When I read a book or watch a movie, I like it when there is a surprise ending. I love a good thriller or mystery (who-done-it). My wife, Krista, gets annoyed with me when I figure out the ending early on into a movie. I like it when I can’t. I enjoy it when the end is a surprise. As one reads the Book of Ruth, the ending is as much a surprise for us as it was for the original recipients. We discover that Ruth is the grandmother of King David and the foremother of Jesus our Redeemer.
Redemption is commonly understood as the act of purchasing back something previously sold. Redemption is the act of delivering from sin or saving from evil. We discover in the Book of Ruth that the family line of Elimelech and Ruth are redeemed through Ruth’s marriage to a righteous man named Boaz. However, on a broader plain, understanding that Ruth is a foremother of Jesus Christ makes this account a snapshot into the sacred thread weaved throughout the Scriptures leading to our redemption found only in Christ. For Israel, the Book of Ruth speaks of their establishment and redemption as a nation. David’s reign was not merely the result of his shrewd politics or his smart tactics but from divine preservation. For us Christians, the Book of Ruth speaks of how the story of Ruth anticipates, another devoted handmaiden, Mary, who gave birth to Jesus (see: Lk 1:38).
The Bible clearly teaches that everyone needs redemption. Our natural condition was characterized by guilt: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). Christ’s redemption has freed us from guilt, being “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:24). We can understand the word redeem to simply mean, “to buy out.” The term in the time of the New Testament was explicitly used about the purchase of a slave’s freedom. The application of this term to Christ’s death on the cross is quite telling. If we are “redeemed,” then our prior condition was one of slavery. God has purchased our freedom, and we are no longer slaves to sin. We are free in Christ. Jesus Christ paid the price of our redemption on the cross. When we choose to follow Him, we enter into a personal relationship with God marked by freedom.
The good news is found in God’s purpose for us. God created us to live in a right loving relationship with Him. Our problem is that our wrongness (sin) keeps us from naturally experiencing this relationship. God’s remedy is that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay for our sin on the cross so that through Him, we may experience the relationship with God for which we have been created. However, our redemption, this gift of salvation, requires a response. We must accept this gift of God, we must believe. A true Christian is a person who has honestly surrendered their life to Christ. They have turned away from his/her sin and placed their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and have received the gift of eternal life, God’s extravagant love. We find in John’s Gospel: “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). These words are just as valid for us today as when John wrote them. We can choose to either receive Christ or reject Him. The choice is ours. Redemption is offered to all of us, but we must choose. I pray you have joined me in choosing to receive Christ our loving Lord and Redeemer.
It is my privilege to be on mission with each of you. Let’s remind one another of the redemption Christ offers and experience in Him. Let’s encourage one another to share the message of freedom in Christ to the world around us. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!