Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Now Esther had not revealed her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had charged her; for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, December 6, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Enter the perfectly obedient heroine. She is the complete foil to Queen Vashti, the picture of ideal femininity within Jewish law: obedient to authority (read: men). As I wrote yesterday, this is intentional to set up and subvert this ideal by giving Esther incredible power in spite of her oppressive station in life.
Meanwhile, this old melodrama is about more than just the oppression of women. The lives of the entire Jewish people are on the line! Here we set the stage for the later dramatic reveal, having Esther keep back from her new husband, King Ahasuerus, that she herself is a Jew. As the story progresses, it’s clear he is hardly even aware of the Jewish presence in his vast kingdom at this point, so it’s not like it would have even been a blip on his radar at the beginning to know that his new wife was Jewish. But, as we well know, this becomes absolutely central to the entire tale! Suspense! Mystery! Scheming! Counter-scheming! For the total over-the-top nature of this rollicking comedic play, you need an Esther—the soft, sweet protagonist with a heart of gold, an iron will, and a BIG secret.
In real life, of course, obedience is not a positive character trait in my book. In fact, I have a clear memory of my childhood pastor telling my confirmation class that obedience was not good at all. I don’t remember the context, but while I get that we need to be obedient to God’s call to do God’s work in the world, obedience to any human authority whatsoever is likely to get in the way of God’s call.
On the other hand, Esther also teaches us that we can be effective in creating large-scale and life-saving change from wherever we are in life.
Is obedience a positive trait? Why or why not?