Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 21B
27 Sep 2009

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22
Psalm 124
James 5:13-20
Mark 9:38-50

When I saw that the first lesson today was from the book of Esther, I told Mary I would be willing to speak this morning if I could tell the story of Esther.  It is a story that seldom appears in our Sunday schools or our Sunday lectionary--a story with which we are not familiar. 

First a little history.

In the 8th century bce the Assyrian empire overran the northern tribes of Israel and dispersed the Jewish inhabitants of northern Israel throughout the Assyrian Empire.  In the  6th century bce the Babylonians conquered the southern tribe of Judah, destroyed the temple in Jerusalem, and took the remaining Israelites into captivity in Babylon.  About 50 years later, the Persian empire conquered Babylon, and Cyrus, king of the Persians allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and start rebuilding the temple. 

This history contributes to what is called the diaspora--or the spread of the Jews throughout the known world.

The story of Esther is set in Susa, the capitol of the Persian empire, during the reign of Xerxes I. (Xerxes is the Greek name for King Ahasuares in the biblical text)  He is a descendant of King Cyrus and ruled in the 5th century bce.  Esther had been orphaned and then raised by her cousin Mordecai.  They were Jews of the diaspora, living in Susa (within the borders of modern Iran).  They had probably never been to the Jerusalem and knew little of the temple.  The family would have lived in this area for many generations.

The story begins with a celebration of the strength of King Xerxes.  It sounds a bit like May Day in the Soviet Union, a time when all the armies and weapons were paraded before the governors and satraps of all of the provinces.  Once they had been duly impressed with the power of the king, they were wined and dined and impressed with the great wealth that accompanied that power.  After a week of celebrating, “when the king was merry with wine”, he commanded his beautiful queen, Vashti, to appear before him and all of the men at the party--who were probably also “merry with wine”.  He ordered her to appear “wearing the royal crown, in order to show off her great beauty”.  At least one commenter suggested that perhaps the reason for her refusal was that she was to be wearing only the crown, but that is not stated in the text.  For whatever reason, Vashti refused the king’s command and it was determined that she must be banished from the king’s household forever.  There was general concern that other wives, if they heard of this, would no longer be obedient to their husbands--who were to be “master’s in their own houses.”

After the king’s anger had abated a bit, he missed Vashti.  It was decided that he needed to find a new queen.  So all the virgins in the surrounding area were brought to the harem and the eunuchs prepared them to be presented, one each night, to the king.  Among these virgins was Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman who had been raised by her cousin Mordecai.  On his advice she did not reveal to anyone in the king’s palace that she was a Jew.  When it came her turn to go to the king, the king loved her more than any of the other virgins and immediately made her queen in place of Vashti.

Esther’s cousin Mordecai kept in touch with Esther and he was known among the insiders at the palace.  He learned of a plot to kill the king and told Esther so that she was able to warn the king and save his life.  Mordecai’s action was recorded in the court records.  The men who had plotted against the king were important officials, so the king promoted a man named Haman to take their place and be in charge of palace affairs.

Haman was a power hungry and self-important man.  He demanded that everyone bow down to him, but Mordecai alone refused.  No reason is given, it just says Mordecai refused.  And of course this made Haman very angry.

A bit of history is inserted in the story.  Mordecai is of the tribe of Benjamin, as was King Saul, the first Jewish King.  Haman descends from the Amelakites, a tribe  who were badly defeated by King Saul.  These enmities between tribes seemed to carry on for generations, and offered an additional reason for Haman to hate Mordecai.

Haman decided he had to get rid of Mordecai.  So he went to the king and told him of these people, the Jews, scattered through his Empire who didn’t keep the king’s laws because they had their own laws.  Therefore the king should not tolerate them and he should let Haman destroy them all--and the king agreed.  Haman cast lots to determine the day all Jews should be killed and then sent out a decree, sealed with the king’s seal, to all parts of the empire directing all people to carry out this slaughter on the 13th day of the last month, Adar.

When Mordecai heard this decree he put on sack cloth and ashes in mourning and went to the palace to see Esther.  He told Esther she must go to the king and convince him to reverse his decree and save her people.  Esther said no-one, not even she, could go to the king--unless he requested one’s presence--on pain of death.  Mordecai said to Esther, “you will die anyway when they discover you are a Jew”.  So Esther said she would go to the king and plead for her people.  “If I perish, I perish.”  She asked Mordecai to ask the Jews of Susa to fast with her for three days, then she would go to the king.

