. Naomi decided to return to her hometown of Bethlehem in Judah and gave her daughters-in-law permission to return to their mother’s homes in hopes they would marry again. Orpah agreed and went home. Ruth, on the other hand, pledged to remain with Naomi and go wherever she went and be her family till death and even chose to worship Naomi’s God, Yahweh. 

When they returned to Judah, Naomi sent Ruth into the field to glean some grain. When Naomi realized whose field Ruth had worked, she encouraged Ruth to make herself available to the owner of the field, Boaz.  Apparently, Boaz was flattered and wanted to marry Ruth. However, he had to follow Jewish law of allowing the closest kinsman the first right to marry Ruth. When he refused, Boaz became the kinsman-redeemer for Ruth and Naomi. Ruth and Boaz had a son and named him Obed who would grow up to become the father of Jesse who would later become the father of David, Israel’s greatest king. 

Ruth’s Moabite heritage entered into the Jewish ancestry of Jesus, once again causing his lineage to be anything but pure Jewish. Yet, Ruth’s willingness to remain with her mother-in-law allowed her to be one of the women who saved Christmas for all of us by becoming a vital link in Jesus’ family line. 

Now that Christmas is upon us this next week, some of you may be preparing to deal with some difficult people in the family you married. For others, this may be your first Christmas without a particular loved one. Holidays can be disappointing if we’re expecting the picture-perfect Norman Rockwell scene or Hallmark expressions of sappy sentiments from everyone. Just as Jesus’ family line wasn’t perfect and Jesus’ birth didn’t really happen on a silent night, neither will your Christmas celebration be flawless. Yet, we can all make deliberate choices that will affect others in a positive way, as Ruth did, and we may discover some unexpected blessings in the midst of the disappointment, just as Ruth did. 

Merry Christmas! 

Painting is by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Ruth in Field with Boaz, Source: Wikimedia Public Domain