From Emptiness To Fullness
Sermon
Sermons on the First Readings
Series III, Cycle B
Object:
Today, we learn from two women. The first is the woman we met last week, Ruth. Her story takes up a whole book of the Bible. We hear her speak, listen in on her deliberations, and follow her story. The second woman is nameless and speechless. She appears in only one short vignette in Mark and functions as an object lesson that Jesus uses in the gospel narrative. We are to learn from what she does. They are rather different stories, but they have two things in common: They are both about widows and they are both about values.
The story of Ruth requires a quick review. Naomi and her two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, find themselves widowed and childless. When Naomi hears that the famine in Judah has eased, she decides she will be better off there than in Moab. She encourages her daughters-in-law to stay in their homeland of Moab and start anew. Orpah is finally persuaded, but Ruth is not. Ruth is given those memorable lines, "Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die -- there will I be buried" (Ruth 1:16, 17a). With that, Naomi relents.
When they get to Judah, to the town of Bethlehem, Naomi recognizes the bitterness of their situation. She says, "I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty" (Ruth 1:21). In the face of this emptiness, Ruth sets out to keep the two of them alive by gleaning in the fields behind the reapers. It was a custom during harvest not to be so miserly as to gather up every bit of grain, but to let that which is missed lie there for the poor to pick up (not unlike the Canadian Geese that clean up the grain in the fields). In the course of her gleaning, a wealthy farmer named Boaz notices her and deals kindly with her, making sure that she is protected and gets sent home with plenty of grain.
At that time, Naomi apparently remembers that her dead husband, Elimelech, happened to have a relative, that same Boaz who had been kind to Ruth. She also realizes that she should try to find security for Ruth, who has been so faithful. So she has a plan for Ruth. "See, our kinsman Boaz will be winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes (be attractive or desirable), and go down to the threshing floor" (3:2b-3 cf). Now here comes the important point. Don't make yourself known to the man while he is preoccupied with work, tired, and dirty. But wait until he has finished eating and drinking. "When he lies down, observe the place where he lies; then, go and uncover his feet and lie down; and he will tell you what to do" (v. 4).
Now all of this may appear quite rough around the edges, a bit crude, and certainly seductive! But we need to remember that Naomi knew there was a certain family obligation here -- Boaz could be "next-of-kin," as the NRSV translates it, or the "one with the right to redeem," which is the alternative translation given in the margin. This designates the kinsman who was expected to marry the wife of a deceased member of the family, a kind of kinsman/redeemer.
In addition, there was a certain lack or emptiness in both their lives -- Boaz being a bachelor and Ruth a childless widow. What Naomi was doing was playing the go between, the matchmaker (think of the matchmaker in Fiddler On The Roof). What is important is the response of Boaz when he awoke to what was obviously a pleasant surprise.
First, he wants clarification. "Who are you?" She answered, "I am Ruth, your servant; spread the cloak of your servant, for you are next-of-kin [kinsman/redeemer]" (v. 9). Boaz sees her action as a sign of her loyalty to Naomi and to the tradition. He calls her a worthy woman for not seeking simply a rich young man, then he promises to see how he can faithfully fulfill his role as next-of-kin.
Before he can go further, Boaz must clear up what seems to be some confusion about what his rights and duties were compared to another, unnamed kinsman/redeemer. The situation is explained to this unnamed rival. He can claim the field that had belonged to Elimelech but now belongs to his widow, Naomi; but, in order to claim the field, he must take Ruth as his wife also (4:1-5). At this, the [rival] next-of-kin says, "I cannot redeem it for myself without damaging my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it" (Ruth 4:6).
With that cleared up, our text continues the story: So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. "When they came together, the Lord made her conceive, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, 'Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him' " (4:13-15).
So we see how the story has moved from barrenness to birth, from famine to feasting, from emptiness to fullness. All of this is attributed to the goodness of the Lord. Ruth has entrusted herself to the Lord and has not been disappointed. It sounds a bit like Job, doesn't it, where he gets it all back in the end? "And they lived happily ever after!" We know there is much truth to the story; it would not have lasted this long if there were not. Still, as with Job, we need to contextualize it, or complicate it, in order to avoid a shallow treatment. We can do that by looking at the gospel for today, the story of the widow's mite (Mark 12:38-44).
The story of the widow is set in the context of a judgment on material greed and preoccupation with self. There are those, like certain scribes of Jesus' day, who demand respect, walk around in long robes, and take the best seats at banquets. They even devour widows' houses, then say long prayers for appearance. Today, we dress by the dictates of fashion, buy private boxes at stadiums, ride in limousines, let the market devour widows' pensions, and use religion as a veneer for our evil. Jesus says, "They will have the greater condemnation."
