This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for August 28) is written by Jason Jones, an elementary school principal with East Clinton Local Schools in New Vienna, Ohio.
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Caring for One Another (Ruth 4:1-10)
By Jason Jones
There is nothing I enjoy more than an evening at the ballpark: peanuts and hot dogs, watching boats on the Ohio River, and then a ninth-inning rally by the home team to send me home happy. It just doesn”t get much better.
I”m a creature of habit. I park in the same place. I sit in the same seat. I eat the same things during the same innings of every game I attend””no exceptions.
And then there is the walk back to the car.
Scattered along the four-block walk to the parking garage are several homeless people and panhandlers hoping to profit from the departing baseball fans. After paying major league prices for sodas and hot dogs, the big spenders certainly could spare a few coins for those down on their luck.
More times than not, I find myself tormented as I walk back to my car. I am torn between Jesus” words about taking care of the poor and images captured by the local TV news team that show professional con artists who are neither needy nor homeless preying upon trusting and kindhearted people. Those who are streetwise would tell you every penny given to the panhandlers goes for booze or drugs. And yet Jesus tells me to go out of my way to find the poor and help them.
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But I also find myself grumbling when my church schedules an event to build house frames for needy families on a Saturday. Didn”t organizers know I put in five 12-hour days that week and barely saw my family? And now they want my Saturday as well?
It”s 100 humid, sticky degrees outside. Doesn”t the elderly lady across the street have anyone else to cut her grass?
And while I”m at it, my own friends and family members sure have lousy timing. Asking my advice about a rocky marriage in the middle of the night. Taking trips to the emergency room at the crack of dawn. Requesting a ride home from the airport. I might as well be an on-demand cable TV channel.
Don”t get me wrong. I”m all about helping people . . . when it is convenient for me.
Inconvenient Compassion
The guardian-redeemer in Ruth 4 was all ears as Boaz described the nice piece of land in question. Maybe it could be used for more crops. Perhaps it could be developed for a larger personal estate with room for more servants. But the proverbial wrench in the spokes was delivered when Boaz announced, “But wait, there”s something else you should know” (Ruth 4:5, author paraphrase).
The land came with an asterisk and that asterisk was a wife. In accordance with the laws and traditions of the day, the guardian-redeemer had first dibs on the property, but he also had to take on the widow. Apparently, that cramped his style and he declined to make the claim.
It probably isn”t a coincidence so many followers of Christ choose careers in helping professions such as nursing, counseling, or teaching. The Bible clearly tells us we are to take care of other people””especially those who can”t take care of themselves. But the charge to take care of people is absolute. It does not come with a disclaimer to do so only when we are well rested, financially well off, or within the friendly confines of our comfort zone. The kinsman-redeemer had the responsibility to take care of Ruth””his relative”s widow. But this particular kinsman-redeemer had other plans, and he failed to deliver.
I can rationalize with the best of them. The man in dirty clothes holding the cardboard sign probably drives a Lexus. I don”t even own a hammer, so how can I possibly help build a house? My friend and his wife have been headed for divorce for 10 years””what”s one more late-night session with me going to solve? It”s my brother”s turn to help my mom.
But when I”m thinking more clearly, correctly, and compassionately, I realize I need to give the money to the man and let God judge how he uses it. I can”t drive a nail, but perhaps I can carry supplies. And being a brother (or a son!) isn”t about keeping score.
The kinsman-redeemer let his family down, so Boaz fulfilled this duty by helping to carry on the family name that included King David and eventually Jesus. We may never know the fruit our acts of compassion and kindness will bear in the lives of those we help. We are given countless opportunities to share the love of Christ by taking care of people. It is our responsibility to answer the call and make a difference.
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*Scripture quotations are from the New International Version, unless otherwise indicated.
| HOME DAILY BIBLE READINGS |
| August 22: Philippians 1:3-11 |
| August 23: Psalm 15 |
| August 24: 1 Kings 9:1-5 |
| August 25: Psalm 26:1-11 |
| August 26: Proverbs 10:6-11 |
| August 27: Job 2:1-9 |
| August 28: Ruth 4:1-10 |
ABOUT THE LESSON WRITER: Jason Jones serves as an elementary school principal with East Clinton Local Schools in New Vienna, Ohio. He lives in Cincinnati with his wife, Sara, and their two children, Jackson and Chloe.
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