A Story I Couldn't Bear to Cut
So I didn't.
Hello!
Happy Every-Other-Monday. Hope you’re well. Here’s the latest:
The Maestro, the Orphan Queen, and the Guardian (Part 1)
The latest episode of Holy Ghost Stories is ready for you! What’s it about, you ask? Great question. It’s about exile and complicated decisions and bravery and whether compromise is inevitable for people living in the real world…oh—you mean what Bible story is it about. Cool. It’s about Esther.
Esther! Since I began this podcast, I’ve gotten quite a few requests to do Esther’s story—she definitely seems to be a crowd favorite. And man: after spending a lot of time with this story over the past couple of weeks, I can definitely see why it gets so much love.
Maybe your reasons are different, but here’s why I’m digging the story of Esther:
Stellar storytelling.
The author of Esther was a master storyteller, weaving together a narrative full of setups and payoffs, intrigue and surprise, one reversal after another, and the whole thing built on an amazingly symmetrical structure. (Check out this Bible Project video for a great overview and a glimpse at the symmetry of the story). It’s so well-crafted, in fact, I couldn’t really find a great section to carve out and tell without telling the whole thing. Hence, a two-part approach: this episode is part one (it covers Esther 2:1-4:16). Part 2 (the dramatic conclusion!) will drop two weeks from now as Episode 8. And what, you ask, about Esther chapter 1?? Can’t tell you about that yet—it’s a surprise.Lavish world-building.
This text is super-specific at so many points—really generous with the details. I love that. Helps me enter the story and look around—see, smell, touch, taste. But it’s not just the Biblical text I have to thank for the clear pictures in my head: it’s history. This story happens waaaaaay late in the Old Testament timeline. (Circa 483 BC—post-Abraham, post-Judges, post-David, post-Jeremiah, post-Daniel, post-most-of-the-OT.) That means there’s a lot more historical/archaeological info from which to glean than there is for other episodes in the OT. For instance, check this out—it’s the capital of one of the ACTUAL COLUMNS IN XERXES’ PALACE:
This monstrosity would have sat atop one 36 columns in Esther’s husband’s reception hall—every one of them 70 feet tall. It blows my mind that we have this and can look at it.
Super interesting themes.
Esther and Mordecai are Jews living a life far from Judea, in a foreign kingdom, at a time when God is not speaking audibly. Famously, God’s name is nowhere to be found in the Book of Esther. That’s no accident, I believe. Instead, it mirrors Esther’s and Mordecai’s situation—these two are waking up every day in a world where God seems hidden. Maybe even absent. …Which is it?
Exactly.
I love this story because it’s our story. The people of God living in exile, navigating a world that seems to demand compromise—a world where God can be hard to see. We’d do well to spend some time with these two and to meditate a bit on what we can learn from their story.
Alright—enough talk. Go listen to it! I hope you love it, and I hope it sparks some productive reflection.
(Oh—and one more thing about this episode: I had to make some decisions about Esther’s (and Mordecai’s) internal motivations—that’s one thing the text is pretty stingy with. I’d love to hear if you agree or disagree with my take. Either way, I did my best to treat Esther, Mordecai, even Xerxes, with care and empathy. Hope that comes through.
4 Cool Things
How To Behave In Britain - Came across this gem several days ago—it’s a training film for US troops in WWII who were headed to England. It’s……well, I can’t believe it’s real. The ‘what to do in a pub’ scene (toward the beginning) is just fantastic.
If Ian McKellen Recited the DuckTales Theme Song - Gandalf and DuckTales?? That’s a double yes for me. Also, that voice does not seem like it could come out of this guy.
These Guys Had Great Sisters - When Netflix premiered their movie Enola Holmes (about Sherlock’s sister), they erected pop-up statues of the accomplished sisters of some of England's famous men. Gonna have to see the one in Dorchester—it’s not far from us!
“High Treason” - Love this from Mexican poet José Emilio Pacheco
I do not love my country. Its abstract splendor
is beyond my grasp.
But (although it sounds bad) I would give my life
for ten places in it, for certain people,
seaports, pinewoods,
various figures from history
mountains
(and three or four rivers).
That’s it! Hope you have a great week. Enjoy part 1 of The Maestro, the Orphan Queen, and the Guardian and share it with somebody!
Gratefully,
Justin
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