Finding Courage

Old Testament Reading: Esther 7:1-10; 9:20- 22
The Gospel: Mark 9:38-50              

The Book of Esther is an interesting one and we see just a glimpse of it in our scripture reading today. To give a bit of context - this book has been questioned for many reasons. First of all, it has no direct references to God and only one indirect one coming from Mordecai. It is the only book in the Hebrew Bible that is unattested among the Qumran Dead Sea Scrolls. There is just one New Testament allusion in Mark 6:23 when Herod says to his daughter Herodias after her beautiful dance, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom” that directly parallels what King Ahasuerus says to Queen Esther. Sadly, in the Mark scripture, Herodias asks at the suggestion of her mother, for the Head of John the Baptist. Esther, in contrast, asked for help for her people - the Jews. 

We also know that the book of Esther is not direct history. There was no King Ahasuerus although he may have been modeled after Xerxes the 1st of Persia but there is no mention of his supposed first Queen who refused his summons nor a second queen - Esther who replaced her. This is a story, not history, but by the 4th Century CE, it had overcome rabbinical concerns and was accepted. 

So what is the purpose of this story? Much like one of Jesus’ parables, it is to teach a lesson. 

Let me briefly paint you a picture of the whole story. Esther is an orphan. She lives under the care of her Jewish Uncle Mordecai at a time when the Jewish people have been scattered and are being persecuted. Esther’s Jewish name is Haddasah, but understandably in the story, it is not used as it would likely point out her Jewishness. Instead, she is called Esther - a name connected to Ishtar, the Babylonian Goddess of Love and War. Esther, in other words, is being equated with power and courage, but also love. 

As the story goes, King Ahasuerus was married to the beautiful Queen Vashti but when he commanded her to appear before him to show her off at the end of a 7-day festival, she refused to come. He was advised that he should not accept this because then all wives would refuse to do the bidding of their husbands and then what would happen to the kingdom? So Ahasuerus dismissed her and began an extensive search for a new wife which involved gathering beautiful virgins from throughout the kingdom, training them in cosmetic treatments for a year to enhance their beauty and ultimately letting the king choose his favorite. 

Mordecai makes sure that Esther is among the virgins vying for the attention of the king and she is ultimately successful in that, becoming Queen Esther although her husband the king has no idea that she is Jewish. 

After she becomes Queen, her Uncle Mordecai overhears about a plot to kill the king and informs Esther who warns her husband the King of what Mordecai heard and their plot is thwarted. 

Then there is Haman, who the King promoted to be his top official in the court. All the servants of the King bowed down to him but Mordecai did not and this enraged Haman who, learning that Mordecai was a Jew, plotted to destroy all of the Jews. He got the king to sign an edict that on the 13th day of the month of Adar, the Jewish people throughout his kingdom would be destroyed. When Mordecai heard of the edict, he and many Jews put on sackcloth and ashes fasting, weeping and mourning the destruction to come. Queen Esther sent a servant to him to find out what was the matter and was told the story and asked for help reminding her, “Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this” (4:14).  

Esther was in a tough situation. She could only go to the king if summoned, but she needed to do something to stop the destruction of her people. She asked Mordecai to have the Jews fast and pray for her and decided to risk approaching the King, knowing it could lead to her death. Knowing that the situation was dire for her people, she found the courage but also did it in a cunning way. When the king asks her “What is it Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given even to the half of my kingdom” she replies that she wants to invite him and Haman to a banquet. At that banquet, the King repeats his offer and she again requests that the two of them join her for dinner the next night. 

In the meantime, Mordecai is still not bowing down to Haman and destroying all of the Jewish people at a future date is not enough to placate Haman’s anger. He asks for advice from his wife and friends and they tell him to build a gallows 75 feet high and hang Mordecai, after getting the king’s permission, of course.

Meanwhile, on a sleepless night, the king has read in the historic annals that it was Mordecai who saved his life and he wants to do something to reward him. He sees Haman waiting to talk to him and asks him what should be done for a man whom the king wants to honor. Haman assumes he is the man the king wants to honor and he suggests, “let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn and a horse that the king has ridden, with a royal crown on its head. Let the robes and the crown be handed over to the king’s most loyal officials; let him robe the man whom the king wishes to honor and let him conduct the man on horseback through the open square of the city proclaiming before him, “Thus shall it be done for the man whom the king wishes to honor.” This backfired on Haman who was quickly given the robes and horse and told to lead his mortal enemy Mordecai on the horse proclaiming that he had the King’s favor. 

