Why Genealogy?
Have you traced your ancestry and built a family tree? It does help us understand who we are and where we are coming from.
Let me briefly share my family history with you. My grandparents on my father’s
side were farmers. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to see them because
both of them passed away early. My grandparents on my mother’s side were North
Korean defectors. Particularly, my grandfather crossed the river by swimming to
preserve his life before the Korean civil war broke out. Because of severe difficulties
in his life he was considering committing suicide. But at the very moment, one
of his friends invited him to early morning service. So he went there; nothing
happened. He tried one more time. On the second day he dramatically
encountered Christ during communal prayer time and got saved. By the grace of
God, then he was called to ministry a few years later. He led all his children
and other family members to Christ. My uncle and my father were deeply
influenced by my grandfather, and they also became pastors. This is a brief
version of my family history. The book of Ruth concludes with a genealogy.
We may wonder why it’s there. The family line of Perez looks much like appendix.
But in fact, this genealogy is the core of the book. It is no
exaggeration to say that the book of Ruth is written in order to tells us this
genealogy. We will explore what is in this genealogy and why it is so important
to us today.
The Great Invitation from God
First of all, the genealogy of Boaz is the great invitation from
God. It clearly shows God’s saving work through the centuries. And it shows
that God is active in each generation and throughout generations. Without this
genealogy, on the surface it looks like Ruth found Boaz. Without this
genealogy, it looks like we found Christ. But this genealogy shows us it is
not “we” found God, but “God” was at work in advance, and he found us and
invited each of us to be part of his redemptive history. Naomi had two
daughters-in-law – Ruth and Orpah. Ruth said “Yes” to this great invitation
from God; Orpah said “No.” There were two kinsman-redeemers for the family of
Elimelech. Boaz said “Yes”; the other man backed out and said “No, I can’t.”
The Great Invitation for You
This invitation is not jus for the chosen ones, Ruth and Boaz. It is
for everyone. It is for you and me. If you take a closer look at the genealogy,
you will find why I am saying this. In Ruth 4:12 the elders
in town said “May your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah Judah 12:24 ). This is the genealogy of
David. This is the genealogy of Jesus. Before we come to Christ, how pure I am,
how moral I am, how righteous I am, how godly I am… it doesn’t matter. Sinner, adulterer,
prostitute, tax collector, gentile… it doesn’t matter. All are invited. What
matters to God most is whether we accept his great invitation or not. What
matters to God is whether we come to Jesus Christ, the true light, by faith.
When we come just as we are, God counts our act of faith in Jesus as righteous (cf.
Gen 15:6). Our sin is imputed to Christ, and his righteousness is imputed to us
(2 Cor 5:21 ). God invites everyone to his banquet. He invites you and me. Come!
Drink! Eat! Live!
Be Committed
So do you hear God’s great invitation for you today? It is our choice to accept it or not. But if we choose to say “yes”
to his invitation, it requires commitment. Yes means commitment. For Naomi, yes
means to turn away from her old life and come back to God and God’s community.
It was a painful and even shameful experience for her to come back to her
hometown Bethlehem
Yes, there is a cost to accept God’s invitation, but the reward is
beyond compare. In Romans 8:18 Paul says, “Yet what we
suffer now (for Christ) is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us
later” (NLT). The book of Ruth tells us what makes our lives count for God.
It is to reproduce, give lives, save lives. Probably the people in the
genealogy did many different things during their lifetime, but each of their
lives sums up in one sentence: one begot another… Boaz begot Obed. Obed begot
Jesse, and Jesse begot David. We are born to reproduce. We may have different
jobs, different gifts, and different personalities. But we all have the same
purpose of life: We are born to reproduce. As an individual and as a church, we
are born to reproduce our spiritual children: Are we reproducing? Or are we
spiritually barren? Are we giving and saving lives? If so, who are they? Where
are they? Are they growing? Are they reproducing? As a Christian and as a
pastor, I seriously ask those questions to myself. By God’s grace and with your
support, my family and I will have a two-week vacation from tomorrow. During
that time, I will set aside time to pray about this and plan for the upcoming
year. So please pray me and my family.
One at a Time
We can be easily overwhelmed by challenging issues and situations we
face in today’s world. Yes, it is challenging to be committed and reproduce in
this age of evil. But for me personally, I am greatly encouraged by Mother
Teresa’s example. Once she became well-known, many people contacted her and
wanted to join her. But Teresa said to them, “You don’t need to come to Calcutta
As I close, I want to share the starfish story with you. You may
have heard this story before, but it is still worth being reminded again. A
young man was walking along the ocean and saw thousands and thousands of
starfish on the seashore after the storm. Further along he saw an old man,
walking slowly and stooping often, picking up one starfish after another and
tossing each one gently into the ocean. The young man asked, “Why are you throwing
starfish into the ocean?” The old man said, “Because the sun is up and the tide
is going out and if I don’t throw them further in they will die.” “But, old
man, don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all
along it! You can’t possibly save them all. In fact, even if you work all day,
your efforts won’t make any difference at all.” The old man listened calmly and
then bent down to pick up another starfish and threw it into the sea and said,
“It made a difference to that one.”[2]
One starfish at a time.
The story of Ruth points forward to David. David points forward to
Jesus. The life of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz are all connected to part of God’s redemptive
history, eternity, something so much bigger than themselves. When we faithfully
follow God, our lives always mean more than we think they do. Everything we do
in obedience to God, no matter how small, is all connected to part of God’s
wonderful saving work. So let us accept God’s great invitation. Let us say yes
and be committed. Let us pick up one person and love that person today in Jesus’
name. One person at a time. Amen.
[1] They are drawn from the book, Mother
Teresa of Calcutta by Leo Maasburg (Ignatius Press, 2011), and also
available from http://www.totustuus.com/Words%20of%20Wisdom%20from%20Mother%20Teresa%20of%20Calcutta.pdf
[2] There are various versions of this story. One
of the versions is from The Star Thrower, by Loren Eiseley http://www.esc16.net/users/0020/FACES/Starfish%20Story.pdf
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