On Esther and the Subversive Scriptures

A lot of people hate to hear this, but the Bible is wildly subversive. I was having a conversation with someone who comes from a similar fundamentalist background recently when they wondered why they’ve never been able to point out the subversive-ness in Scripture.

“Because we weren’t trained to do so,” I admitted.

Most churches don’t train their congregants to think critically about the Bible, to read it holistically and responsibly. Instead, we’re taught to pick out verses, plaster them on coffee mugs and quote them when it’s convenient. 

But the Bible is so much more than this, offering commentary on power, and how we are to deal with and respond to it when it’s entangled with evil and injustice.

For example, the New Testament is loaded with subversive language—even from the very beginning of the gospel of Luke, with Jesus’s birth announcement. Those hearing it in the first century would have recognized how eerily similar it was to Roman rhetoric, heralding the message that Jesus is Lord and Caesar isn’t—a dangerous and disruptive claim for those making it.

Most churches also don’t do the best job about getting into the nitty-gritty of certain details, like that of the Greco-Roman household codes, which identified the relationships that were absolutely central to Pax Romana (Pax Romana is the name for the semblance of external looking “peace” during the Roman Empire—I say “external” because while it looked like there was transnational peace, those living within Rome were experiencing atrocious levels of injustice and oppression). Laws were put in place to keep society controlled under the Roman regime. The household codes gave men unilateral authority over children, wives and slaves. When reading these household codes in the NT nowadays, we understand that these authoritarian laws no longer apply to slave-master relationships, right? So why do we assume they (included in the same code, not even separate) still apply for wives?

Anyway, I digress…

Surprisingly enough, I still have several people who check in on me from my last seminary, often keeping me up to date with the goings-on (and venting about the things they don’t particularly feel comfortable talking about with their classmates and professors). I recently received a message from one such person who was sitting in chapel when the speaker made a point about Naomi, claiming that she wanted what every woman had ever wanted: a family. Now, I won’t go into detail about all the ways this general claim about “every woman” is problematic, and I’ll even say that I wouldn’t mind the speaker making this point about Naomi…if, and only if, he had also pointed out the reality that older, widowed women during this time quite literally needed family (more particularly men—sons and/or husbands of which Naomi lost both) for their survival, which is why Naomi encouraged Ruth to seduce Boaz so as to receive a chance at marriage…and ultimately, financial security. Naomi wanted a family because she didn’t want to die, and she was willing to use sex and manipulation to get to that end.

Most churches don’t teach us to read Ruth that way because it’s scandalous and doesn’t fit with our mold of how women…or really, Scripture is supposed to behave.

Another such story like this one is the story of Esther. What I love about the story of Esther is its literary artistry that unravels poignant theological, social and political messages. In fact, I read an article recently that talked about how Esther has been considered by many one of the best literary works…ever, in the world. Esther isn’t your typical story, it’s loaded with humor, satire and irony, marked by the theme of “reversal.” 

Obvious examples include what happens between Haman and Mordecai. Haman, in his hatred for Mordecai and the Jews issues a decree to not only murder God’s people, but he even builds gallows to hang Mordecai. Little did he know, however, that he would be the one killed on the gallows, and instead of the Jews being executed, it’s his allies who suffer that fate. Those who the king promotes ending up falling, and those who are lowly end up being exalted. As one student put it, “The reversal is that Mordecai rises, and Haman falls. Mordecai refuses to bow to Haman, yet Haman ends up falling to Esther's feet. Mordecai rises to power, and Haman falls in humiliation and, ultimately, death.”

Other lesser known moments of irony and humor can be found in more seemingly insignificant details, like that of King Ahaseurus. He is meant to epitomize the power and authority of the Persian empire, but in Hebrew, his name roughly translates to “King Headache.”

So many of the events in Esther are a headache for those in power, indeed.

The culmination of the book is the final feast—the feast of Purim—still celebrated by Jews today. What had initially turned out to be a period of fasting for the Jews, becomes a period of feasting: Jewish fasting contrasts the feasting of the Persians; Jewish mourning transforms into celebration.

The subversive nature of these feasts shouldn’t be lost on us as the book begins and ends with two big, yet wildly different ones. The first, extravagant Persian banquet is topped off with an edict by the king that all women should be subject to their husbands. Why? Because Queen Vashti, Ahaseurus’s initial queen, stood up for herself (and all women) when she decided not to prance herself around at the order of her drunk husband and his friends. The irony is that, not only will Esther end up disobeying him twice (by coming to him when he has forbidden it) but she will eventually manipulate and dominate him for the liberation of God’s people (so much for his edict, huh?). The final feast is a celebration of this fact. Additionally, it’s Haman’s listening to his own wife telling him to build the gallows that is ironic for him, as—like I mentioned—he’s the one that ends up hanging on them.

As the men attempt to control their wives, the women are the ones controlling them. Talk about subversive. 

As many of you know, my focus for the last several years of my seminary career has been biblical studies and it’s particularly for this reason. The Bible is a treasure chest filled priceless gemstones that remind me of God’s commitment to God’s people. The more time I spend in it, the more clearly I see how devoted God is to my, our, liberation—even willing to use “disobedient” and powerful women to achieve that end.