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Day 17: The Redeemer Who Welcomes the Outsider
Scripture:
Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women.9 Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.”10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”
Ruth 2:8-10
What’s the last thing you've been surprised by? Has it been by a friend or some kind of situation that went a lot better than you thought it would? I’m sure there’s a time where you thought things weren’t going to go well or something bad was going to happen, but it turned out a lot better than you had anticipated. It was a surprise in a good sense. All of us love these kinds of surprises. We love it when the worst doesn’t happen and we encounter great good.
Week 3 is about the Redeemer who sees. Today, we see that He doesn’t just see, but He also welcomes. The good news for you today is that Jesus doesn’t just notice the weary and overlooked, but He draws them in close, often in ways that surprise them with grace. I hope you’re ready today to be surprised by His grace.
In our story today, Ruth gets a surprise. Up until this point, life has been pretty challenging for her. As we’ve traced out her journey to this point, we’ve been reminded of the difficulties that she’s had to face. But if she comes to the field on that day, she has to face another difficulty. We saw yesterday that she made a very bold request to gather grain from what had already been harvested. Now, she has to meet the owner of the field who will give her an answer to a question. She’s not sure what that answer is going to be.
Maybe you know this feeling. Life has been hard for a long time, and you’ve learned not to expect much good. So when you’ve been worn down, you brace for disappointment and you almost anticipate bad news. But the Redeemer who sees also welcomes, and sometimes His welcome comes in moments you never expect or in ways that you never saw coming.
It would’ve been very easy for Ruth to assume that the worst was going to happen. After all, she was a Moabite, not a native Israelite. It would’ve been expected for Boaz to be rude to her and to not grant her request. It would be very easy for her to try and figure out a plan on her own that wasn’t God’s way to meet her needs. But as we saw, she doesn’t do this. She’s willing to give it to the Lord and wait for Him to work.
Boaz begins his response with kindness, addressing her with the tenderness and care of a father, He asks her to pay careful attention to what he has to say. Instead of responding with rudeness or racism, Boaz’s responds with grace. He makes it clear to her that he does not want her to go to any other field. It’s really important to him for her to stay here. He doesn’t tell her this because he is trying to sinfully control her, but he tells her this because he knows that it’s in his care she will receive the best treatment. His words are filled with tenderness, not suspicion. With kindness, not distance, and welcome, not rejection. And Jesus is better because His welcome is not limited by our ethnicity, background, or baggage. He welcomes weary people with the heart of a Father.
Then he tells Ruth that he wants her to stay with his girls. In the harvest, the men would cut the grain while the women would bind it up and put it in piles. Ruth gets put into the group of women who will be tying the grain up into the piles. This doesn’t seem like a big deal unless you consider what’s happening. Ruth is being granted a status into Boaz’s household. It’s almost like a new employee who is being shown around the office and allowed to use the lunchroom and the water cooler. Even though Ruth isn’t officially part of his family, she has been being treated as if she is. This is what makes Jesus so amazing, as He doesn’t just welcome us to work, He gives us a place to belong.
Not only does Ruth get access to the more privileged status, she is also placed under the care of Boaz. She wouldn’t have had a lot of protection if she went out into the other field. The men could’ve taken advantage of her. But here in his field, she has his full protection and care. Ruth then has the privilege of going ahead of all the other gleaners to gather the grain first, so that she will be able to get the most and the best. He specifically warns the workers not to mess with her. Maybe you’ve also felt unprotected, unvalued, or unsafe in places where you hoped for care. But the Redeemer who sees also shelters. Jesus is better because He doesn’t just protect you from harm. He protects you from the lie that your life doesn’t matter and you are too much for His care.
And then Boaz invites Ruth to drink freely of the water that the men have drawn. It would’ve been expected that foreigners would have drawn the water for the Israelites and that the women would have drawn for the men. So the fact that this Moabite Ruth gets to drink from the water the men have drawn is an amazing surprise. But what’s an even better surprise than this? Jesus doesn’t just give you water from other people, He gives you the water from Himself.
Ruth has nothing to offer Boaz. She doesn’t have position or possessions to offer him. Boaz isn’t going to gain anything by helping her. There’s really nothing in it for him, because he is not doing these things based on some kind of ulterior motive. He’s simply doing them out of the generosity of his heart. And this is exactly what grace does. Grace meets us unexpectedly, and gives us the good news that we didn’t expect. Grace meets us not because we have something to give and return, but because of the character and nature of the grace giver. You see, Jesus does not welcome you because you are useful, but because you are loved.
Boaz has welcomed the outsider into his family. He has noticed the unnoticed. He has recognized the unrecognized. Even though she was technically not family, she was treated just like she was family. He does this expecting nothing in return, and out of the overflow of his goodness. But isn’t this just a little picture of what Jesus does to us? After all, Boaz’s heart reflects that of Christ. Jesus welcomes those who are not naturally part of the family to become part of it. Do you remember how He welcomed the Samaritan woman in John 4? Being an outsider is no obstacle for Jesus. Even more, being part of His family is not momentary, but is eternal.
Grace is for the outsider, for the unnoticed, for the unrecognized, just as much as it is for those whom everyone pays attention to. The beauty of grace is that it’s unexpectedly wonderful news. We know that we deserve nothing like grace, but what we receive is grace even though we are never able to pay it back or to make up for it.
Jesus is the redeemer who brings those who are strangers near. He welcomes them in, not as second class citizens, but as full blooded family members. He’s not giving you a lesser seat at the table because of your background or the baggage you’re bringing in. None of that changes the way His grace meets you.
And this is why Jesus is better: He doesn’t give you a seat at the table with conditions attached. He doesn’t welcome you reluctantly. He doesn’t hold your past against you. He welcomes you fully, freely, joyfully, as if you had always belonged. The Redeemer who sees you is the Redeemer who welcomes you. And He will not turn you away.
And this is where the story meets you today. You may feel like an outsider who is overlooked, overworked, out of place, or unsure if you belong. You may feel like your past disqualifies you, your weaknesses embarrass you, or your story sets you apart from others.
But the Redeemer who sees is the Redeemer who welcomes the outsider. Jesus is better because He doesn’t just tolerate you. No, He embraces you. He doesn’t just allow you near, kind of reluctantly. Even better, He draws you close. He doesn’t give you a backseat or view through the window. He gives you a family seat. He welcomes you fully, freely, joyfully, without hesitation or condition.
The Redeemer who welcomed Ruth welcomes you, not as a stranger, but as family. He delights to welcome you into His grace.
Pastor Josh Gerber
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