Then Jesus sits down opposite the temple treasury and watches people throw in their coins. The receptacle was made of brass and shaped like a horn, so when you threw your coins in, they would make a sound as they rolled in. Many rich people put in large sums (you can imagine the racket); then a poor widow came and put in two small coins (mites), worth only a penny. Jesus makes the point, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she, out of her poverty, has put in everything she had, all she had to live on" (Mark 12:43-44).
Most of us know what abundance is. We have disposable income, money not needed for necessities, which we dispense with easily. How affluent we are is obvious from our language. Watch how the word "luxury" has become a key selling point: luxury condominiums; the luxury hotel, with all the amenities; the car with all the add-ons. Then there are the private storage bins for all we have that won't fit in our homes. So we know what it is to give out of our abundance, but she gave out of her poverty!
What are we to make of this poor widow, with no obvious means of support, who gives out of her emptiness? Empty womb, empty pockets -- but she puts in everything she had, all she had to live on. It challenges us to consider the very meaning of life. At the same time, her story also complicates our consideration, for we realize that, despite her sacrificial offering, she remains just a poor widow. There is no sudden reversal; the temple treasury does not suddenly pour wealth in her lap as though she had hit the jackpot. There is no kinsman/redeemer waiting in the wings -- except for the Lord himself.
Jesus has already shown the light of truth on our world. He teaches us the true meaning of fullness and emptiness. Those who promote themselves, devour widows' houses, and gild it all with the pretense of piety -- they will receive the greater condemnation. They are dry and empty. But Psalm 146, our psalm for today, gives words to our values. We have a God:
... who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
-- Psalm 146:7-9
It is to this Lord that we are invited to turn, first of all in our guilt and complicity, for we have been willing participants in this world of false values. At the same time, we turn to the Lord also in our helplessness. The second lesson for today, from the letter to the Hebrews (9:24-28), points us to Christ, who is our true kinsman/redeemer. It says that Christ presents himself to God "on our behalf" (v. 24). Unlike the high priest, who had to make sacrifice year after year with blood not his own, Christ has appeared once for all at the end of the age (this is the decisive move) to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. For you, for me, for all!
Then, the application is made one more time. "And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment (our lives are not without consequence), so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:27-28).
That is our hope -- to be redeemed and set free -- to live with trust in God and in God's promise. So, we sing with the psalmist,
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith for ever.
-- Psalm 146:5-6
The Lord will reign for ever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord!
-- Psalm 146:10
Amen.
The story of Ruth requires a quick review. Naomi and her two daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, find themselves widowed and childless. When Naomi hears that the famine in Judah has eased, she decides she will be better off there than in Moab. She encourages her daughters-in-law to stay in their homeland of Moab and start anew. Orpah is finally persuaded, but Ruth is not. Ruth is given those memorable lines, "Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die -- there will I be buried" (Ruth 1:16, 17a). With that, Naomi relents.
When they get to Judah, to the town of Bethlehem, Naomi recognizes the bitterness of their situation. She says, "I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty" (Ruth 1:21). In the face of this emptiness, Ruth sets out to keep the two of them alive by gleaning in the fields behind the reapers. It was a custom during harvest not to be so miserly as to gather up every bit of grain, but to let that which is missed lie there for the poor to pick up (not unlike the Canadian Geese that clean up the grain in the fields). In the course of her gleaning, a wealthy farmer named Boaz notices her and deals kindly with her, making sure that she is protected and gets sent home with plenty of grain.
At that time, Naomi apparently remembers that her dead husband, Elimelech, happened to have a relative, that same Boaz who had been kind to Ruth. She also realizes that she should try to find security for Ruth, who has been so faithful. So she has a plan for Ruth. "See, our kinsman Boaz will be winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes (be attractive or desirable), and go down to the threshing floor" (3:2b-3 cf). Now here comes the important point. Don't make yourself known to the man while he is preoccupied with work, tired, and dirty. But wait until he has finished eating and drinking. "When he lies down, observe the place where he lies; then, go and uncover his feet and lie down; and he will tell you what to do" (v. 4).
Now all of this may appear quite rough around the edges, a bit crude, and certainly seductive! But we need to remember that Naomi knew there was a certain family obligation here -- Boaz could be "next-of-kin," as the NRSV translates it, or the "one with the right to redeem," which is the alternative translation given in the margin. This designates the kinsman who was expected to marry the wife of a deceased member of the family, a kind of kinsman/redeemer.
