Journey--Remarkable: God has made you to leave a mark (Esther)
This summer has led us through an incredible journey– the adventure we live out as we follow Jesus. We were challenged to “come,” challenged to “grow,” and now, we are challenged to “go.”
We’ve seen that God has made us to be remarkable – strangers who sometimes look crazy in this world that is not our home (like Daniel). He has also made us remarkable – giving each of us unique areas of personality, ability, and gifting that we can use to make Him known (like Joseph).
Today we’ll see that God has left us as remarkable temporary residents of this world so that we can leave a mark – one that points others straight to the way of rescue. Jesus said–
Matthew 5:14-16 | “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
God has made you remarkable in a world where remarkability is rare so that you would be a bright light that marks your sphere of influence for Him. To help us understand this, let’s look at a remarkable young girl God uses to change the course of history–
After Darius, who ruled during Daniel’s day, Darius’ son Xerxes begins to rule. We see in the first chapter of Esther that Xerxes throws a banquet, at which he is disrespected by his wife Vashti when she appears before him without being summoned. This leads to Vashti being banished and ultimately, to a lonely Xerxes. His advisors suggest he find a new queen by having them search the kingdom for a remarkable woman who pleases him (Esther 2:4).
In Xerxes’ kingdom there lives a Jewish man named Mordecai who’s family, like Daniel, had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon (Esther 2:5-6).
Esther 2:7 | This man had a very beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah, who was also called Esther. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter.
Esther was one of the many women brought to the palace and after 12 months of preparation there, she was brought before the king.
Esther 2:17 | And the king loved Esther more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti.
Esther and Mordecai begin living in the palace, but –
Esther 2:20a | Esther continued to keep her family background and nationality a secret.
Esther’s remarkability brings her to a position of influence as she becomes Queen of Persia, the ruling empire of the day. But as a Jew, Esther’s allegiance is to God and His people.
Like it did during the time of Daniel, the remarkable nature of God’s people gets the attention of others. Mordecai sticks out like a sore thumb in the palace and the honor he has received from the king (because of his faithful service) makes a man named Haman very jealous. Haman then hatches a plan to destroy not only Mordecai, but all of God’s people-
Esther 3:8-9 | Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So it is not in the king’s interest to let them live. If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 10,000 large sacks of silver to the government administrators to be deposited in the royal treasury.”
The decree is signed into law and God’s people go into mourning because they know they are in serious trouble (Esther 4:3). Mordecai gives a copy of the law to Esther’s servant named Hathach.
Esther 4:8b | He asked Hathach to show it to Esther and explain the situation to her. He also asked Hathach to direct her to go to the king to beg for mercy and plead for her people.
Esther has Hathach explain to Mordecai that she can’t fulfill Mordecai’s request. If she goes to the king without him asking for her, she’ll be banished like Vashti if not executed. But Mordecai doesn’t give up. He tells Esther–
Esther 4:14b | Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?
God made Esther remarkable and that remarkability brought her to a place of great power. Now she was being put to the test. Would she take the risk of ‘leaving a mark’ – laying everything on the line to point others God’s way? As queen, Esther likely would have been safe when the Jews were put to death. Going to the king to ask him to keep the Jews safe meant sacrificing her own safety since going to him uninvited could cost her her life.
Esther decides–
Esther 4:16b | “And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”
You see, the call in Matthew to be the light that leaves a mark on the world sounds really good, like something we all would desire. Who wouldn’t want to be known for being remarkable and because of it, have the opportunity to make God known? Don’t we all want to be an Esther, a Joseph, or a Daniel? But we quickly forget that the call to live God’s way also brings with it hate and persecution from others. God’s followers who have marked the world have done so by laying their lives on the line, standing boldly like crazy people despite dens of lions, slavery, prison, furnaces of fire, or stones seeking their death. Jesus says to His followers, all of whom are called to be lights that mark the world–
Matthew 16:25 | If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
Our journey with Jesus will ultimately lead to a choice to either cling tightly to the comforts and safety we are used to or to lay it all down for His sake so that we can point others to Him.
Ultimately, Esther laid down her life, risking it to save God’s people. She leaves a mark on the world when the order to execute the Jews is repealed and instead the jews are honored and given victory over their enemies.
God made you remarkable (talented and unique) to be remarkable (unusual and out of place) and to leave a mark – radiating as a light so bright that it impacts everyone you come in contact with. It takes courage, commitment, and endurance to live this way, but when you do, everyone around you is pointed straight to Jesus.
Hebrews 12:1b | … let us run with endurance the race (or the journey) God has set before us.
Who is in your sphere of influence (what people do you come in contact with at school, home, work, around town, etc.)?
Are you leaving a mark, or shining as a bright light, to these people? In what ways or why not?
Is it ever difficult to let your light shine? When and why?
What kinds of things can get in the way of your light or keep you from pointing others to Jesus? Are any of these things true about you or present in your life right now?