Purpose and the Queen of Persia

By Rev. Kurt Onken

“Why am I here? What is my purpose?” Have you ever asked yourself those questions?

“I have no purpose,” you say to yourself. I have no special talents that make me stand out from the crowd. I tried my best and still didn’t make the team. I studied so hard and still got a C or a D or a big fat F. I invested so much time and energy in that relationship and she turned her back on me. Sometimes, you feel like throwing up your hands and saying, “Why should I bother any longer?”

Do you suppose Esther ever felt that way? Esther was the queen of Persia. That sounds like a pretty cool gig. But unbeknownst to her husband, King Artaxerxes, she was Jewish. About a hundred years earlier, the Jews had been led away in bondage by the Babylonians, until the Babylonians were conquered by the Persians. Some Jews returned to Judea. Others stayed, including Esther’s family. Artaxerxes chose Esther from among his huge harem to replace the previous queen, who had refused to appear before the king’s pals at a party when he wanted to brag about the beautiful wife he had. So even though Esther was now queen, she had to live in a far-off land among a people with foreign customs, false gods, and food forbidden by the Law given to Moses. Not only that, her cousin Mordecai got them into a bit of hot water. He refused to bow down to Haman, the king’s righthand man, as Haman passed by. This so enraged Haman that when he found out Mordecai was a Jew, he decided to get revenge by convincing the king to issue a decree that all Jews in the empire should be slaughtered—and no decree made by a king of Persia could ever be changed. It was a done deal.

“What good is being queen now?” you might imagine Esther asking. Should she simply barge in to see the king? No one—not even the queen—could do that without the king’s permission, upon penalty of death. Was she doomed to live a purposeless and pointless life in the opulence of the Persian palace?

When Mordecai learned of Esther’s uncertainty, he replied, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13-14)

Esther resolved to go see the king and said, “I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16). She knew that sure death could await her, yet she courageously determined to try to save her people. To make a long story short, her plan worked. Without being summoned, she entered into the king’s court and bravely stood before his throne. Artaxerxes showed favor to Esther. He honored Mordecai for previously warning the him about an attempt on his life. Haman was put to death. And although the previous decree could not be revoked, the king allowed the Jews across the empire to defend themselves and save their lives. And they did.

If you haven’t read the book of Esther, check it out. You’ll enjoy some of the twists and turns at the end of the book as you see how Haman got what was coming to him.But here’s an interesting point about the book: God is not mentioned. Not once. But that doesn’t mean He’s not present. He’s there, all right. Hidden. Working behind the scenes. He was working to save the people of Judah because there was a promise still to be fulfilled through that people. There was another young Jewish woman yet to come who was going to give birth to a Son who would be the Savior of the world. And this descendant of Judah lived the most purposeful life ever lived. He saw you in your sinful condition, lost, without hope, without life, and became flesh “for such a time as this” to suffer and die for you, to forgive your sins, to save you from eternal death and to give you eternal life. And He continues to be purposefully present and active in your life, although hidden, behind the scenes, in spoken words, water, and bread and wine.

So what is your purpose? You might never be in Esther’s sandals with a “for such a time as this” moment. God might have one big moment in store for you. He certainly has a series of not-so-big moments in mind: simple acts of love and mercy, care and compassion—acts done in the name of Christ for those around you. But think of the ripple effect that your service may have. Your quiet acts of mercy might affect one person who is then inspired to acts of mercy for others in the name of Christ for their own “for such a time as this” moment.

Whatever God has in store for you, take heart and have courage, because you have these promises from the Lord given through the apostle Paul: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” and “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). His purpose was to love you and save you at the cross and to join you to Christ’s cross and resurrection in Holy Baptism. You have been called according to His purpose. You are a new creation in Christ who loves God. Therefore, He will work all things out for your good and it is that promise which gives your life meaning and purpose.

Rev. Kurt Onken is the pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Marysville, Washington. His article is an adaptation of a sermon he delivered this summer at the Montana Higher Things conference.