Stories that Stick: Esther

Esther 4:5-17

Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what was happening and why. Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate, and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and charge her to go to the king to make supplication to him and entreat him for her people.

Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. Then Esther spoke to Hathach and gave him a message for Mordecai, saying, ‘All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law — all alike are to be put to death. Only if the king holds out the golden sceptre to someone, may that person live. I myself have not been called to come in to the king for thirty days.’ When they told Mordecai what Esther had said, Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, ‘Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.’ Then Esther said in reply to Mordecai, ‘Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.’ Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

Note: This reflection was preceded by an unscripted conversation with Heidi Peterson.

I’d love to wrap this story up into a neat little package and tie it with a bow, but that’s not going to happen this evening. This story unsettles me. We don’t have the time to read it in its entirety tonight (something I strongly encourage you to do). It includes a lot of uncomfortable details. There are leaders with fragile egos, who lash out at those who don’t bow to their every whim. A queen loses her position because she refuses to be paraded in front of the king’s guests for them to ogle. A new queen is selected from a harem of virgins, based on a night spent alone with the king. The patriarchy and misogyny are sickening.

Lives are threatened and taken left and right. A couple of court officials hatch a plot to kill the king; when the plan is foiled, both are hanged. Mordecai, a Jewish man refuses to bow to Haman, an advisor to the king; in response, not only does Haman plan to hang Mordecai, he projects his anger onto an entire people and convinces the king to sign an edict authorizing the slaughter of all the Jewish folk. The racism and planned genocide are repulsive. When the Jewish people are given the authority to step up and defend themselves, more than 75,000 people are killed. Haman’s entire family is hanged. Is all this bloodshed really necessary?

There are also so many things I love about the story — things that Heidi pointed out in her reflections. First, and foremost, the central character and hero is Esther. A woman. In a very patriarchal society. She’s also an orphan; both of her parents died, and she was raised by Mordecai, a relative. Esther adeptly uses the patriarchy against itself throughout the story and uses her power for the good of her people. God is not mentioned once; yet, God’s presence is felt throughout the story — a reminder for all of us to listen deeply for God in our daily lives and an invitation to live our lives in ways that honor God’s presence.

It’s tempting to simply assign the story to its place as the explanation of the origin of the Jewish festival of Purim and leave it at that. There’s so much more than that going on, though. I have to admit, the multiple instances of revenge appeal to a side of myself I’m not at all proud of. Maybe this discomfort is part of the point. I recognize aspects of myself in some of the characters I’d rather not. There are times when I just want everything to go my way. I want others to do what I believe serves my selfish interests. I don’t want to bend to accommodate others. At the same time, I want to believe that I would put my neck on the line for the right cause like Esther does.

The reality is, human beings are a complicated mess. I mess things up as often as I do the right thing; often my actions are a mix of getting it partially right and partially wrong at the same time. This story, I believe, is perfect for just such a time as this and people such as us.

Like Haman, people have been projecting their insecurities and hatred onto entire ethnic groups for millennia. As this summer has unfolded, the harsh realities of racism, white supremacy, and white privilege have become even more clear right here in the Twin Cities and throughout the nation. Those of us with white bodies stand at a fork in the road.

We are faced with difficult questions. Do we continue on the current path, expecting others to bow to us because it’s the system we know and the way it’s always been, or do we work to change that system?

Are we willing, like Esther, to put our necks on the line? Are we willing to give up the privilege and power we know, trusting that we have been prepared for such a time as this? Are we willing to trust that God is at work right in the midst of this difficult and sacred time?

Are we willing to quiet our own voices, to listen, and to amplify the voices of others? Are we willing to follow the lead of others and to walk alongside others rather than insisting on being out in front?

Could it be that the redemptive work — the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, whom we call the Christ, was meant for just such a time as this?

Friends, this is the gift of the story we’ve been given. The gift of being freed so that we might be changed. The gift of being invited into the story, becoming part of it, and sharing it with others.

May the gift of God’s story of tremendous love for you and for the whole world continue to both unsettle and comfort you as it unfolds in your daily life. Amen.