The Right Kind of Condescension

The Historic Truth of the Best Gift Ever

(1 John 1:1-2, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 27, 2015)

On Christmas Eve we read these words: “And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:12) We also heard these words: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) The eternal Son of God, the Almighty Word, became a human being. He was conceived in the womb of a virgin. This was an unfathomable act of condescension on the part of the great I-AM, to be gathered into the first century equivalent of diapers, a onesie, and a tightly wrapped blanket, and to find a temporary home lying in a feeding trough in a small peasant hovel very near a cow and/or a donkey that would have been brought inside for the night.

The word condescension is not generally used in a positive way in our age, but not all condescension needs to be annoying. Think of a very educated adult who has the gift and willingness to lower himself to the level of a toddler and to effectively relate to and commune with that little one. That is what God did for us. He came down to our level in order to show compassion upon us. Conception. Communion. Compassion. This is the love of the Lord, and it is a model for us of the mystery of the further coming of the kingdom of God.

It is this coming of the kingdom in the friendship and atoning life and death of Jesus that John and the rest of the disciples were able to witness to personally and then to proclaim to others who had not been with God in the flesh in the same very personal way.

(1a) Jesus was “from the beginning.”

[1:1]  That which was from the beginning,

Words fail us when we try to communicate the facts about Jesus. Like no one else in all of history, Jesus was “from the beginning.” As John wrote in the opening of his gospel, “without Him was not anything made that was made.” The “beginning” that John referred to in the first words of this ancient letter was not the beginning of the Lord's earthly ministry at the point when He was baptized by John the Baptist. It was not even the beginning of Jesus' birth. It was the great beginning of God's eternity past. The Son of God was co-eternal with the Father in His divine nature.

(1b) We have received the testimony of the apostles concerning Him.

which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— [2]  the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, ...

This great God really came in person. The apostles heard Jesus with their own ears. They saw Him with their eyes. They even touched Him with their hands. They were witnesses to His miracles, to His transfiguration, and even to His resurrection appearances. Listen to our Lord's invitation to them in Luke 24:39, “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” They had come to believe that He was the divine Word of life.

The apostles did not keep this astounding truth to themselves. After they were filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they proclaimed what they had witnessed, calling it “the eternal life.” They understood that the Man they had heard, seen, and even touched was the anti-death man.

(2) The Divine Life of the Son of God was made manifest as the Son of Man.

[2]  the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—

What followed in the rest of 1 John was the truth. John did not make up the story of the resurrected Jesus. He saw Him, heard Him, and was even invited, along with all the other apostles, to touch Him. The Son of God who was with the Father was made manifest to them.

As those who have received this apostolic Word, like the original disciples, we do not follow cleverly devised myths, but the true testimony of eyewitnesses concerning the only credible Giver of eternal life. See 2 Peter 1:16. The God of such astounding condescending love was made manifest to a selected group of apostles, to a broader array of first century witnesses, and now through their preaching and writing, the message of the Man of eternal life has been made manifest to us.

Such a man is worthy of our study. He is the greatest of all gifts. Who is He? We should all be eager to know. He is our chief concern.

But there is a secondary matter that comes from this text that should also be of substantial importance to the church today. Is there something for us to imitate concerning His method? Is there a way for us to rightly follow Him in His condescension?

1. Conception is beginning. If we are to be witnesses of the kingdom of heaven, we must enter into the world in which they live. We need a beginning, however small it may be. An opening condescension where we relate to others on their terms.
2. Communion requires a continued accommodation to others and an availability so that they can experience the life of righteousness. We live in an age of ethical apostasy. This is not the way for the church to win others. But we do need to be near enough and humble enough so that friends can see, hear, and touch a real disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Compassion will often be the window for someone to see what eternal life really is. In this world we have loss and death. Jesus and His disciples bring life. Don't miss the many opportunities God is bringing you to model a new world of grace to others who are only expecting small-minded self-righteousness, and will easily be surprised by real love.

Our Lord is the only answer to the deepest needs of fallen humanity. He came in person to a group of friends and followers. He showed the best condescension to a hurting world in great need of a Savior. His life is our message, and we are called to make that life manifest to others just as He has shown us the glory of the Father.

Old Testament Reading—Genesis 1:1-2:3 – The God of Life and the King of Rest

Gospel Reading—Luke 2:21-40 – Jesus presented at the temple

Redeemer Baby

May his name be renowned in Israel!

(Ruth 4, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 20, 2015)

(1-10) The wrong man and the right man

[4:1] Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. [2] And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. [3] Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. [4] So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” [5] Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” [6] Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”
[7] Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. [8] So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal. [9] Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. [10] Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.”

Boaz had a plan, and as much as it was in his power to achieve it, he went to work on that plan immediately. What was required was an official recognition that he or some other eligible man was taking on the duties and privileges that once belonged to another man—now deceased. In our culture we go to town hall and get a marriage license or record a real estate transaction with the registrar of deeds. In their world these important moments were under the oversight of the city elders.

