Esther 4: 1 – 8
When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went through the city, wailing with a loud and bitter cry; he went up to the entrance of the king’s gate, for no one might enter the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth. In every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and most of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.
When Esther’s maids and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed; she sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth; but he would not accept them. Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what was happening and why. Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate, and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and charge her to go to the king to make supplication to him and entreat him for her people.
Reflection
Mordecai has held his ground, but has discovered his stand is likely to have a catastrophic effect on his own people, and he is devastated. In today’s passage Mordecai lives his pain wearing the traditional garb of mourning – sackcloth and ashes. But he goes further. Mordecai makes the most of Hathach’s visit, and has word sent to Esther in the hope that she can use her influence to get the pogrom halted in its tracks.
Viewed from today’s world the ethics of influence are often questionable. However the starting point here was that Mordecai saw trouble coming, spotted an opportunity, and was prepared to do something to try to pre-empt catastrophe.
So often I hear people say that there is no point in speaking out about something because the actions of one person won’t make any difference. But if no-one makes a stand over anything, then the danger is that the negative powers at work in our world will simply sweep all before them.
As Christians our calling is to stand up for the way of Jesus Christ; love, truth, justice, integrity, peace. We may not be popular. The path will often not be easy. Sometimes it might involve using our contacts. But if we wait until an action or event has already happened before doing anything about it, it may well be too late.
I am very conscious that I am writing this for Hiroshima Day. J. Robert Oppenheimer did significant work in nuclear physics, but he was not comfortable knowing what destructive power he had unleashed onto the world; and the bomb could not be unmade.
Maybe our lesson from Mordecai today is to speak up and act before it is too late.
Prayer
O God, help us to see the world with the eyes of Christ.
Grant us insight to recognise the way decisions and actions of others are heading,
the wisdom to know how to challenge,
and the courage to speak and act for the greater good,
sooner rather than later.
Amen.
