… and told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him—you will surely come to ruin!” – Esther 6:13

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 8, 2014): Esther 6

When Germany invaded Poland at the beginning of World War II, in those opening moments of the Second Great War, Adolf Hitler stood alone. His only ally, Benito Mussolini of Italy, refused to back the German leader because Mussolini felt that Italy was not yet prepared for war. The truth was that the two allies had very little use for each other. Mussolini’s Fascism was considered by most, including Hitler, to be the older brother of Hitler’s Nazism. But as the relationship progressed, Mussolini found Hitler to be a terrible bore – and Hitler’s long monologues during meetings between the two often did not allow Mussolini to speak. The result was that the common meeting between the two leaders would often end up with Hitler doing the talking and Mussolini frequently checking his watch, wondering when the meeting was going to be over. And because it was only Hitler that seemed to speak at their meetings, Hitler soon began to assume the position of senior partner in the alliance – and the senior Mussolini did seem to get a say in the matter. It was an uneasy friendship – and in many ways a marriage of convenience.

But the truth is that in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s success for either nation depended on success for the other. As much as at times it might seem that Hitler and Mussolini would have rather started shooting at each other, that dream had to be delayed. In this moment in time, Hitler and Mussolini needed each other.

Haman wanted nothing more than to see Mordecai dead. Mordecai’s sin was that he had refused to celebrate Haman, and it would seem that for Haman there was no greater offense. Haman had even built the method of execution for his enemy. But then, in a plot twist worthy of Dean Koontz, all of that changes. Suddenly Haman who is angry because Mordecai refused to celebrate his life, is forced by an edict of the king to celebrate Mordecai’s life. The reality was that in this moment, the lives of Haman and Mordecai depended on each other.

And this is the message that Haman’s advisors tried to drive through. As much as you may want to make Mordecai pay for the sins he has committed against you, in this moment Mordecai has become your senior and for your own good you need to be willing to bring honor to him. Haman’s very life now depended on his ability to give honor rather than receive it.  

Later, Jesus would tell a parable about guests at a banquet. In the parable, the guests come and some assume a position of honor that was not intended for them. In the parable, Jesus says that when the master of the feast comes, he will then remove them from the place of honor so that the one for whom the place was intended can take his position at the table. Jesus sums up his moral this way:  But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests – Luke 14:10. It was a moral that seemed to apply to the story of Haman and Mordecai – and maybe even Hitler and Mussolini. In life there seems to be nothing that trumps humility – and this is a lesson that we all need to learn.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Esther 7