A Scripture scholar once commented that the genealogy in Matthew’s Gospel is one of the least-appreciated parts of the Bible. For many a preacher and congregation this list of names and “begats” elicits groans. This scholar, on the other hand, wanted to see it receive more attention. This family record of Jesus deserves our focus—if only for the assembly of interesting, and controversial, biblical characters. Essential to the list are five women whose stories are touched by unique circumstances.
One of these is Ruth, a pagan woman, who was widowed, along with her sister and her Hebrew mother-in-law, Naomi. When Naomi urges her daughters-in-law to go and seek new husbands among their own people, Ruth refuses. She chooses to accompany Naomi back to the land of Israel. There, she becomes part of the story of our salvation, as the woman who will be the grandmother of King David and an ancestor of Jesus.
Ruth’s story is one of the most touching in all of Scripture. She is a model of fidelity and of enduring relationships that mark the story of God’s relationship with us. In a season when family ties often are a main focus, let’s remember Ruth and how she teaches us about our identity as human and divine families.
—adapted from the book Advent with the Saints: Daily Reflections
by Greg Friedman, OFM