When he finished this loathsome task, he was summoned for the second banquet with the King and Queen. When the King again asked her what her petition was, assuring it would be granted, this time she pleaded for her life and the lives of her people and explained that it was Haman who plotted to destroy them. 

Ultimately it was Haman who hung on the gallows he built for Mordecai and, since the previous edict could not be revoked, a new one was written allowing the Jews to defend themselves against anyone who attacked them, which they did on the 13th. Then the 14th and 15th of the month were declared the Feast of Purim, as a festival of relief after avoiding suffering - it celebrates moving from sorrow to gladness and is the only Jewish Festival said to be inaugurated by a woman. Purim is still celebrated by Jewish people today by exchanging gifts, giving to the poor and eating a celebratory meal. 

Queen Esther might have been able to hide her Jewish identity and have survived, but instead she risked her life to help her people - that took courage and that is the point of this story - to take courage in the face of challenges. Of course the story is full of hyperbole - exaggeration for effect - such as Haman’s huge ego and gallows.  It is also full of irony - that Haman would hang from the very gallows he had built to hang Mordecai for not bowing to him. The King seems easily swayed by beauty and negligent in his duties but this is to magnify Esther and her courage. Although a story, it would be inspiring, and although God is not mentioned, the Jewish people would feel God’s hand in their salvation. 

When it comes to courage, we all need a bit of a catalyst as Mordecai was for Esther or even the extreme situation of the impending destruction that made action necessary. This story itself is a catalyst for oppressed people to tell them that with courage, they will survive. 

It also took courage for the person who was not in Jesus’ inner circle to work in Jesus’ name. We don’t know who that unnamed person was who was casting out demons in Jesus’ name. Was it one of the many people who heard him teaching, who saw his miracles and was inspired? It sounds like he had a personal encounter that changed him.  He had the courage and faith to perform miracles and he gave Jesus the credit for it. He knew he was not in Jesus’ inner circle but his faith was just as strong as theirs or he would not have been able to perform the miracle of exorcism in Jesus’ name.  Of course Jesus did not want to exclude him. As he says, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. 40 Whoever is not against us is for us.” 

And yet the first instinct of the disciples had been to stop the man because he was doing something good in Jesus’ name, without being “one of them”. Where the disciples saw division - a separation between themselves and others - Jesus saw unity. They were all doing work through their faith in Jesus and in his name. Labels did not matter. 

How many times in the last 2000 years and even today, have we people of faith put up walls to keep people out rather than inviting them in? Do you think God is worried about the labels of our denominations? Would God exclude Baptists from Methodists, from Catholics from UCC from Presbyterians? Would God exclude Jews from Muslims from Christians? 

No - Jesus gives us the answer in this scripture. “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believes in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea.” This is more hyperbole as he goes on to say if your eye or foot or hand causes you to stumble to cut them off. However, Jesus’ point is clear - we are united by faith not divided by it. We should reach our hand out across the divide of differences and connect through faith. 

And sometimes that takes courage and even sacrifice. It definitely takes humility and effort. It takes seeing a problem and working to change it - not hoping someone else will do it. It involves risk whether it be a physical risk of harm or risking the way some part of society will judge your actions. It also takes love - a love for God that extends to a love for others, even, and especially,  when it is hard. 

Esther was called to take action for her people as a model of courage. Jesus called the disciples to expand their view of those who serve in Jesus’ name to include anyone who has faith. That takes courage.

In the Wizard of Oz, the Cowardly lion seeks courage, the Tinman seeks a heart and the Scarecrow seeks a brain. Dorothy, through her love, seeks to help them all on their journey of discovery. And what do they ultimately discover? They had those things all along. The Lion had enough courage to fight the Winkie warriors for his friends, the Tinman had enough heart to protect his friends from a pack of wolves and the scarecrow had enough brains to kill a murder of crows. It took a journey together for them to realize what they had all along. 

In this modern world, it sometimes takes courage just to admit our faith, let alone act upon it. It takes courage to remain positive among so much violence, division, and negativity in our country and world. It takes courage to reach across differences and live into our mission: Striving to live God’s message of inclusive love through Jesus Christ in our community, nation, and world. 
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The good news is that like Esther and the Cowardly Lion, we have that courage already. 

And while we may feel a bit salty at times, acting bitter or irritated because of differences, Jesus reminds us to overcome that through love: “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” Amen.

​Pastor Michelle Fountain

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