Living in The Story reflections from
Esther
Matthew 21-25
2 Corinthians 6-11
During the years of the Babylonian
Exile, after Persia had conquered Babylon and some of the Jewish people began
to make their home in this new land, evidently they were threatened by the possibility
of a holocaust. According to the story of Esther in our Old Testament, the
devious Haman, counselor to King Xerxes, despised the faithful and loyal Jew,
Mordecai, and so he developed a plot to have all Mordecai’s people, all the
Jews of Persia slaughtered on one single day.
Mordecai sent word to his
adopted daughter Hadassah who had become Queen Esther. Mordecai urged Esther to
go before the king and intercede for the life of the Jews. Esther resisted
because this was such a dangerous risk: to approach such a powerful king
unsummoned. Esther knew her life would be forfeit if she displeased her
husband, the king, so Esther sent word back to Mordecai that this approach was
too risky.
Listen now for the word of the Lord from this, the story of
Esther: (Esther 4:12-16)
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.”
The book of Esther is a story of high drama, filled with
ironic turns of fortune and karmic twists of fate. But if you have never
attended a Purim worship service you may not know how crazy they can be.
Several years ago, Jerry and I
attended Purim at our friend Rabbi Jeffery’s synagogue. It was a hoot. I normally
wouldn't describe a worship service as a “hoot” - until I had been a part of
Purim. The children come dressed in costumes; most of the girls as Esther; many
of the boys as the king or as Mordecai.
Even some of the adults got into the
fun; one couple we saw were Groucho and Harpo!
The Scripture was cantored,
sung in a disciplined singsong way as is typical in every Jewish worship
service, and all the reading, of course, was done in its original language: Hebrew.
But even those of us who could not understand the Hebrew, even we recognized
when the name of the hated Haman was pronounced. And whenever his name was
mentioned, we booed and hissed and rattled our noisemakers trying to drown out
the sound of his name.
Afterwards, when we gathered
for refreshments in the community room, the favorite cookie to gobble up was
called “Haman’s Ear.”
That's why I say it was a hoot.
Jewish worshipers really get
into Purim. They “get into it” by thoroughly enjoying themselves and having fun
with the story. But they also get into it by making it personal. During
Passover, Jewish worshipers affirm: “God delivered US from the land of Egypt,
from the house of slavery.” Here again at Purim – and other times as they
remember their history - they confess: “WE have been saved from disaster.”
There is deep irony in the
recent events of our nation as – in this season of Purim and Passover - yet
another hater of the Jews has sought to wreak havoc and destroy. At the Jewish
Community Center in Overland Park Kansas, an angry, pathetic, shriveled up soul
killed three people – and none of them were Jewish. Mindy Corporon was there just
after the shooting and she found her own father and her teenaged son dying. Even
so, at the community prayer vigil that evening, Mindy spoke with a deep conviction
that her loved ones were together with God. “We were all having life,” she said
as she described the activities of the day. “And I want you to know, we will
all keep having life. And I encourage you to have more life also.” This is
personal. We are all in this together.
The book of Esther is the only
book in the Bible that does not mention the name of God outright. Even so, the
story is powerful testimony to ways even the Hidden God keeps promises and
continues to work on behalf of the Divine covenant. Even though God is not explicitly
named, it is still a story about God and it is definitely a story about how God’s
people participate in covenant.
We’ve explored the notion of
“covenant” recently: The covenant is the
gracious act of God, (Dr. Gene Boring says); it is often associated with deliverance, validation of life and
security, total well-being and peace, shalom; it is a saving act.
“The unity of Scripture lies in
the central theme of covenant that runs through every book of the Bible from
Genesis to Revelation. Subthemes of the covenant -- experiences of pilgrimage
and promise, bondage and freedom, duty and blessing, famine and plenty,
barrenness and fertility -- weave their way through both testaments.” (Hambrick-Stowe)
Some years ago, the Christian Century journal published an
article that reflected on some of the ways the book of Esther fits into the
larger story of God’s covenant: “The Book of Esther, with its tale of
suffering, crisis and eventual triumph, testifies that we are not trapped
helplessly in a destructive global fate…With bold faith, Esther took events
into their own hands to secure the future of the covenant. Her story shines as
an example of the human side of covenant responsibility…Esther, read through
the prism of Christ, points us beyond fatalism toward the hope of the earth.”
It is bold faith indeed that
Queen Esther demonstrates. “If I perish, I perish…” She gave herself over to
the salvation and redemption of her own people, risking her own life in the
process. But this is not fatalism; this is a deep wisdom.
Some scholars place the Book of
Esther in the category of Wisdom literature. Not like the Proverbs or Ecclesiastes
that recite proverbial wise sayings, this is a story – a story that
embodies the lived wisdom of Jewish understanding. Esther and Mordecai
see how, in some mystery of the cosmos, she has been put right here in this
place “for such a time as this.” Her destiny drives her forward because
whatever happens to her personally, it is the covenant that matters. She is
committed to participate in the way of God in the world because she knows it is
the future of God’s people that matters. This is this wisdom that is the “hope
of the earth.”
In our New Testament, the
Gospel stories continue the subthemes of the covenant - pilgrimage and promise,
bondage and freedom, duty and blessing, famine and plenty, barrenness and
fertility – all these experiences of living turn our attention to God’s
faithfulness and the great need for wise living.
I’m always amazed when I read
the stories about Jesus’ keen wisdom for living. He always seemed to have just
the right balance in everything: self-sufficient while at the same time
completely selfless and self-sacrificing; always in control and yet always at
the disposal of others; proactive and assertive while still being totally
responsive to God’s leading.
Matthew’s Gospel show us the
dilemmas that constantly challenged Jesus: adversaries on every side;
companions who were often quite clueless; the fickle crowd. In some ways, the Gospels
are other examples of Wisdom literature that show us how Jesus embodied wisdom
as he participated in the covenant.
Our Living in The Story
Scriptures bring 1 and 2 Corinthians into the mix during the Christian season
of Lent and then Easter. In Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth, we
hear Paul speak of this same wisdom demonstrated by Esther and by Jesus: wisdom
that motivates self-sacrifice on behalf on another; wisdom that looks like
foolishness and maybe even recklessness to the world. The foolish wisdom – Paul
says – of the cross.
God
chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in
the world to shame the strong…GOD is the source of your life in Christ Jesus,
who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and
redemption… (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
“The
hope of the earth.”
During Holy Week, we follow the
way of the Christ from the highs of “hosanna” toward the darkness of the cross.
“If I perish, I perish” is the
lived wisdom of Jesus as well as Esther.
But there is no fatalism here;
there is only deep cosmic wisdom. The upside down wisdom of God that gives
unceasingly, that loves unconditionally, that saves unendingly. “God is the
source of our life – in Jesus Christ.” Jesus Christ has embodied the
covenant, has become the gospel, and has enacted the salvation
that is the gracious act of God - validating life and accomplishing shalom.
If we follow in the way and
wisdom of Esther – we will find out what happens on the other side of threat
only by walking right into it with bold faith.
If we follow in the way and
wisdom of Jesus – we will find out what happens on the other side of death only
by dying to ourselves and giving ourselves over to God’s promise of
resurrection.
Dying to ourselves is not
fatalism; rather it is deep wisdom that allows us to participate in Christ: the
hope of the earth, the life of the world.
Mindy Corporon on YouTube
M. Eugene Boring, An
Introduction to the New Testament (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press,
2012).
“Ruth and the New Abraham, Esther the New Moses”
by Charles E. Hambrick-Stowe
Christian Century, December 7, 1983. Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation.
http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1674
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