Skip to main content

For Such a Time As This


                When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

             Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:12-17)
 

       Today begins the celebration of Purim, a celebration of the victory of the Jews over the evil man who wanted them all killed. It's also Maundy Thursday and Christians are getting ready to celebrate the victory of Jesus over Satan (who wants all people killed), sin and death. Easter is also often associated with Passover, which celebrated the victory of God and the Jews over the Egyptians who enslaved the Jews. As I mentioned a couple days ago, it might even be that Jesus died at the time that the Jews would have been killing the lambs to apply the blood to their doorposts. I thoroughly enjoy these parallels.
        There is another parallel that I want to bring to your attention today. It's your parallel (and mine) with Queen Esther. Oh, I know we haven't won any beauty contests, most of us haven't suffered the humiliation and honor that she did, but each one of us is put in a place that no one else has. We each have an opportunity to do good, or speak against evil. If we don't, someone else may well do so, but we will die a little - or maybe just die.

        Usually, when people talk about these verses, they focus on the "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" It's a great verse, but I think that instead of focusing on Mordecai's last words, we should pay attention to Esther's: "...I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish." She accepted the real possibility of dying in order to try to save others.

        This isn't something unique to her. Early in Christian history, Christians tended plague victims, adopted children left out on the rocks and accepted martyrdom as an honor. Today, if someone mentions caring for refugees, Christians are as likely as not to recoil in horror. I'm not suggesting we be foolish, but we need to remember. We need to remember that we, too, have come into our positions for such a time as this...to do what needs to be done, and if we perish we perish.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
On the Calendar
Maundy Thursday
Purim begins at sundown.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen!

  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)            Do you like roller coasters? I don't. You spend forever climbing a hill. You get to the top and have half a second, then you race down to a low point. Sometimes the racing down involves tying your insides into knots. At the bottom, you either have to be dragged up another hill or you get off the ride. Peter's life was a roller coaster from the time he met Jesus. There would be miracles, and then Jesus would teach things that didn't always make sense, and then they'd go out and perform miracles, and return to be taught. Peter was praised for giving the right answer to "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus said that said answer came from God. Peter was at the top of the hill.            ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prayer Lists

                 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)   In connection with what I wrote yesterday about the possibility that I’m wrong, I’m feeling the need to go back to basics - craving spiritual milk because somehow, I missed something. It’s a little embarrassing, craving milk like a newborn, but the truth probably is that we are newborns many times in many ways in our lives. From God’s perspective, we may never be anything more than newborns, forever needing that milk. On the other hand, being a newborn can also be exciting because so much is new. My mind is playing pinball - ricocheting from one idea to the next and through six more before it happens to hit the third again. The main topic is prayer. I have at least seven organizing structures all somewhat influenced by the movie War Room , which I’v...
Post a Comment
Read more