THEOSISIsidore of Seville
When Ruth and her mother-in-law arrived in the land of Israel, it was providentially arranged, through Ruth's prayers, for her to marry a man descended from Abraham, whom she initially believed to be the closest relative. However, he declined to take her as his wife, leading to her marriage to Boaz, witnessed by ten elders. Boaz, who had previously asserted that he could not marry, was now bound to Ruth and received blessings from the elders. This narrative foreshadows John the Baptist, whom the Israelites mistakenly thought to be the Messiah, prompting their inquiries about his identity. Yet, he did not deny Christ but rather acknowledged Him when he replied that he was not the Messiah.
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Those sent to question him continually sought to determine who he was, to which he responded, ‘I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness’ (John 1:19-27). He declared the good news concerning the Lord, asserting, ‘He who has the bride is the bridegroom,’ and illustrated his role as the friend of the bridegroom by stating, ‘But the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice’ (John 3:29). The people presumed he was the Messiah because they did not grasp that the Messiah came during the time of divine visitation (See Luke 1:40-45) and that He foretold by the prophets was indeed the Bridegroom of the Church. Just as he informed Ruth that he was not her kinsman before her union with Boaz, so Christ, the true Bridegroom of the Church, proclaimed by the prophets, is deemed worthy to claim the Church, which includes a multitude from every nation, presenting them to God the Father, because the kinsman had removed the sandal.