Good Friday in the Book of Esther, Part 2
The Book of Esther is intentionally messianic. By messianic, I mean that it was written intentionally to foster messianic hope, the confident expectation that God would one day in the future, send the Messiah to Israel. So, the Book of Esther contains clues for us to observe, evidence that either the characters in the book itself or the actual events foreshadow the portrait of the future Messiah. In the case of Esther, both characters and events foreshadow the Messiah.
The Author of Esther Knew the Old Testament
The author of Esther also knew the Old Testament. We know this to be true because he borrows exact statements from other books in the Old Testament canon as well as patterns in those same books.
Joseph and Esther
For example, observe the common pattern: Just as Joseph (exiled, separated from his father) found favor in the eyes of Potiphar and of the captain of the prison guard while in Egypt (Genesis 39), so also Esther, an orphan, found favor in the eyes of Hegai and the Gentile king in Persia (Esther 2). Esther, a Jewess in exile, placed in a Gentile palace, is a mirror of Joseph, a Jew in exile, appointed to the Gentile, royal palace.
Now observe the common statements: Just as “Pharoah removed his ring from upon his hand and out it on Joseph’s hand” (Gen 41:42), so also “the king removed his ring which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai” (Esther 8:2). When both Joseph and Mordechai departed the king’s presence, the description of their royal clothing is very similar (Gen 41:42; Esther 8:15).
There are so many intentional links between the character of Joseph in Genesis and events and characters in Esther, that it is perfectly normal to conclude that when the author of Esther was writing the story, he had Joseph’s story in mind. But are there messianic links that tie both stories together, links that point ahead to the future?
Consider this connection. Both Joseph and Mordecai are clothed in royal garments, made to ride, proclaimed, and received the royal ring which the king put on their hands. While Joseph rode in Pharoah’s second chariot (Gen.42:43), Mordecai was second to King Ahasuerus (Est.10:3). So, Mordecai in exile in Persia under a Gentile king, occupies the same position of second-to-the-throne to which Joseph had arisen in exile under another Gentile king (Pharaoh). Joseph and Mordecai point ahead with hope to a future, royal figure who also attains the position of second-to-the-throne.
There’s more. Joseph was the precursor at Pharoah’s court to another, future Israelite named Moses who redeemed his people out of exile and slavery in Egypt at the time of Passover. Presumably, then, Mordechai is another biblical figure who portends a future Jewish figure who will redeem Israel out of her second exile at the time of Passover. Undoubtedly, Joseph is portrayed as the king to come from his brother Judah’s tribe. Just as Joseph was blameless in the Genesis 37-50 narrative, so Mordecai in Esther is never attributed sin. The blamelessness of both points ahead to a future, blameless Messiah.
The author of Esther shows that he knows the story of Joseph and that Joseph is a messianic figure pointing ahead to the future king of Israel.
King Ahab and Haman
The author of Esther also showed his knowledge of the book of Kings by borrowing a pattern from the story of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel (1 Kings 21). Observe the same pattern occurring in both stories. Both King Ahab and Haman (in Esther) are powerful men, married, who are frustrated and angry because their intentions and plans are blocked by another man. Ahab wants Naboth’s vineyard, but Naboth refuses to sell it to the king. So, Ahab goes home and sulks. Haman wants to kill Mordechai but is thwarted from doing so. He’s frustrated.
So, both Ahab and Haman go home and tell their wives about their frustrated plans. In both cases, their wives suggest a plan: kill the troublemaker. Ahab should kill Naboth the owner of the vineyard. Haman should kill Mordechai the man who refuses to bow to him. Upon hearing the counsel of their wives, both men feel much better.
At the end of the day, though, retribution occurs to both Haman and Ahab. Haman is hanged on his own gallows. Dogs would lick up the blood of Ahab. Two reversals that sound very much alike. The author of Esther demonstrates that h knew the story of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel.
There are also intentional links connecting the story of Esther with Jacob and Esau, Joshua,[1] and the building and dedication of the Temple by King Solomon.
The Author of Esther Knew the Unifying Theme of Trees
The author of Esther also knew of the most dominant unifying themes of the entire Bible, both the Old and New Testaments. One of those unifying themes is the tree.