After the three day fast, Esther put on her royal robes and went to the kings court.  When he saw her at a distance, and saw how beautiful she was, he called her into his presence and asked what she requested.  She invited the king and Haman to a banquet that day.  At the banquet when the king offered to fulfill any request, even to half his kingdom, she invited the king and Haman to a banquet again the next night.

On his way home from this first banquet, Haman saw Mordecai, who again refused to bow to Haman.  Haman was so angry that he had a gallows built in front of his house and determined he would get permission from the king the next morning to hang Mordecai.  But in the meantime, the king could not sleep, so he read the annals of the kingdom and came across the account of the time Mordecai had saved his life.  He asked his attendants how Mordecai had been honored for this deed, and they told him nothing had been done.  So in the morning, when Haman presented himself (planning to get permission to hang Mordecai) the king spoke first.  He asked Haman what should be done to honor a man who had done the king a great service.  Haman, in his arrogance, assumed the king was planning to honor him.  So he said, “Clothe him in rich robes & jewels and parade him through the city on your finest horse.”  So the king said, “Go quickly and bestow these honors on Mordecai who saved my life.”  Haman, having no choice, did as he was ordered.  After honoring Mordecai he went home greatly depressed.

Soon the kings attendants came to summon Haman to Esther’s second banquet.  And this time, when the king asked what she desired, she asked him to save her life and the life of her people.  She disclosed that she was a Jew and recounted how Haman had plotted to kill all the Jews in order to kill Mordecai, her cousin.  The king was so angry he stormed out into the garden.  When things seemed they couldn’t be any worse for Haman, he flung himself on the queen’s couch to plead for his life.  The king walked back into the room and thought Haman was attacking Queen Esther.  The king ordered him immediately hung on the gallows Haman had built for Mordecai.

Being well rid of Haman, the king appointed Mordecai to be in charge of Haman’s household and treasures.  But there was still the question of saving the Jews from slaughter throughout the empire.  The king said that an order sent out with his seal could not be rescinded, but he gave Mordecai power to send another edict to alert the Jews and give them permission to fight their attackers.  So when the 13th day of the month of Adar arrived, the Jews throughout the empire fought their attackers, and they were supported by the governors and satraps who had learned that the king didn’t really want the Jews to die.  In Susa alone five hundred men were killed by the Jews, including the ten sons of Haman.

Then permission was given for the the Jews to celebrate their victory and their salvation from extinction.  So the 14th day of Adar, the last month of the Jewish calendar, is celebrated as the holiday of Purim.  (The lots that were cast to determine the date of slaughter were called Pur--therefore the name of the holiday.)

So that is the convoluted story of Esther and the origins of a Jewish holiday, more secular than most.  On Purim the scroll of Esther is read and every time the name of Haman appears, the congregation hisses and boos, stamps their feet and rattles noisemakers, so that the name of Haman will not be heard.  People dress in costumes relating to the various characters in the story and there is great merriment and celebration.

Over the years there has been debate about whether the book of Esther should even be included in the scriptures.  Apparently as late as the fourth century this was still being debated by rabbis.  The name of God is never mentioned and the closest thing to a religious observance is the fast of Esther and her people before her approach to the king. 

I, of course, like the story because it has a feminist twist.  Two strong women, Vashti and Esther, act in ways not usually recorded in those historical times of patriarchy.  I don’t like the violence, death, and destruction that occurred along the way--as is true in so many Old Testament stories.

But, I assume the major reason the story is included, is because it certainly is a story of deliverance.  If Esther had not acted, the entire Jewish race could have been destroyed--it would have been a genocide.  And who could bring about such a deliverance but God.  Even though the action takes place among flawed human beings, God brings about the salvation of God’s chosen people.  Our psalm this morning begins,

“If the LORD had not been on our side, let Israel now say;
If the LORD had not been on our side, when enemies rose up against us;
Then would they have swallowed us up alive
In their fierce anger toward us...”

The threat of extinction has echoed and re-echoed throughout the history of the Jews--from these ancient threats, through pogroms of the Middle Ages to the Holocaust of our modern times.  I’m sure that modern Jews, when they celebrate Purim--with all it’s fun and gaiety--must think of this history which has been repeated since ancient times.

And I guess the personal message I receive and pass on from this story is that we need to remember that the actions of a single person may have wide consequences for good or evil.  I was reminded of this again in the viewing of the film Gandhi on Friday evening.  We need to pay attention to our choices, to attempt to discern where and how God wants us to speak or act to advance God’s Kingdom, to help bring about the salvation of all of God’s creation.