Great stories, really the best stories, involve a bad guy getting taken out. This is why Taken is the greatest documentary ever made with the greatest line delivered to the bad guy in the history of story: “I will look for you, I will find you, I will kill you.”
Alright, that is a bit exaggerated but you and I know the thrill of the chase as the good guy seeks to defeat the bad guy on behalf of the innocent. In action stories there is the good guy going after the bad guy with the evil plot. In romance stories there is the good guy, the bad guy, and the wonderful girl and we are all rooting that the good guy wins over the girl (Allie pick Noah!). In comedies, the good guy usually accidentally gets rid of the bad guy. But in better stories, the good guy dies. He sacrifices himself. But in the best stories, the most magical stories, the good guy sacrifices himself but ends up alive, somehow, like Aslan in Narnia.
Christianity, the story of the Bible, is the best, most magical kind of (true) story and Esther 8 helps us understand the story a bit more.
Esther 8 starts in a context in which the bad guy has been killed but his evil plot still stands strong. A message form the bad guy has gone out to all the land that all the Jews will be annihilated. The Jews are currently living under the doom and gloom of certain death. Then we hit Esther 8.
The bad guy, Haman, has been killed and his unbelievable authority is given over to the Mordecai, who is a Jew living in this foreign land: And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman. Mordecai can now send a message out backed with the full authority of the king, the most powerful ruler in the land. He has this authority while the Jewish people are living under the doom of the pronouncement of their death. They are living in the depressing disapproval, condemnation, and rejection of the king and the kingdom. They are as good as dead.
So, Esther goes to the king: And she said, “If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman…” The bad guy’s message still stands, so God’s people need a new, better declaration from King. And guess what? Esther and Mordecai have the authority to send out a better declaration: “…you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king's ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's ring cannot be revoked.”
They write new message and notice where goes: it goes to “…to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language. In other words, this message is for every last person in the kingdom. They are all to hear it, receive it, and obey it. This is what it said: “…the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them”. Before this declaration, the Jews were as good as dead, living in doom and gloom of disapproval, condemnation, and rejection from the king. But all the sudden, out of nowhere, shockingly, a new declaration “allowed” them to fight and live. All the sudden, they have the highest security, approval, acceptance, and welcome from the King. They are now so approved that anyone that comes against them is condemned.
At this declaration, for the first time in Esther the windows fly open and sunlight pours in. “…and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor. And in every province and in every city, wherever the king's command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday.” One, single pronouncement, one message, changed everything for God’s people. They went from death to life because of one message: the king accepts you.
But did you notice something strange about this? The pronouncement simply allows the Jews to fight. Battles are about to rage. Civil war is about to break out. Why in the world are they already rejoicing? Shouldn’t they rejoice if they win? No because it’s all about the king’s declaration. There was joy “wherever the king's command and his edict reached”. Before, the king and all the kingdom’s resources were against God’s people. Nothing could save them. Now, the king and all the kingdom’s resources are utterly for them. Nothing can destroy them.
However, they know something much bigger is actually happening. They know the King of all Kings is fighting for them. The true King has already begun defeating their enemies. If God has turned an entire kingdom for them, who could stand against them now? Still further, reading this story we know this whole book is about something even bigger, don’t we? We know that being born in sin we are born in the doom and gloom of insecurity, disapproval, condemnation, and rejection before the King of Kings. We live in the doom and gloom of not being worthy of God’s acceptance and approval and his Law tell us there is nothing we can do about it. We are as good as dead and the haunting reality is not that we need the bad guy out there to die. We are the bad guy.
We desperately need a new declaration, a new message to come to us from the King of Kings. We don’t need instruction, advice, or counsel. We need surprising, shocking, sudden, out of nowhere Good News. Our life, light, joy, gladness, and forgiveness hinge on it. Our life and joy hinges on receiving a new, better message from the King of all creation, with all his authority backing it; a message of security, approval, acceptance, and forgiveness from Him. That is precisely what we get in Christianity and in the Bible.
Christianity is the better kind of story but it’s a strange story. It’s a story where the good guy has been killed. The good guy has been crucified for you. The good guy, Jesus Christ, has taken your sin and taken the annihilation you deserve. He goes to death for us, the bad guys and gals, to give us utter security, acceptance, and approval with God. Through faith in Jesus you have utter security, acceptance, approval with God. Nothing can stand against you. Nothing can separate you from God’s favor.
And Christianity is the best, most magical kind of story because the Good Guy ends up alive in the end. Jesus walks out of his own grave so that you can come alive. This Gospel is for every person, every language, every nation. It’s for you. And this Gospel is the key to unshakable joy and rejoicing in your life. Martin Luther wrote, “…if a person could perfectly believe this he would not remain alive long. The anticipation of his joy would kill him.”
Have joy! The Good Guy died for you. Rejoice! The Good Guy rose to life for you. In Jesus, you have the security, approval, and acceptance with God that satisfies the soul.
