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Ruth 4:1-8: Place Jesus At Center Stage, For He Is The One It Was Always Meant To For

Place Jesus At Center Stage, For He Is The One It Was Always Meant To For

(Inspired by notes from a message preached by *Jesse-Meekins* at Kishwaukee Bible Church 12-20-20)

Ruth 4:1-8                                    Kevin E. Jesmer

Key Verse: 4:8                                             12-23-20

                   “So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, ‘Buy it yourself.’ And he removed his sandal.”  (ESV)

      Today, in the advent calender, we light the candle of joy. This reminds us, as God’s people, when the promise to send Jesus into the world is fulfilled, we catch a taste of heavenly joy that we have never experienced before. The birth of Jesus is not he first time that people experienced joy in the expectation of the coming of the Savior. Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem empty handed after the death of their husbands, only to be surprised by the lavish love of God demonstrated to them in the life of Boaz. Naomi experienced the love of God and that love inspired her to think that maybe Ruth and Boaz could make a match and the family they had lost could somehow be replaced. If only they were aware of the greater story that was folding. Ruth was going to be the grandmother of King David and Jesus, the Savior, would come through the house and line of David.

     But still, in Ruth chapter 4, there appeared a possibility to derail this “Cinderella” story that was unfolding.  Let’s see how God intervened to ensure that his plan that would bring true joy to the world…would unfold…Let’s see.

      One of the saddest things to have been lost in this COVID pandemic, is the Christmas pageant. These pageants are where we are excited to see our kids performing. Sometimes what we see leaves us in shock and roaring in laughter. Especially when we see the main characters in the play going “rogue” as they scramble to take center stage. At times anarchy can ensure as the kids ignore the baby quietly resting in the manger. Why is so uproariously funny? It is because the baby Jesus and the scene in the manger is what the pageant is all about. The kids’ hijinks are taking away from what should be the obvious focus. The best pageant occurs when someone steps aside and surrenders the stage to the one whom it was meant for and chooses to uphold Christ instead.

      But the image of the Christmas pageant can also capture what Christmas is all about for many of us. In a sense, we are all vying for center stage in life, while the baby Jesus lies next to us. For too many of us, Christmas is not about Christ and his glory and the joy that upholding this Jesus brings. It is all about upholding our own glory and seeking joy from turning the limelight on ourselves. This never works.  This passage helps us examine what we risk if we fail to give up center stage the one it is meant for. One person tries to take center stage and suffers for it.

      Look at verses 1-4, “Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, ‘Come over here, my friend, and sit down.’ So he went over and sat down. 2 Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, ‘Sit here,’ and they did so. 3 Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. 4 I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.’ ‘I will redeem it,’ he said.”

     Boaz wanted to be the kinsman redeemer for Naomi and Ruth. But there was something hindering his plan. There was one man who had the legal right to become the kinsman redeemer before Boaz. Boaz knew this and he had a plan. He was going to set out in the morning to put his plan into play.  

     Boaz came to the city gate to deal with the issue of being a kinsman redeemer. The city gate was where the elders met to discuss legal matters. Boaz knew that a certain man would be there and the place was the right venue to carry out such a discussion. And so, he sat at the gate waiting for him to come along. When he showed up Boaz initiated the conversation.

     Boaz call him “friend” (1). Boaz didn’t refer to him by name. It was not an endearing phrase made by one who is a close friend. It was impersonal. The English translation from this Hebrew word for “friend” here, can be translated as “Mr. So and So.” One thing is for certain, there was no recollection on who that person was. His name is forgotten in the antiquities of time. That will be significant.

     The stage was set for this courtroom drama to begin. Boaz gathered ten elders to listen the case (2). The presentation is found in verses 3-4, “Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, ‘Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. 4 I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.’ ‘I will redeem it,’ he said.”

      Land was very valuable in that agrarian society. If you had land then you had power, influence and security. Naomi was a daughter of the Israelites. She and her husband were allowed to have a piece of land in Israel. It was part of their inheritance. Acquiring the land was a means of keeping her dead husband’s name and lineage alive among the Israelites, and not only the name of her husband, but also the name of her son’s. Naomi had the right to land, but she didn’t have the money. She needed someone to buy the land on her account. The man could purchase the land, but that means he would have to take care of the widow, Naomi.

