In our scripture readings for today, we hear the conclusion of the story of Esther, which ends on a bright note for the Jewish people. Mordecai is given the position of power previously occupied by Haman, and Mordecai convinces the king to issue a counter-edict to the one commanding genocide against the Jews. The Jewish people are given authority to deal with those who hate them, and the date of the Pur becomes a date, not for genocide, but to remove the threat of genocide. And while WE cringe at the casualty numbers, WHAT IS the logical response to people who hate you with an ideologic hatred? Mordecai declares the date of the Pur as a new Jewish festival to celebrate their salvation, a celebration that continues to this day, and is coming up on a round number anniversary....
On May 14th, 1948, the British mandate over the region of Palestine expired, and the new nation of Israel declared independence. On May 15th, 1948, five Arab nations launched an attack on the new nation of Israel. You can tell how well that attack went by the name it was given in Arabic – the nakba – the catastrophe. Like when the Egyptian charioteers drowned in the restored Red Sea, or when 185k Assyrians died suddenly while besieging Jerusalem, when God saves his people, sometimes the body count on the other side creeps up uncomfortably high....
There is a distinct asymmetry between the edict Haman issued against the Jews, and the edict Mordecai issued for the Jews. Haman's edict authorized the annihilation of all Jews in the Persian Empire, men, women, and children, and the confiscation of all of their goods. Mordecai's edict authorized the annihilation of all ARMED FORCES who had the intent of killing Jews, “and they laid no hands on the plunder”. Yes, 75k people were killed on the day of the Pur, but that was across the whole empire, a tiny fraction of the population, including only 800 people in the power-hungry capital city of Susa. And yes, Esther asked for an extra day of killing in Susa, and to hang the sons of the evil Haman from his 75' pole of hatred. But compared to the Pur that Haman envisioned, what actually took place was a muted response of self-defence.
Why does our society have a huge problem with the self-defence of Israel? Why does our society ignore the distinct asymmetry between the tactics of Israel and their enemies? Why are we so worried when the Jews seem to have power over their enemies, and never as worried when enemies seem to have power over the Jews? I'd like to think it's because we know God will save his people, regardless of how desperate their situation looks. But I think the real reason is deeper....and darker....
At the end of our story today, God saves his people....once again! And Mordecai issues instructions to remember this event – this near-miss of a genocide – this day of salvation – and to remember it throughout every generation. This event is to be remembered with a festival named Purim, similar to the festival of Passover commemorating the Exodus from Egypt, as instructed by Moses – an annual festival, celebrated on Adar 14 and 15. And if the annals of the Persian Empire are correct, and the 12th year of King Ahasuerus was indeed 473 BCE, then next year, in 2027, if my math is correct, on March 22 and 23, Purim will be celebrated by Orthodox Jews for the 2500th time! Generation after generation, remembering the times when God brought them salvation!
As Christians, we're pretty good at remembering the Christmas and Easter parts of the salvation story, and for us, March 28, 2032 will be our 2000th celebration of Jesus' resurrection. But do we celebrate and remember our stories of INDIVIDUAL salvation? We celebrate the day of our birth, but do we celebrate the day of our RE-birth in baptism? [Louis will have July 5th as a special day going forward!] Do we commemorate the day God kept us or our loved ones from dying prematurely? Do we remember the day God brought us back from a crisis of faith, or started us on a path that lead to recovery? By intentionally remembering and giving thanks for God's saving acts, we build up our faith – and we build up the faith of each other.
Gracious God, help us to remember and celebrate all of the times you brought salvation to our lives, especially through the death and resurrection of your son Jesus. Continue to defend us and give us courage to speak, in Jesus' name....