Dust hung in the air, held motionless by the August heat but broken by the gang of four tumbling into the dining room. It’d been a busy morning of adventure behind the garage and we were hungry.
As I slammed into my chair, I saw a birthday cake in the middle of the table. Were we having company?
“Whose cake is that?” my brother piped up.
My mother was still bringing dishes of hot food to the table but she stopped for a moment. “Well, it’s mine. I thought I ought to get a birthday cake this year.”
Uh-oh.
I was 9 at the time, the oldest of the four who were enjoying summer freedom. We were too young to worry about insurance and phone bills. And calendars.
We all spent the afternoon working on birthday gifts. I don’t know how she felt about pictures drawn on brown grocery bags with crayons. Maybe the stack of chicken feathers warmed her heart.
I’m a mother now and I remember those days of zealous children, selfish in their quest for exploration. I suspect Mom wasn’t devastated by our forgetfulness. But I was.
That day I made myself a promise that I would not forget her birthday again.
I’m a little older than 9 now, but so far, so good.
So, today I’m taking my mother out to lunch. Happy birthday, Mom!
Last week we looked at how Naomi and Ruth returned to a bountiful harvest in Bethlehem. Their emptiness matched the fields of Bethlehem back when Naomi left. But now they came back (remember our discussion of “shub”) to a rich harvest.
There’s a parallel between those fields and the women. The womb of these women were like a field; their barrenness caused by a lack of seed. Their “fields” remained barren as long as they lacked husbands, who would provide the “seed” for the harvest.
We see the dangers to Ruth in the field. Presumably, there was some possibility that she might be molested as she gathered in the fields.
But she just happened to start in the field of Boaz. We learn quickly that he is of the family of Elimilech and we start to anticipate. But Ruth did not. She asked for permission to gather in this field, working hard since early morning to provide for Naomi and herself.
Boaz agreed, calling her “my daughter.” Although scholars think he was a generation older than Ruth, his words indicate that he accepted her into his family to watch over her like a daughter. And his immediate concern was that she not gather in any other field. She need not fear the young men in his fields, implying that she should fear the young men in other fields.
Suddenly our barren young widow was surrounded by fertility and sexuality: of the fruitful harvest and also of virile young men who might take advantage of her. It mattered where she gathered. There was the danger of her going to the wrong field and her emptiness filled by the wrong man.
As the story unfolds, Naomi realized that Boaz offered hope to restore her lands: He was a kinsman-redeemer. In other words, he had the legal right to redeem Naomi’s land.
We’ll look at that kinsman-redeemer process next time.
Ever wonder what Jesus would say to Hitler or Buddha or Krishna? Ravi Zacharias has written a series of books based on that curiosity. Zacharias, a well-known author and speaker and scholar, has examined the teachings of spiritual philosophers and then written a fictional conversation between Jesus and the philosopher.
Zacharias has already published the first two books in this series and his latest will come out in September, dropping Jesus and Krishna into a conversation about Hinduism.
Often in these kinds of conversations, the positions are not fairly presented. It’s easy to knock down a caricature of a philosophy, but Zacharias does not present Hinduism unfairly. He probes the complex teachings of Hinduism, examines its sacred texts, and presents the points in context.
Hinduism is the world’s third-largest religion, behind Christianity and Islam. Depending on whose statistics you believe, there are anywhere from 837 million to 1.2 billion people in the world who practice this faith. Though Hindus currently make up only 0.5% of the U.S. population (approximately 76% of the population considers itself Christian), their number and influence on Western society are growing, as notions of Karma and reincarnation, the practice of yoga and books on topics like tantric sex have been co-opted by popular culture. In recent years, much has been made of a supposed Krishna-Christ connection, leading many to wonder if, aside from the obvious differences in dietary practices (Hindus revere cows, while most Christians enjoy them grilled to perfection and served with a baked potato), these faiths are, in essence, preaching the same message.
In his new book, New Birth or Rebirth? Jesus Talks with Krishna (Multnomah, 2008), Zacharias takes readers on a journey into India's holy city of Mathura. This is the birthplace of Krishna, the name revered and worshiped by millions of Hindus. The teachings of Krishna in the Gita are often referred to as being closest to those of Jesus. But as you walk through the streets and visit the temples, you will be a witness to an imaginary conversation between Jesus and Krishna you will soon see where the message comes close but where the differences lie.
Questions of human dignity, Karma, and reincarnation are faced head-on. What is the teaching of this most popular of Hindu books? How does the Gospel differ? New Birth or Rebirth? gets to the heart through the mind of these two, both of whom claimed to give the ultimate answers. Jesus and Krishna will engage your intellect and emotions in life's soul- searching struggles.
“My premise is that the popular aphorism that ‘all religions are fundamentally the same and only superficially different’ is simply not true. It is more correct to say that all religions are, at best, superficially similar but fundamentally different,” Zacharias reflects. “Both Christianity and Hinduism claim to be true and legitimate. This rationally implies, then, that it does matter what you believe.”
With three doctoral degrees under his belt, Zacharias is clearly qualified to teach on comparative religion, particularly the Christian faith he practices and Hinduism, the majority religion of his native India. His creative approach to the topic is far more user-friendly than any textbook. A gifted writer, Zacharias peppers the philosophical intricacies of the discussion with moments of wit and humor.
New Birth or Rebirth? is an excellent evangelistic tool. As the characters converse, Zacharias presents the truth and beauty of the gospel of Christ against the backdrop of Hinduism’s complexity. The book is also a helpful resource for Christians who have asked questions like: Who do Hindus worship? Why do they revere cows? Why do they believe in reincarnation? Most importantly, readers will find the answer to this question: Who should I believe?
New Birth or Rebirth? is the fourth installment in the Great Conversations series, an innovative line of apologetics that includes previously released titles The Lotus and the Cross: Jesus Talks with Buddha, The Lamb and the Fuhrer: Jesus Talks with Hitler, and Sense and Sensuality: Jesus Talks to Oscar Wilde on the Pursuit of Pleasure.
New Birth or Rebirth? Jesus Talks with Krishna by Ravi Zacharias
Multnomah Books/June 2008/ISBN-13: 978-1-59052-725-2/hardcover/90 pages/$11.99
Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.
Mother Teresa
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