      The wheels started to turn in this man’s mind. He thought that for a little “buy in”, he could receive a big reward. He could get land and farm it, year after year and make a lot of money. And since Naomi was a widow and elderly, he would not have to produce children by her and name a son after her dead husband. This whole situation was a chance to expand his kingdom a little bit more. And so, he made a decision, saying “I will redeem it.”  (4). He decided with clarity, confidence and without question. When he does this, our hearts sink a little, for Mr. “So and So” ‘s decision seemed to derail this Cinderella Story.

       But then God inspires Boaz to throw a “Hail Mary” pass to save the day. Look at verse 5, “5 Then Boaz said, ‘On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”  Boaz meant to bring a certain legal technicality to this whole interaction. It included the part about Ruth. Boaz reminded “Mr. So and So”, that if he decides to be Naomi’s kinsman redeemer, he would not only have to take care of the widow, Naomi, but also care for and produce children for Ruth’s husband, through Ruth. This stopped his plans. It meant that “Mr. So and So” would have to give up center stage and live for another person, having a child and perpetuating a name that was not his own. Not only that, Ruth was also a Moabite.

       The man changed his mind. Look at verses 6-8, “6 At this, the guardian-redeemer said, ‘Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.’ 7 (Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.) 8 So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, ‘Buy it yourself.’ And he removed his sandal.”  His issue with the whole deal was that he did not want to risk his estate.

      Ideally, if he was a man who put God first, he should have accepted the calling to care for the aging widow. He should have accepted his role to perpetuate the name of the deceased sons of Israel. He should have accepted God’s will in the matter and make the necessary sacrifices to do his duty before God. But he was not that kind of man. He thought about his own estate, his wealth, his name and the inheritance he would be passing onto his own children.  When he considered this, he declared, “I cannot redeem it.” He was not willing to take the risk for someone else.   In other words, he was not able to step back and give up vying for center stage for himself. He needed to give it up for Naomi, Ruth and their dead husbands and ultimately for God’s glory.  But he could not.

      It is sort of like this in our society. What if you have amassed riches and built up a company? Then a tragedy happens where some kids, who are not your own, have lost their parents. You are in a position to adopt them, bringing them into your family and making them your own legal children. You are about to do this, but then you are reminded by your own wife and kids that these adopted kids will never have a part in the inheritance. There is a lot of pressure placed on you and you baulk and change your mind about adopting, in order to save your wealth for yourself and your blood relatives. You let the orphans go. It is not such a beautiful story. Doesn’t it leave a pit in our stomach?

   There were repercussions for this man’s decision. Yes, in the short term, he may have protected his estate for a couple decades. But in the long term, even though he was a rich land owner, a man of standing, today he is forgotten. He is the unnamed one, “Mr. So and So”, who failed to step up and allow someone else to take center stage so that God may work out his plan. That is exactly what will happen to anyone who is only vying for center stage, taking it from the one it was always meant to be for. They risk losing everything. They would not even be acknowledged as one who had even been on stage!

     Jesus is the one who is to be on center stage. When we step back and allow Jesus to take center stage, then we share the joy of being there with Jesus, giving him the glory. If we leave center stage for Christ, think of what we have to gain. We share in the joy of Jesus being revealed!  We can have the joy that comes from being remembered by God. We will be remembered for what we have done for Christ. If we live for self, we will risk losing any acknowledgment that we were “on the stage” at all, both in this world and in the hallowed halls of heaven.

        First, don’t focus on perpetuating your own name. If you live for only vying for center stage you risk losing everything, especially the very thing that you are trying to preserve.

        Second, rejoice that you are called to reveal the one for which the stage is reserved. Center stage was always meant for Jesus. It is not about what you stand to gain. You are simply invited to play your part alongside others. Remember, you are welcomed on the stage to uphold Jesus. You, who were once an outsider, now have been made an insider. Your former train wreck of a life has been redeemed and now it is your turn to give glory to the Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

    Third, follow Jesus’ example, for he himself gave up center stage. The Son was given center stage by the Father.  But yet Jesus is the one who willingly gave up center stage, embracing the scorn of the cross. He gave up all the glory, power and majesty of the Kingdom of Heaven, to willing entered into this world as a tiny, poor, helpless baby in a manger. He suffered, died and rose again. Jesus gave up everything so that we can be found in him and gain the joy of salvation. The Father raised this Jesus from the dead and gave him the name that is above every other name. That at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and person cease from vying for center stage any longer.




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