At the Movies: Queen Esther

Our church has been going through a season of communal discernment. We’re a healthy congregation with many young families alongside members who have been serving the church faithfully for decades. Rather than rest on our laurels and ride out the season, many of us have felt compelled to ask God, what’s next for us? What is the Lord’s vision for our future? How can we be faithful with the many gifts God has given us?

I’ve served as the moderator of our leadership board throughout this process, and in many ways I have felt called to this position “for such a time as this,” as Mordecai so compellingly puts it to his niece, Esther, during the reign of King Xerxes in Persia. Mordecai used this phrase to press his niece to intervene on the behalf of the Hebrew people, thereby saving the lives of many. 

Watching Sight & Sound’s production of Queen Esther, I was left with the question: Does this verse and this story really have something for me?

Queen Esther

Several months ago, we featured the Sight & Sound live simulcast production of Daniel, which was shown in theaters across the country. Sight & Sound has a whole catalog of filmed versions of their live shows available streaming through their network, and Queen Esther is just one of them. You can access these shows through two different options—pay-per-view, or, if you see lots of different shows that look appealing, you can buy an annual season pass.

Like Daniel and other productions done by Sight & Sound, Queen Esther is brought to viewers on an incredible wrap-around stage with elaborate set designs that transform seamlessly between scenes, transporting viewers from the king’s palace to the streets of Persia in seconds. Add to that exquisite costuming, choreographed singing and dancing, and even live animals, and you have a show that successfully brings the biblical story of Esther to life right before your eyes.

Finding the Love: Faithifying Your Viewing

Uncle Mordecai is famous for his statement to his niece, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14b NIV).

For such a time as this.

The Book of Esther is the only book in the Bible that doesn’t explicitly mention God, and yet this story, like so many others in our Bible, gives us a glimpse into the character of God and his relationship with his people. Esther’s rise to power as the Queen of Persia does save the lives of many Hebrew people; without her intervention, the whole community would have faced destruction due to Haman’s decree to annihilate them. 

Mordecai’s words were true for Esther. I want them to be true for me, too.

The American version of my Christian faith says that my status as a child of God is special, that God has a unique and particular plan that is good for me and my future. It promises me that every single moment of my life has purpose and meaning, even the times that seem challenging and hard—who knows? Maybe I am in this role for such a time as this.

Trust me, I like to feel special. I want to be Super Sarah, sent to save the day in whatever scenario I’m given. But if I’m not careful, this belief can quickly put me at the center of the story, and frankly I don’t belong there. And neither does Esther.

It isn’t very often that I find a plaque or a Christian instagram post featuring the first part of Esther 4:14. We are prone to lop it off in favor of the more purpose-driven life part of the verse. But if I leave off the first part of the verse, I lose the insight into the character of God that Mordecai so wisely delivers: “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

Relief and deliverance will arise from another place. That is a profound statement of trust in the One who holds all things together. No matter what, God will bring relief and deliverance, no matter what. It does not depend upon me. I need to hear that word from the Lord—it does not depend upon me—it is the Lord who saves. It is the Lord who rescues. It is the Lord who redeems.

Someone else could do this too, you know; you are not that special. But wouldn’t it be wonderful if you leaned in at this moment? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you got to be part of this story? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you responded yes to the invitation to enter into the grand narrative of God’s love and deliverance?

The relief and deliverance of the Hebrew people did not depend upon Esther, and Mordecai knew that. Yes, there would be consequences to Esther not stepping up, but the burden was not all hers to carry. 

This is the great freedom of a life in Christ—we are invited into God’s abundance, not commanded. In God’s extravagant love, we find our courage and strength to speak for the silenced, advocate for the powerless, and stand up for the marginalized. Rescue doesn’t depend upon us, but wouldn’t it be exciting if we got to be part of it?