What does the Book of Ruth have to do with the Christmas Story? Matthew begins his story of Jesus by telling us the family tree of Jesus. In that tree is a young immigrant woman, named Ruth, from a despised racial group. God chose to include her in the human ancestry of his Son. God loves to work outside the boundaries of cultural norms and because of this, when we find ourselves in places of great darkness and despair, we can, like Ruth, be people with hope.