Boaz gave a closer relation the opportunity to act as redeemer of “the land that belonged to our relative Elimelech.” (See Leviticus 25:23-28—Note that the land is not “sold.” There is a transfer of stewardship.) This other relative would have redeemed the land had it not been for the requirement of Deuteronomy 25 to raise up offspring in the name of his deceased “brother.”

The public nature of this decision was witnessed at the city gate in a ceremony involving one man taking off a sandal and giving it to another man. No one could later claim that this had not taken place. These matters of property and family inheritance were not left solely up to the secret desires or actions of one man or another. The goal of what happened at that city gate was a transfer of responsibility from one deceased man to another man who was still alive. All sought the same thing—“that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place.”

If anyone (the wrong kind of buyer) thought that he might gain the parcel of land and leave two widows without any hope for the future, there was a true redeemer (Boaz) who was going to raise an objection. This was one of the advantages of the public nature of this transaction. No funny business. The redeemer would have to fulfill not only Leviticus 25 concerning land. He would have to do Deuteronomy 25 as well.

(11-22) The testimony of the faithful

[11] Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, [12] and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the LORD will give you by this young woman.

[13] So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. [14] Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! [15] 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 given birth to him.” [16] Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. [17] And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
[18] Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, [19] Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, [20] Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, [21] Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, [22] Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.

These were matters that were the reasonable concern of the entire community. They were not only witnesses of the event, but they also were agents of the Lord's blessing upon His obedient people. “All the people who were at the gate and the elders” were eager to speak a good word on this important occasion. They saw these events in light of the heritage of the Lord's covenant people. May Ruth be like Rachel and Leah, and not simply a young woman from another land. Those women of old had “built up the house of Israel.” May Ruth do the same. May she be like Tamar who was the mother of Perez, the father of their clan. This Tamar had worked out a way to have a levirate marriage after the death of her husband. May God make the “young woman” Ruth as fruitful as these famous women who had lived so long ago.

“So Boaz took Ruth,” and the whole course of the history of the world was changed—not immediately, but through the coming of future generations. Not only was Naomi's life greatly blessed through the birth of Obed, the Lord's gift of conception would soon bring about the line of David. Through the greatest “Son of David,” Jesus, all the people groups of the earth would be greatly blessed. It all began with a baby. As in verses 14-15, the baby would be the redeemer!

The story of Ruth and Boaz is worth telling. It would be interesting even if we did not know what happened in future generations. But it is the genealogical surprise of the gift of the Messiah that gives this such cosmic significance. The book of Ruth is a major turning point in the Old Testament because it will lead to the line of David which will fill the pages of all Old Testament history from this point forward. But because of Jesus of Nazareth, born in Bethlehem—the city of David, this account has become a part of the heritage of all those who have the name “Christian.” Ruth 4 is the turning point in Old Testament history because the coming of God in the flesh is the turning point of all human history. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.

Old Testament Reading—Malachi 4 – The Day of the Lord is coming.

Gospel Reading—Luke 2:1-7 – The birth of Jesus

Do not fear. The big day of resurrection is coming.

Our Redeemer Has a Plan

(Ruth 3, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 13, 2015)

(1-9) The plan of Naomi – a devoted parent

[3:1] Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? [2] Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. [3] Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. [4] But 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.” [5] And she replied, “All that you say I will do.”
[6] So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. [7] And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. [8] At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! [9] He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.”

The story of Ruth 3 must be viewed within God's Old Testament Law concerning marriage in a world of tragedy. Deuteronomy 25:5-10 gives Israel God's command for the “levirate” marriage. The term levirate comes from the Latin word for brother-in-law. See also Genesis 38:6-10 and Matthew 22:23-33.

Naomi's plan was in accord with God's Law and not inappropriate. It was a bold and practical way of confidentially asserting a holy solution to the tragedy of the death of this young widow's husband. The plan involved the right man, Boaz, who would neither be immoral nor indiscreet. The plan suggested the right time and place that would give Ruth a chance of declaring her willingness to receive Boaz as a redeemer-husband and also give him a chance to refuse without much public embarrassment. See Ruth 2:12 for Boaz's earlier words to Ruth that showed that Boaz did not despise Ruth for her foreign origin, but received her as a true daughter of Israel through her covenant commitment to Naomi. Ruth's good words in 3:9 showed that she had been listening to what Boaz had said. God was her refuge, but now Boaz could be an expression of God's care for her through the institution of the levirate marriage. See Ezekiel 16:8.

(10-17) The plan of Boaz – the man who would be Ruth's husband

[10] And he said, “May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. [11] And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. [12] And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. [13] Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the LORD lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”
[14] So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” [15] And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city. [16] And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did you fare, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her, [17] saying, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’”

In 3:10 Boaz again builds up Ruth in appropriate ways that affirm his willingness to do what God wants in God's way. Her willingness to accept him as her levirate husband is a “hesed” kindness to him, just as she had been living out “hesed” to her mother-in-law. She was a worthy woman who would be a credit to him in the eyes of the community and not shame. But all things would be done according to God's Law and not without due regard to the right of a potential redeemer who had a nearer line to her deceased husband. Ruth's boldness was not misunderstood by Boaz. Her reputation was carefully preserved, and her connection to her mother-in-law was acknowledged again in the provision of a portion of the good harvest.

