Esther

Lenten Vespers, Week Two

Esther

Mordecai recorded these things, and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, enjoining them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same month, year by year, as the days on which the Jews gained relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and presents to the poor. So the Jews adopted as a custom what they had begun to do, as Mordecai had written to them. Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur—that is, ‘the lot’—to crush and destroy them; but when Esther came before the king, he gave orders in writing that the wicked plot that he had devised against the Jews should come upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

Therefore these days are called Purim, from the word Pur. Thus because of all that was written in this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them, the Jews established and accepted as a custom for themselves and their descendants and all who joined them, that without fail they would continue to observe these two days every year, as it was written and at the time appointed. These days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, in every family, province, and city; and these days of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the commemoration of these days cease among their descendants.

Homily:

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  AMEN.

Tonight marks the celebration of Purim, a late addition to the Old Testament holidays. It’s a bit like Jewish Mardi Gras.

In the Fifth Century before Christ, the Persian Empire was the great power of the ancient world. This was not necessarily a bad thing. Despite the terrible reputation that Persia would gain amongst her Greek enemies, she was one of the gentler and more liberal of the Bible’s old eastern empires. She was certainly a kinder mistress than the Assyrians or Babylonians ever were.

For the Jewish people of the Fifth Century, Persia was a godsend. It was Cyrus the Great, first emperor of the Persians and Medes, who defeated the oppressive might of Babylon and gave God’s people Israel permission to return home. Persia allowed the Israelites to rebuilt the great Temple in Jerusalem, and to worship God in peace. All that Babylon had stolen, Persia magnanimously returned.

But not everything was roses and sweet cream in the gardens. When the Persian Emperor Ahasuerus found himself publically disrespected by his queen Vashti, he decided to humiliate the queen by making a great spectacle of choosing her replacement. In effect, Ahasuerus proclaimed a great international beauty pageant, with the crown of Persia going to the winner.

Susa was the winter capital of the empire, and the leader of Susa’s Jews was a fellow named Mordecai. Mordecai had a young orphaned cousin named Esther, whom he adopted and raised as his own. These were loyal citizens of the Persian Empire. Indeed, many have pointed out that Mordecai and Esther appear to have been named for the Persian deities Marduk and Ishtar. Esther, for her part, seems not only to have inherited the name of a goddess but the beauty of one as well. The king’s men took notice of this, and forced the lovely young woman into Ahasuerus’ harem so that she might be a candidate and contestant in the upcoming selection of the new queen.

In silent protest, Esther refused to paint her face or take on any perfumes or lotions. She alone appeared before the king in her natural beauty—which not only made her stand out, but also impressed Ahasuerus greatly. Her he chose to be his queen. Yet upon Mordecai’s advice, she kept her nationality secret even from her new husband. Mordecai, meanwhile, gained favor with the king by uncovering and thus foiling a royal assassination plot.

Ahasuerus’ prime minister, however, was a fellow named Haman, and Haman was not so well inclined towards Mordecai and his ilk. In point of fact, Haman was an Amalekite, descended from Israel’s ancient foe. The Amalekites of the Bible are described as barbaric and murderous, as “cavemen” and “blood-lickers.” It is notable that of all the ancient peoples who warred with Israel in the Old Testament, only the Amalekites are singled out by God for total annihilation, their very name to be “blotted out.” Some say it’s because they had the ancient blood of giants in their veins.

Haman was outraged both by Mordecai’s prominence and by Mordecai’s refusal to bow before Haman. So the prime minister convinced the emperor that the Jews of Persia were disloyal, for they held their own laws higher than those of the king. Ahasuerus gave Haman permission to do with these rebels as he pleased, and so Haman cast lots to determine an opportune day in which to attack all the Jews of the empire at once. Haman commanded that God’s people be exterminated—down to every last man, woman, and child.

Upon hearing about the approaching day of terror, Mordecai led all of Susa’s 22,000 Jews in fasting and prayer, and he insisted that Esther confront the king. She balked, however, because it was death to approach the throne of the Persian emperor unbidden, even if you happened to be the Persian queen. “Should you remain silent at this time,” Mordecai replied, “God will raise up salvation for the Jews from another source, and the house of your father will be forgotten.”

Well, you can imagine what happened next. Queen Esther strode boldly to her husband’s throne, throwing herself upon his mercy, to reveal that she was of the very nation that Haman was seeking unjustly to destroy. Aghast, Ahasuerus spared her life, but the order of a Persian emperor is irrevocable, even by the emperor himself. All he could do now was to give the Jews of Persia permission to arm, to fortify, and to defend themselves in the coming battle. This they did to great effect, and Haman—the instigator of the whole senseless slaughter—was hanged on the very gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai.

By order of Queen Esther, then, the festival of Purim, or “lots,” was established to celebrate God’s deliverance of His people from certain destruction. Alms, costumes, and gifts of food were encouraged to commemorate this victory throughout the generations. Mordecai recorded all this in an early draft of the book of Esther, and noisemakers were to drown out the name of Haman whenever the story was read. To this day, Orthodox Jews are obligated to drink wine at Purim until they can no longer distinguish between cries of “Blessed be Mordecai!” and “Cursed be Haman!”

Esther is a perfect story for Lent because it reminds us that even in times of great trial, when the outlook seems bleak and God appears silent, if not absent, nevertheless His plans for our salvation are unfolding in mysterious and unexpected ways. One never knows what small acts of kindness God will use to save the world. Taking in an orphan may change the shape of an empire. And the actions of an unexpected queen may allow for the later arrival of the one true King of Kings.

In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN.