[Esth. 7:1-6, 9-10; Jam. 5:13-20; Mk. 9:38-50]
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Queen Esther answered King Ahasuerus,
“If I have won favour, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me -that is my petition...” (7:3a)
The queen’s petition was one for life.
Why did Esther have to plead for her life and that of her fellow Jews?
Because Haman, an ambitious and unscrupulous courtier was jealous of Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, and to further his ambitions he was prepared to trick the king into signing a death warrant against the entire Jewish nation.
Can you imagine, someone being so unethical, so envious that they’ll sacrifice the wellbeing of a whole people to get what they want, to enrich themselves.
If we’re being totally honest, we’ve all experienced those feelings of jealousy and ambition, and while we may not have acted on them, those emotions are still very much part of human nature, our own human nature. It’s important to acknowledge them and with the help of the Holy Spirit keep them in check.
Ester petitioned the king.
There are 66 official books in the Protestant Bible and only two of those are named after women: Ruth and Esther.
That’s not surprising, because Biblical times were patriarchal and chauvinistic times, and unfortunately religion in general and the Church in particular often very much still are.
A second interesting fact about the book of Esther, is that the text doesn’t mention God. That’s why even today a practicing Jew can keep the scroll or book at home, rather than in the tabernacle at the synagogue.
Even though this Bible book doesn’t mention God, one can still very much perceive the presence of God, of God’s care for his people, of his intervention in their lives.
As Christians we believe that God recognises and understands suffering, and that in the suffering of his Son the unmentioned God pours out his abundant mercy.
The lives of the Jewish people were under threat, but this story is a story of survival, of redemption.
Against the wickedness of Haman, we find the concern of Queen Esther for her people and her steadfast courage.
Against the wickedness of the devil, sin and the world, we find the grace of God.
Against the persistence of darkness, we find the Light of the world.
Against the threat of death, we find eternal life won for us on the Cross.
That’s why we can all say,
‘If it please the King, the King of the Universe, let my life be given me.’
God has heard this petition even before we’ve spoken it, and God answers our petitions, our prayers.
And this not just for ourselves, we are to petition on behalf of others too.
Queen Esther answered King Ahasuerus,
“If I have won favour, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me -that is my petition -and the lives of my people -that is my request.” (7:3)
What a wonderful gift, what a great responsibility and challenge to share God’s grace to us with others, and this not just in our prayers, also in our daily acts.
God’s love has a voice: ours.
God’s love has hands: ours.
Esther called out her people’s persecutor by name, and likewise we should always call out evil when we encounter it, we should never stay silent, we should never remain indifferent when our lives and our spiritual lives and those of others are under threat.
To stand by and do nothing, means we’re siding with the perpetrators.
Martin Niemöller, a German pastor and theologian who was a Nazi prisoner between 1938 and ‘45 wrote,
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Niemöller was writing during a time when the Jewish people were once again being rounded up and murdered. The Nazis had swept over Europe, and their horrific intent was to brutally wipe out all whom they considered ‘undesirables’: mostly Jews, but also Slavs and Romanis, disabled people, gays and Jehova’s Witnesses, political opponents, etc.
The ramifications of World War II and the Holocaust are still being felt today, and they’re a stark warning that we all must be vigilant against discrimination of any kind.
Just like Haman, just like the Nazis there are those today who for their own personal gain or for their own distorted philosophy will insist on a them-versus-us narrative, pitching people against each other.
As people of faith, as Christians we know this narrative to be false, like Haman’s accusations against Mordecai were false, and with the help of God we will pray, speak out against and stand up to these false teachings, and instead tell people of the Good News of the God of love, a love that includes all nations, all countries, all peoples.
Every year, in Spring, Jewish people around the world commemorate the events recorded in the book of Esther and celebrate the good outcome at the Festival of Lots, Purim: children dress up, families visit each other, there’s food, there’re presents; it looks like the Carnival celebrations over here.
Our text reads,
“...as the month that had been turned for them of sorrow into gladness, from mourning into a holiday.” (9:22)
Not just once a year but every day, the people of the Church, like the Jewish people can celebrate their salvation, their lives: the living and life-giving God intervening in their lives and turning their dark story around into a story of light, granting their petition.
Esher was a Jewish woman who became the highest-ranking lady of the empire of her day.
In her own words, she didn’t want to abuse her new-found status, but when it became a matter of life or death, she did speak out and saved her people.
Being a redeemed and wholesome person is a gift and a privilege, not one to take careless and selfish advantage of, but to be thankful for, thankful to our saving God, our King who gives us our life, and to help others wherever and whenever we can.
And the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.