Ordinary Time Week 18

Psalm: Psalm 124 or Psalm 19:7-14
Old Testament: Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22
  or Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29
Gospel: Mark 9:38-50
Epistle: James 5:13-20


I want to talk about Esther this week because from what I can tell, this Sunday is the only time in the 3-year Lectionary cycle that any part of Esther is read! That is a little bit surprising, but after doing a little reading this week, it is less so. Esther is set in the Jewish diaspora following the first wave of Jews back to Jerusalem in 536 B.C, but before the events of Ezra and Nehemiah, which happened in roughly 458 and 432 respectively. The king in Esther is identified as Xerxes I, who rained from 486-465 and Esther was his wife from 478/479 to at least 473. So the Jews at this time were both in exile, but apparently doing well in the Persian Empire as shown in the example of Mordecai, but also some had begun to return to Jerusalem to start the work of restoration there.

Esther has some unique characteristics, the most obvious and striking is its lack of religious references or even mentioning the name God. It is for this reason perhaps that Esther was the last book officially recognized in the Hebrew Bible. But despite the lack of overt references to God in the text, it is clear that God is behind the actions in the narrative. There is some debate in the commentaries as well as to whether the events in Esther are actually historical. They all seem to agree that there is evidence for both sides of the debate. The Beacon Bible Commentary comes down on the side of thinking the events did in fact happen, but the text as we have it today is a "historical romance...it is actual history romantically told." (674)

Much ink also been penned over the date and setting for which Esther was written, and what this has to say about the festival of Purim, which it seems to inaugurate. There are still many questions about the origins of Purim and its celebration across the Jewish people at this time and you can read about that in any good Bible commentary.

Normally I don't quote passages from books, but it is also unusual that a biblical commentary will make one laugh out loud. So I want to share these words with you and hopefully they can remind us of the difficulty sometimes of interpreting and applying the biblical text.

It must be freely admitted that the Christian use of the book is limited, since there is much in it to be questioned from the standpoint of Christian life and practice, and which can be explained only in its relation to the ancient oriental environment in which it originated. "No attempt should be made," says Dr. S. A. Cartledge, "to justify the vindictive sprint that occurs all to often; Jesus has shown us a much higher way of treating our enemies that we see here." This is, of course, part of the problem of progressive revelation of scriptural truth as we see it demonstrated in the Old and New testaments. (Beacon Bible Commentary, vol. II. pgs. 674-675; Quote from Cartledge, S. A. A Conservative Introduction to the Old Testament. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 1944.)

 I found myself in the fist sentence of that quote wondering what Esther has to say to us. It doesn't even mention God for crying out loud! But Esther shows us that God is working behind the scenes even when we can't see him. I want to focus on the words of Mordecai to Esther in 4:14. Mordecai has just heard that all the Jews in the empire are to be killed and these are his words to Ester. "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”

This verse speaks to both God's provenience and human agency. Mordecai is sure that God will rescue his people. In fact both the Old and New Testament tell the story of how God is faithful to his people. God intervenes, he provokes, he causes storms, and he calms them. He hardens people's hearts, he sends armies in flight, and causes empires to rise and fall. God definitely and definitively acts in and through creation to see his purposes accomplished and to both protect and punish his people. So Mordecai is correct in his assumption that God will not allow his people to be wiped out, but will restore them to the land as he promised through the prophet Jeremiah and in other places.

However, Mordecai's words also give Esther the change to make her own choice. Esther can choose not to act. She can ignore her people's plight and let God call someone else. Perhaps this stands in opposition to the story of Jonah who tried to run from God, but God just kept pursuing him. I think that Jonah however could have kept resisting God, and the Old Testament would be one book shorter. The same goes for Esther, she could have said no to Mordecai and to God's work of saving the Jews, and God would have found someone else.

The thing that we have to remember is that although God cares for and loves each one of us individually, his plans are much bigger than one of us. God's plans are for his People, first Israel, and now the New Israel, the Church. God's plans on the cosmic scale concern creation and restoration, the inauguration of his Kingdom in Christ. Esther could have chosen not to participate in that work. She had freewill and God would have called someone else had she not acted. The situation is the same for us today, God is still at work building his Kingdom and calling us to join him. We have the choice. If we say no, God won't force us, he will find someone else. God's plans however for creation and his Second Coming will not be thwarted.

The down side of us not listening to God's call is evident in Mordecia's words as well. He tells Esther that should she chose to do nothing and God finds another individual, she and her family will perish. God will be successful in his purposes, but disobedience will bring death. Of course there are many examples in the Old Testament where these words become a reality for those who disobey God's call.

I have spoke elsewhere about the passage Jeremiah 29:11, and how God's "plans" mentioned in this verse are for his people, not the individual. (Look HERE) I made the point that many Israelites had to die on the way to exile, while the people were in Babylon, and then on the journey back to the land. But God's plans where still accomplished. His people were brought back to the Promised Land and from that remnant comes the Messiah 400 years later.

I put the story of Esther in a similar line to that of Jeremiah. In Esther's case, she had the choice to act or not, whether to be God's instrument or not. But she ultimately may have died in exile as well. She may have been queen in the Persian empire, but she still died in a foreign land, under foreign rule. She was not able to see the full fruition of the "plans" of which Jeremiah was speaking, even though she was able to play her part in seeing those plans ultimately accomplished.

To return to my earlier point, and to wrap up: God is still calling and inviting us to work with him today. We have the same choice to make as Esther. Are we going to join God in his Kingdom work, or will we leave it for others? Will we find life, as Esther did? May the Lord find us faithful in this task, though the help of his Spirit, and to the glory of God the Father.

Grace and Peace.

Sources:

Demaray, C. E. "Esther." Pages 669-694 in vol. 2 of The Beacon Bible Commentary. Edited by A.F. Harper et al. 10 vols. Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1965.

Crawford, Sidnie White. "The Book of Esther." Pages 853-941 in vol. 3 of The New Interpreter's Bible. Edited by Leander E. Keck et al. 12 vols. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1999.