Christians Notice

“Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” Ruth 2:5

Of the many things that can be said of Boaz, one is that he is observant. He notices Ruth right away, asking his foreman, “Whose young woman is this?” We don’t know why Boaz recognized her so quickly. Many presume it is because of Ruth’s beauty, though there is no description of Ruth's appearance anywhere in the biblical text.

For what it’s worth, I don’t think we’re meant to know what Ruth looks like; it’s not important. Her beauty is from her heart, which is set on the Lord, and blazes forth in a blinding fashion. She exemplifies Proverbs 31:30, “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”

 The better explanation is that Boaz is the kind of man to notice. Based on how graciously he speaks to his workers, you can see the sort of man he is. He is a man who cares about his workers, and whose workers care about him. Much like a great military commander who makes it a point to know all of the names of each of his men, Boaz is the type of man to know each individual in his employ, and so when a stranger arrives, he notices. Ruth’s reply to him in Ruth 2:13 is a sort of pun, “You have noticed the unnoticed.”

Christian, who do you notice? On Sunday, are you so resigned to your routine that you stick to the same conversation circles with those you already know? Or, do you take it upon yourself to greet those you don’t know? Do you take notice when new visitors arrive? Do you make it a point to seek them out, to get to know them? To introduce yourself? Do you make yourself not only readily available, but almost unavoidable by waiting at the exit when people leave?

Sadly, there are many churches where visitors can come in and out with the tide. They slip in the back, and leave unnoticed, and many churchgoers seem okay with this unspoken arrangement because it makes life more comfortable for them too. Let’s not forget about those people in your church who you have seen coming for a while but you still have not introduced yourself to. Noticing, greeting and welcoming new and old visitors is not just a job exclusively held by your pastor and the greeting team. This is the job of the entire church. We are called to welcome one another, new and old (Rom. 15:5-7).

Boaz demonstrates this beautifully in the second chapter of Ruth, not just by noticing Ruth when she comes into his field, but also by being willing to transcend the social chasm separating him and Ruth. As a worthy man (2:1), a man of position and status, he must come down to her. It’s the same things Christ was willing to do for you and me (Phil. 2:6-11). And to this we are also called to be His imitators (1 Cor. 11:1).

Jesus repeatedly “notices the unnoticed” throughout the gospels. In John 5:5, He took notice of one man among the crowd who had been waiting for 38 years to be healed. In Luke 19, Jesus noticed Zacchaeus, that wee little man, up in the sycamore tree and called him to come down. In Mark 5, He noticed when someone touched the hem of his robe. Over and over again Jesus notices the unnoticed. After all, He noticed you and me, didn’t He? How can we not help but notice others now?

In Matthew 9:36-38, Jesus noticed the crowd and had compassion on them as sheep without a shepherd, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

In the middle of a harvest of barley, Boaz recognized the heavenly harvest, the one who had come to take refuge under the Lord, and he welcomed her and brought her into the community of the God she had come to. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. How are you to  labor in His field unless you become more like Jesus; become a people who take notice. Christian, take notice!