Chapter 4: A Little Less Conversation, a Little More Action Please
Mordechai was one of the first people to find out about Achashverosh's and Haman's plot to exterminate the Jews of Persia. When others heard about it (even other Jews), their immediate reaction was one of disbelief. After all, the president of Iran wouldn't really use the nuclear bomb they're making to destroy Israel. I mean, the king of Persia wouldn't really use the might of his army to destroy the Jews in his kingdom. Who could believe that?
Mordechai believed it.
He tore his clothes and wore sackcloth and ashes, as if he were in mourning. Then he went through the streets of Shushan, wailing and crying over the impending tragedy. He would have gone all the way to his niece in the palace, but royal protocols on palace decorum prohibit anyone, even a member of court, from entering into the palace dressed so inappropriately. So Mordechai remained by the palace gate, crying over the fate of his people. In doing so, he not only caught the attention of the passersby on the street, but word got to the queen herself.
When Esther heard that her uncle was sitting in sackcloth at the palace gates, she immediately sent a fresh outfit to him. This was the same uncle of hers that wanted to keep the fact that they were Jewish on the down-low. Now here he is, announcing to the entire capital city that he's a Jew! Esther wanted him to put on some clean clothes and remember his life-long plan. But he refused to wear it. This did not make sense to Esther. She summoned a servant appointed to her by the king, Hatach, and sent him to Mordechai to find out what exactly he was doing and why he was doing it.
Mordechai relayed to Hatach that the current situation was more important than covering up his identity, or even Esther's for that matter. He told of Haman's edict, signed by the king, to kill every Jew in the empire. He pointed out that Haman was so insistent on eradicating the Jews that he was willing to pay for the expedition himself. (The fact that he knew that detail means that he was either a scribe, and therefore present when Achashverosh and Haman were discussing this point, or he just had REALLY good connections within the palace.) As proof of his claims, Mordechai provided Hatach with a copy of the edict to show Esther that he wasn't making this up, or even exaggerating. She could read it herself, and see her husband's signet at the bottom. Along with the horrible news and the proof to back it up, Mordechai sent one other thing to his niece: a request that she go before the king and intercede on behalf of her people.
Hatach relays all Mordechai had told him to the queen. This is obviously more serious than she thought. But there was a problem. She sends word back to Mordechai:
"Achashverosh is, as you know, very paranoid. No one is allowed into any room with him unless he knows about it well in advance. Even then, if he decides you're a threat to him, he can have you killed. If he extends his scepter, everything's fine; otherwise you're dead. The problem is this: I haven't been summoned by the king for a month! I can't just walk in there! He'll kill me!"
Mordechai heard Esther's message and responded:
"You know what? You're right. You don't have to go to the king. The truth of the matter is, you can stay safe in the palace, and the Jewish people will still be saved. I don't know how many will survive or when, but we will be saved somehow. You and your family name will be forgotten in the annals of history, but the Jewish people will go on. But who knows? Maybe you can do something about this. Maybe you were meant to be queen at this very moment. Maybe you were destined to be in this very position so that it could be YOU who saves us!"
And this is when Esther comes to life. At this point, she ceases to be the passive doormat who does whatever she's told, and becomes the most dynamic and influential person in the narrative. She sends a message to Mordechai:
"Get up. Gather every Jew in Shushan. Tell them that they are all to fast on my behalf for the next three days. Never mind the fact that it's Pesach. This year, everybody fasts. My ladies-in-waiting and I will also fast for three days. At the end of the three days, I should have a good enough plan to put in place. I will go see the king despite the fact that it is against his law. I know he might kill me. I know he might rape me. I know I can be punished in ways I can't begin to imagine. But whatever happens, happens. I'll do it."
When Mordechai heard Esther's message, he sprung into action gathering everyone and following through with the queen's directives. The game, as the saying goes, was afoot.
No comments:
Post a Comment