(18) Waiting on the Redeemer

[18] She replied, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.”

Naomi was able to hear Ruth's report and interpret it accurately. Boaz had agreed to be a redeemer, but he would do so in a way that would be most pleasing to God and appropriate to community standards. Ruth could safely wait upon Boaz. He would settle the matter “today.”

We end Ruth 3 with Ruth and Naomi waiting patiently upon the good husband to do quickly what he has promised. We too have heard a Father's plan that we should boldly and appropriately declare our willingness to be saved by the Son of God. “Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.” (Psalm 2:12) We do not deny Him, but are eager to give ourselves to Him. We “kiss the Son” and place ourselves under the protection of His embrace.

We also acknowledge that Jesus was willing to bring about our union to Him in the right way. That would mean the death of the cross. We trust Him to know what is necessary for the Father's pleasure. Unlike the Sadducees, we believe Him when He says that He will rise again on the third day. This He has done. We can trust Him for the coming fullness of the resurrection life.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, we receive a taste of heavenly food, and look for the greater harvest that is coming soon.

It is good for us to wait upon the Lord. His plan is well on its way to being fulfilled.

3000 years ago two women waited with confidence that a good man would do what needed to be done for them and swiftly. We wait for a better man than Boaz. He speaks of our hesed kindness and our worthiness. He assures us that He is very willing to be our husband. We are blessed by His declaration of His intentions. We hear His assurance with faith. He says, “Do not fear.”

So much has happened in these 3000 years. We are far closer to the fulfillment of the Lord's plans than Ruth and Boaz were so long ago. We can wait for Him with confidence that we have not made a horrible mistake in professing our love for the one who first loved us. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) Our Redeemer has a plan, and He will surely do it. He will settle the entire matter without delay. As you wait for His coming, let His good Word build you up and receive the sacred emblems of His devotion.

Old Testament Reading—Malachi 3 – The Lord's refining fire and saving purposes for His treasured possession

Gospel Reading—Luke 1:57-80 – The birth of John and the prophecy of Zechariah

A new Word in an old conversation

It Is Good, My Daughter

(Ruth 2, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 6, 2015)

Note the context of gleaning (12 times in this passage). See Leviticus 19:9-10 and 23:22 and Deuteronomy 24:19.

(1-16) Introducing Boaz

[2:1] Now Naomi had a relative of her husband's, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. [2] And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” [3] So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. [4] And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The LORD be with you!” And they answered, “The LORD bless you.” [5] Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” [6] And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. [7] She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”

[8] Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. [9] Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” [10] Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” [11] But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. [12] The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” [13] Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”
[14] And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over. [15] When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. [16] And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”

The name “Boaz” means “in strength” or “in swiftness,” both of which will be seen to be very appropriate for this wonderful kinsman redeemer to Naomi (pleasantness) and her daughter-in-law Ruth (friendship). As we are introduced to Boaz, we notice that he helps people to notice the Lord (I-AM)—a great gift if it is used without a lot of fanfare.

Who is Boaz? He is a “worthy” man, literally a man of “great strength/valor/substance etc.” The word used here can mean many things, but the way our introduction to Boaz unfolds, he shows himself to be a man who helps others to see that a moral universe is possible—no small achievement in Israel at the end of the era of the Judges.

What does Boaz do in Ruth 2? He shows himself swiftly, powerfully, and appropriately to be a protector and provider for the vulnerable. One other thing that he does is to speak to people. He has the right words for the occasion.

What does he say? As we look at all the Boaz quotes in the chapter, we see that he questions before he assumes. He listens to others. He then provides appropriate and respectful encouragement and comfort to a woman he redefines from being a strange foreign woman to a “daughter” in Israel.

(17-23) Naomi Hears Some Good News
[17] So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. [18] And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied. [19] And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” [20] And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” [21] And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’” [22] And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted.” [23] So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

When the report of Boaz reaches Naomi's ears and eyes she receives it as the good news that it is. What is her assessment of this man? Well, this is just a taste, just a beginning, but it a taste of two great delicacies—“hesed” and “gaal.” Boaz is hesed, the Lord's provision of covenant kindness and merciful faithfulness. This close relation is also gaal, a redeemer who could perhaps pay the price necessary to change the lives of these two women. But will he? The story must continue...

This is the beginning of the Lord's good work of overturning the tragedy that had made Naomi's life so bitter. It is part of a larger story that needs to be told. Christmas is an important part of that fuller good Word of our merciful Redeemer.

Christmas is the celebration of a virginal conception and a normal birth—the birth of the Son of God and a new Son of Man. It is good news, but it is only a beginning. Christmas Eve is a new Word of happiness in a conversation that ended with Malachi a few centuries before—a conversation that did not end very well back in those days.

This Christmas, may the Lord give us all the grace to restart a conversation with someone, not with an overwhelming five course dinner, but with an appetizer—a small taste of the sweetness of the Lord.

Old Testament Reading—Malachi 2 – The covenant failures of Judah

Gospel Reading—Luke 1:39-56 – Mary Visits Elizabeth