“Ruth: Kindness for Kindness Sake?" Ruth 2: 1-13; Matthew 4: 12-17, 23
A few years ago, a friend of mine who is a teacher, asked her middle school class who their role models were. And the results of this were…terrifying. She recounted how they said rappers, social media influencers, disgraced felonious athletes, and even the Kardashians. She literally put her head in her hands and said, “Not one role model mentioned was what I hoped for. Not MLK, not a president, or doctor, a Ghandi, or person who made some great change in the world. Kardashians. Cardi B., and Diddy. Geez, these poor kids.”
Indeed, with social media, television, and constant communication and contact, American youth don't hear about great trail blazers, those who stood for civil rights, justice, ending oppression, leading the faithful to make great changes for those in need, and kindness simply for the sake of kindness. No one in her class even said a Biblical figure, and both of us would have thought Jesus would make at least one of the 25 students’ list. Who we look up to often defines how we are and our own character.
When it comes to role models, we must choose wisely because we tend to emulate them. Musicians often do this. They find a person with a style they like and try to play similarly. It is said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. In our continuing series on Ruth, we see two such people who would make great role models: Ruth and Boaz.
e already established that Ruth is a loving and faithful person. She willingly gave up returning to a life of ease in Moab to go to Bethlehem with Naomi to care for and provide for her in Naomi’s older age. The problem for Ruth and Naomi is that they have no way of owning their land or providing for themselves. In this ancient society, all power and rights were vested with men, so widows and single women lost all ability to be working and contributing members of society. Women were defined by their relationship to their husband.
Naomi and Ruth had very scant options for supporting themselves without a marriage. One was illegal, and the other two were begging and gleaning from the harvest behind the workers. Begging was greatly frowned upon. But it was custom for the workers to leave behind some grains for the poor in society and for the foreign resident. The commentary uses the phrase “resident alien.” Yet we also hear that there is danger in this—the workers could have been rough with Ruth. Treated her unkindly or even assaulted her. She was risking her own self to provide for Naomi out of love and devotion.
Boaz, to his credit, is also a person worthy of being a role model. He comes out to the fields and sees Ruth. I think it is safe to say that he fell in love at first sight. Boaz goes out of his way to make Ruth’s life easier. She is allowed to glean as much as she wants. He tells the workers to treat her kindly. He allows her to drink from the well, which might not have gone over well. And he gives her tips on when and how to pick the wheat and barley.
Just like Ruth was not obligated to care for Naomi, Boaz was not obligated to be this extraordinarily kind to Ruth. He’s heard of how kindness to Naomi. Boaz is somehow connected to Elimelech. It is not fully clear how. He could be a close friend in the same trial group, or he could be blood related. The story is not entirely clear what degree of closeness he has. What is clear, is that he was not close enough that he owed any obligation to Naomi or Ruth. Every single act of kindness and generosity he showed them was out of his own abundance of kindness, not because law or custom required it.
Ruth even questions the motives that Boaz has. She asks him, “What have I done to deserve such kindness?” Boaz tells her that it is now well known the kindness she showed Naomi—how she gave up the easy life to live as a widow in hardship, in a country and people who were very prejudiced against her. It is clear that Ruth has already experienced some of the cruelty that follows this. She doesn’t just say thank you. Her words are, “You have comforted me by speaking so kindly to me, even though I am not one of your workers.” Her expectation was cruelty, but in Boaz, she was met with kindness.
Boaz has a sense of maturity, though. He is older than Ruth. The commentaries indicate that based on his speech patterns and calling her “daughter,” that it would have been noticeable that he was older than her. He is probably closer to being Naomi’s contemporary. He is also influential. So, for him to show this kindness shows both his wisdom and willingness to go counter to the prevailing prejudices of the day against the Moabites. He was kind to her literally for the sake of being kind, and because he believed it to be the right thing to do.
When it comes to role models, we also have a very clear directive in following Jesus. Just like Ruth followed God when God called her out of her home and idols, we are called to follow Jesus, our Savior and our role model. Matthew 4 tells us that Jesus went around doing three things: he preached that people should repent of their wrongs, he taught and spoke the Good News, and he healed people of their suffering.
Jesus is the perfect role model for us. Following Jesus helps us practice forgiveness and teach it to others. Following Jesus helps us to teach good news in a world wearied by misery and general worry. Following Jesus encourages us to act in ways that heal those around us instead of continuing in strife and pain. Sometimes we have no idea how much a kind word, a loving prayer, or a little bit of food can truly show Jesus to another person. People see and experience Jesus in and through us. It breaks my heart these days, when politics and faith have become so toxically intermingled, to hear people run from or fear faith because the Christians have been so un-Christlike.
Ruth did not have to be kind to Naomi. She could have taken the easy road out. Boaz did not have to be kind to Ruth. He could have told the Moabite women to get out of his fields because only Jews would glean the grain there. Jesus did not have to go to a cross. God could have just rolled the eyes and wiped earth off the universe. But in each of these people and these lessons, we see kindness shown for no other reason than for the sake of kindness and because God was working in and through these people.
The Ruth story leaves us with a demanding question. Who in our world, like Naomi and Ruth, have no choice but to live on the scraps left over when those in control of all the basic resources of life have taken everything they want? In a world where we are not obligated to be kind and generous, who needs us to show kindness for the sake of kindness just like Ruth did and Boaz did. Who needs to see Jesus in us? And especially, who needs to see Jesus in us because every other time someone came in the name of Jesus, it hurt them?
Friends, the story of Ruth and Boaz is a story that calls us to be role models. In a world filled with Kardashians, ridiculous celebrities, social media sycophants, and all manner of insanity, how refreshing would it be for others to simply see Jesus living in and through us? We may not have a million followers on Instagram, but we can be the best role models of faith that Jesus calls us to be.
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