Trees play a major role in Genesis 1-3, the foundation of the redemptive story: the tree of life, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as the place of death, and the place where Adam and Eve fled in fear. And so, we can expect to find trees alluded to all the way to the end of God’s redemptive story. And so, when we encounter a tree in the book of Esther, we should not be surprised, but be on the alert for a messianic theme to appear.
Why? Because the story of redemption focuses on how God, in sovereign grace, will provide new access to the tree of life to sinful human beings. The theme of trees appears hundreds of times and in a variety of ways.
Some examples of a variety of trees: olive, fig, sycamore, palms, cedars, and oak. There are also a variety of tree-related themes: branches, palm branches, vines (“I am the vine), roots, stumps, candlesticks, menorah, trunks, seeds, fruit, harvest, ropes, poles, baskets, mangers, cross, Noah’s Ark is made of trees, not “wood”) and thus, it becomes a tree of life, a floating Garden of Eden with animals and people living in peace within an enclosed area) passing through the waters, the tree on Isaac’s back (Gen 22). Even people are compared to trees (“He shall be like a tree”…, Psalm 1, is a reference to the future king in a paradisical Eden, etc.). The tree that Zaccheus climbed became a tree of life for him. The palm branches spread on the road for Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem were like asphalt, paving the road to the ultimate tree of life, the cross of Jesus. In fact, it is no coincidence that the very first sinner who reenters Paradise for good is a thief hanging on a tree. Because of his spoken faith in Jesus as a crucified King, in death, he travels from a tree to the tree of life in Paradise.
The Book of Esther contains a tree at the very center. Hardly a coincidence. More on that later.
The Book of Esther has Two Halves with a Center Hinge
The author of Esther also divides his story into two halves. Each half is parallel to the other. In the middle, the author placed a hinge upon which the story turns. The center hinge begins the great reversal of the book of Esther. The tragedies of the first half are reversed in the second half. And, what is important to understand is that the cause for the turn from the lowest point to the highest point, the event that begins the great reversal, is a man hung on a tree.
The author 0f Esther uses a tree to introduce the pivot of the story, the hinge upon which the evil—threats of death for the Jewish people--that are done in the first half is reversed (undone). The enemy (Haman) of the Jewish people is eliminated and they as a people are protected from annihilation. The great reverse in Esther begins and continues because of a death on a tree. Does that sound familiar? Does that sound Messianic?
The following diagram of the Book of Esther attempts to reflect the idea of reversal, a central hinge or pivot upon which the story turns. The evil acts committed in the first half of the book are progressively undone in the second half of the book.[2] Look for the tree near the middle.
The Book of Esther: The Story of the Great Reversal
A. The greatness of King Ahasuerus and his banquet for officials from 127 provinces (ch.1)
B. Banquet celebrating coronation of Esther over her rivals (ch.2)
C. Decree to exterminate Jews and their mourning (ch.3, 4)
D. First banquet of Esther, Haman plans death of Mordechai (ch.5)
Hanging tree is erected. The last word in 5:14 is the Hebrew word, הָעֵֽץ tree, Lowest point in the
story. Defeat seems certain.
E. Hinge: Reversal Begins: Sleep is kept from the king, chronicles read, Mordechai honored, Haman shamed (ch.6).
D. Second banquet of Esther, Haman crucified on the tree instead of Mordechai (ch.7) Defeat turns to victory.
C. Decree for Jewish defense and their joy (ch.8)
B. Banquet celebrating victory of Jews over their rivals: Highest Point (ch.9) in the story. Victory.
A. The greatness of King Ahasuerus and his prime minister Mordechai, letters to the Jews in 127 provinces and banquet of Purim (ch.9, 10).
You can read the story yourself in Esther 5, how, due to his wife’s counsel, Haman built a “gallows” (50 cubits high[3]) upon which to hang Mordechai because of his seething hatred for him. But due to the providence of God, Mordechai is vindicated, and Haman is exposed as an enemy of the king and queen. The king orders that Haman be hanged—a punishment for traitors--upon the very gallows he built for Mordechai. Quite the reversal (Psalm 7:16).
