The Willing Kinsman Redeemer

HoHum:

How can you tell if a redneck wedding is formal? The shotgun is painted white.

WBTU:

Is Boaz willing to marry Ruth and redeem Naomi’s land? In chapter 3 we find that Boaz agrees to do this. In chapter 4 we find that he confronts this near of kin to see if he will redeem. We find that this other kinsman redeemer is not willing to redeem so now Boaz can redeem. Seems like a formality but even at this point Boaz could refuse. Read Ruth 4:9-10. Boaz was willing and eager to redeem and have Ruth as his wife.

Boaz could have handled this matter privately with Mr. So and so. Boaz did this publicly at the city gate witnessed by the town elders. To handle this situation privately would have left Boaz, Ruth and Naomi open to questions, gossip, and perhaps attacks on their integrity.

We find that this arrangement was not only approved by the people of Bethlehem but they blessed it. Ruth 4:11-12

A requirement of a kinsman redeemer is that had to be “kin.” Another requirement of kinsman redeemer is that had to be willing to redeem and marry, must be voluntary.

Jesus Christ, our kinsman redeemer met this condition. Jesus did not have to redeem us. He chose to do so out of His love for us. WE all deserve to go to hell, but only His love, His grace, provides the way.

Our kinsman redeemer was willing, willing to die, willing to give his life, that we might live. Have hymn # 236 sung before sermon. Refer to first verse.

Even though this is marvelous and beautiful, many misunderstand and level accusations against Jesus Christ and God the Father over this.

Thesis: Let’s discuss two common accusations in our day

For instances:

Jesus Christ committed suicide

Now Jesus Christ did not climb on the sacrificial altar and slit his own throat. He did it more like suicide by cop. Suicide by cop is where an individual intentionally provokes a lethal response from law enforcement to end their own life. Typical suicide involves the killing of oneself. However, in cases of suicide by cop, the individual is unwilling to take their own life, and thus, they must orchestrate a scenario in which someone else is coerced into using lethal force against them. Sad more than just one victim in such cases. Of course, there is the suicidal individual that is murdered, but there are also profound psychological effects on the law enforcement officers and others that are manipulated into killing this individual. Jesus antagonized Judas, Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin, and finally the Romans into killing him. This is what Jesus wanted and it was suicide by cop.

We see from some of the events at his trials that he did not give a defense. Jesus was not trying to escape the penalty which His enemies sought to inflict upon him. From this people assume that Christ wanted to die and relished the idea of dying.

Jesus’s death was not a desire to stop living. He did not love death but dreaded it as we see in the Garden of Gethsemane. ““Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”” Mark 14:36, NIV. The cup talked about here was the price of redemption, death on the cross.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2, NIV. Jesus endured his death, he did not enjoy it or look forward to it.

J. Vernon McGee- Many years ago down in Houston, Texas, when a boarding house caught on fire, a woman broke through the lines and went into that house. It collapsed, and she was burned to death. The headlines read: “Poor Wretch Dies: Suicide.” Later the newspaper printed an apology. Why? When workman were digging around in the rubble, they found in a back room, a little iron bed, and in that little iron bed was a baby, her baby. She entered that burning building to save her baby. She wasn’t a suicide. She loved that baby and wanted to save her child. In much the same way, the Lord loves us and he is a willing redeemer. He wants salvation for us and if that was the price to pay for our salvation, even though he scorned it, he willingly paid it.

God the Father commits cosmic/ divine child abuse

The idea here is that God the Father forced His only begotten Son into dying for the sins of humanity. Kind of a like a father going to one of his sons and saying that if anyone does anything wrong he is taking him out to the woodshed to whip him. Anything wrong in this house that son is going to the woodshed. If his brother does something deserving punishment, the brother does not get the whipping, this one son goes to the woodshed for everyone’s sins.