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Our lessons for this Sunday conclude the marvelous story of Ruth with a surprising wedding and the promise of children who will carry on Ruth’s story of faithfulness and fruitfulness. In the second lesson, we again hear the pastor/writer describe the faithful self-giving of the Son who enters the heavenly temple as Priest and Sacrifice, Lord and Servant, and as Son of man and Son of God. The gospel lesson in Mark closes the 12th chapter with a sharp indictment and a self-less act of faithfulness and generosity. Perhaps a connector to these three lessons might be "faithfulness" - such is certainly a mark of discipleship, a fruit of the Spirit, and a quality that is sorely lacking in so many places in American culture.

RUTH 3:1-5; 4:13-17-KINSMAN REDEEMER

Although the lesson before us skirts around the central idea of redemption on its way to connecting Ruth to David, this parable-like story captures well the idea of redemption-the restoring of what has been lost through poverty, violence, or death. In the first five verses of chapter three, romance is in the air or at least on the threshing floor. Naomi coaches Ruth how to capture her suitor, Boaz: get spiffed up, get yourself down to the threshing floor, and when he’s out cold in slumber, uncover his feet and lie down-the rest is up to him. Though this probably wouldn’t be the best approach for the single scene today, the scene is romantic and leads to Ruth and Boaz getting married (4:13-17). Not only that but one of their grandchildren will loom large in Israel’s monarchy whose lineage will also be significant to Christians: "They named him Obed, who became the father of Jesse, who became the father of David."

HEBREWS 9:24-28-THE LIFE OF CHRIST POURED OUT FOR US

Our lesson repeats what we dealt with last week in verses 11-14 of this chapter: in one momentous act Christ became both priest and sacrificial offering on our behalf. Jewish worship and especially the rituals and sacrifices served as a caricature of what Jesus accomplished in his life-yielding act. Just as a high priest approached the inner sanctum of God’s presence once a year on behalf of himself and the people, so Jesus has fulfilled the caricature in the offering of himself on behalf of the whole world. While the earthly priestly practice recurred year after year throughout generations, Jesus as the high priest does not suffer and die annually, but once and for all his sacrifice removes conclusively and forever sin.

MARK 12:38-44-THE ART OF MIS-READING A BOOK BY ITS COVER

Our lesson falls neatly-perhaps even deliberately placed together-into two sections. In the first paragraph, Jesus takes the offensive and speaks to the hypocrisy and double standards that he has observed among certain religious persons, the scribes. These religious professionals enjoy the fruit of their office-the apparel and the popular accolades of commoners, and of course, they enjoy the perks of preferential seating at worship and parties! In contrast to the caricature that Jesus paints, we are introduced to a nameless, faceless, powerless "commoner," who seems a walking inversion of the first group. The poor widow puts in but a paltry amount of money, yet as Jesus points out she is the heavy giver in a story that has wealthy people contributing much larger sums of money, for Jesus says, "she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on" (V. 44).