Hanging Probably Meant Crucifixion
We are not exactly sure what “hanging” means other than it was reserved for traitors and resulted in certain death. As Ellicott observes, hanging was not in use among Persians for crimes against the king (Esther 2:21-23). Rather, “crucifixion was a common punishment among the Persians, especially on rebels…Doubtless the punishment intended for Mordecai was crucifixion, for hanging, in the common sense of the term, does not seem to have been in use among the Persians.”[4]
So, the lowest point of the story, the erection of a tree, a gallow for Mordechai, is reversed and gives way to the highest point of the story. The story of Esther goes from Rock Bottom to Mountain High, from defeat to victory. And the cause of the reversal is a crucifixion on a TREE. That sure sounds Messianic! The book of Esther is surely messianic in nature, pointing ahead to another crucifixion on a tree, another rock bottom, an apparent defeat, but one which kicks into gear the greatest reversal and greatest triumph in history.
Jesus’ Death: Hanging on a Tree
Both Peter and Paul describe Jesus’ death on the cross as hanging on a tree and as a defeat turned into a triumph. And, the result of that hanging on a tree, a great reversal begins in salvation history. Because of Jesus’ death on a tree, men and women, boys and girls who turn to him in faith and repentance, are no longer under the sentence of eternal death. God offers them the forgiveness of sins and life eternal. Observe their description of Jesus’ death as one which occurred on a tree, two speeches given primarily to Jewish audiences:
The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a tree[5]. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. (Peter’s speech to the Sanhedrin) Acts 5:30-31
26 Men, brothers, sons of Abraham’s family, and those Gentiles among you who fear God, the message of this salvation has been sent to us. 27 For the people who live in Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize[f] him,[g] and they fulfilled the sayings[h] of the prophets that are read every Sabbath by condemning[i] him.[j] 28 Though they found no basis for a death sentence,[n] they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 When they had accomplished[o] everything that was written[p] about him, they took him down[q] from the Tree] and placed him[s] in a tomb. 30 But God raised[t] him from the dead, 31 and[u] for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied[v] him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These[w] are now his witnesses to the people…We tell you the good news…Therefore my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you (Paul’s speech in a synagogue in Pisidian Antioch) Acts 13:26-31, 32, 38).
Mordechai, then, is another messianic, biblical character whose experiences point ahead to a future Jewish figure, blameless, suffers as the object of a death plot, for whom a “tree” is erected for his crucifixion, yet who overcomes the death plot, is clothed in royal garments, wears a crown on his head, rides victoriously on a horse, and is elevated to second-in-command at the King’s right hand. That future Messianic figure will redeem Israel out of her second exile at the time of Passover.
So, is there anyone you know of who fully fulfills that portrait? Who comes to your mind?
Let’s remind ourselves of some pertinent words from Luke’s Gospel which assert boldly that Jesus’ Hebrew Bible is messianic in nature:
25 So he said to them, “You foolish people—how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Wasn’t it necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 Then, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things written about himself in all the Scriptures. Luke 24:25-27.
Jesus had no trouble finding himself in the Hebrew Bible. He claims that he himself is the key to understanding it.
Thank you for reading.
NOTES:
[1] For example, the reference to Mordechai’s “fame” in Esther 9:4 is reminiscent of Joshua’s fame in Josh.6:27 at the outset of his campaign of conquest: Josh.6:27 – “and his fame was in all the land.” Est.9:4 – “and his fame went through all the provinces.”
[2] Reversals are part and parcel of the makeup of the Book of Esther. For example, in the beginning, Esther hides her identity as a Jew. But at the conclusion of the story, people are becoming Jewish.
[3] The mention of 50 cubits as the height of the gallows is noteworthy. Both the Tabernacle in the wilderness and the Jerusalem Temple contain 50 cubits as part of their length and breadth measurements while it is used for the height of Haman’s gallows. See Exod 27:12-13; 1 Kings 7:6.
[4] C.J. Ellicott, Ellicott’s Bible Commentary (London: Pickering and Inglis, 1971), pp. 368-69.
[5] 1 Peter 2:24-25; Galatians 3:13-14.