In addition, there was a certain lack or emptiness in both their lives -- Boaz being a bachelor and Ruth a childless widow. What Naomi was doing was playing the go between, the matchmaker (think of the matchmaker in Fiddler On The Roof). What is important is the response of Boaz when he awoke to what was obviously a pleasant surprise.
First, he wants clarification. "Who are you?" She answered, "I am Ruth, your servant; spread the cloak of your servant, for you are next-of-kin [kinsman/redeemer]" (v. 9). Boaz sees her action as a sign of her loyalty to Naomi and to the tradition. He calls her a worthy woman for not seeking simply a rich young man, then he promises to see how he can faithfully fulfill his role as next-of-kin.
Before he can go further, Boaz must clear up what seems to be some confusion about what his rights and duties were compared to another, unnamed kinsman/redeemer. The situation is explained to this unnamed rival. He can claim the field that had belonged to Elimelech but now belongs to his widow, Naomi; but, in order to claim the field, he must take Ruth as his wife also (4:1-5). At this, the [rival] next-of-kin says, "I cannot redeem it for myself without damaging my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it" (Ruth 4:6).
With that cleared up, our text continues the story: So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. "When they came together, the Lord made her conceive, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, 'Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him' " (4:13-15).
So we see how the story has moved from barrenness to birth, from famine to feasting, from emptiness to fullness. All of this is attributed to the goodness of the Lord. Ruth has entrusted herself to the Lord and has not been disappointed. It sounds a bit like Job, doesn't it, where he gets it all back in the end? "And they lived happily ever after!" We know there is much truth to the story; it would not have lasted this long if there were not. Still, as with Job, we need to contextualize it, or complicate it, in order to avoid a shallow treatment. We can do that by looking at the gospel for today, the story of the widow's mite (Mark 12:38-44).
The story of the widow is set in the context of a judgment on material greed and preoccupation with self. There are those, like certain scribes of Jesus' day, who demand respect, walk around in long robes, and take the best seats at banquets. They even devour widows' houses, then say long prayers for appearance. Today, we dress by the dictates of fashion, buy private boxes at stadiums, ride in limousines, let the market devour widows' pensions, and use religion as a veneer for our evil. Jesus says, "They will have the greater condemnation."
Then Jesus sits down opposite the temple treasury and watches people throw in their coins. The receptacle was made of brass and shaped like a horn, so when you threw your coins in, they would make a sound as they rolled in. Many rich people put in large sums (you can imagine the racket); then a poor widow came and put in two small coins (mites), worth only a penny. Jesus makes the point, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she, out of her poverty, has put in everything she had, all she had to live on" (Mark 12:43-44).
Most of us know what abundance is. We have disposable income, money not needed for necessities, which we dispense with easily. How affluent we are is obvious from our language. Watch how the word "luxury" has become a key selling point: luxury condominiums; the luxury hotel, with all the amenities; the car with all the add-ons. Then there are the private storage bins for all we have that won't fit in our homes. So we know what it is to give out of our abundance, but she gave out of her poverty!
What are we to make of this poor widow, with no obvious means of support, who gives out of her emptiness? Empty womb, empty pockets -- but she puts in everything she had, all she had to live on. It challenges us to consider the very meaning of life. At the same time, her story also complicates our consideration, for we realize that, despite her sacrificial offering, she remains just a poor widow. There is no sudden reversal; the temple treasury does not suddenly pour wealth in her lap as though she had hit the jackpot. There is no kinsman/redeemer waiting in the wings -- except for the Lord himself.
Jesus has already shown the light of truth on our world. He teaches us the true meaning of fullness and emptiness. Those who promote themselves, devour widows' houses, and gild it all with the pretense of piety -- they will receive the greater condemnation. They are dry and empty. But Psalm 146, our psalm for today, gives words to our values. We have a God:
... who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
-- Psalm 146:7-9
It is to this Lord that we are invited to turn, first of all in our guilt and complicity, for we have been willing participants in this world of false values. At the same time, we turn to the Lord also in our helplessness. The second lesson for today, from the letter to the Hebrews (9:24-28), points us to Christ, who is our true kinsman/redeemer. It says that Christ presents himself to God "on our behalf" (v. 24). Unlike the high priest, who had to make sacrifice year after year with blood not his own, Christ has appeared once for all at the end of the age (this is the decisive move) to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. For you, for me, for all!
Then, the application is made one more time. "And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment (our lives are not without consequence), so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:27-28).
That is our hope -- to be redeemed and set free -- to live with trust in God and in God's promise. So, we sing with the psalmist,
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith for ever.
-- Psalm 146:5-6
The Lord will reign for ever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord!
-- Psalm 146:10
Amen.
