Ruth 2:14 has been quite a challenging passage this week. My conversations with friends and pastors have led to a fascinating discussion on the nature of the meal Boaz prepares for Ruth. My friend Phil Walters adds some thoughts to the discussion, which raises some helpful questions in considering the passage:
Is there a connection to Jesus dipping the bread (morsel) into the sop and giving it to Judas? Maybe Boaz/Ruth “dipping” bread in a positive way is in contrast to Jesus/Judas dipping bread in a negative way? This might have some connection especially since the only references to “vinegar” seem to be in Ruth and either in the Gospels or in the OT in reference to Christ. Is chomet meaning “leavened” somehow related to Jesus’ warnings about leaven? Maybe the mixing of bread and “bad blood” (sour wine) in the putting the bread into the vinegar is more of a picture of the marriage: bad blood (Ruth) being “mixed” into the Covenant but Jesus as the ultimate “cleaner” or “washer” of bad blood into good blood. Could you say that sour wine (vinegar) is wine that has died and needs a resurrection?
