What Would You Do With 127 Provinces? (Part 2)

Scripture — Esther 1:1-4 (NRSV)

This happened in the days of Ahasuerus, the same Ahasuerus who ruled over one hundred twenty-seven provinces from India to Cush. In those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in the citadel of Susa, in the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his officials and ministers. The army of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the governors of the provinces were present. At the same time, he displayed the great wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and pomp of his majesty for many days, one hundred eighty days in all.

Devotion

In the last devotion, we examined how King Ahasuerus had influence. However, the opposite side of the privilege coin is that it made him forget his history and what he inherited, and that it was only his third year as king. Was he just pompous? Or was he primarily motivated by fear? Whichever was driving his heart, the result was that Ahasuerus “displayed the great wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and pomp of his majesty for many days.” (Esther 1:4).

The fall makes creation incredibly frail, and its implications are deeply felt. In leadership, some attempt to buttress their roles with whatever is believed will sustain them in their occupation. Some, in fear, actively or passively avoid assuming the role. Some will attempt to use emotion as a leadership skill set (Esther 1:10). Ahasuerus did not start his leadership journey by positive influence. Instead, he put his influence on display. Whether his motives began as noble or presumptuous, by the end of a six-month-and-seven-day party, he believed that his possessions and providence made him a leader and that people were obligated to do what he wanted. All he had to do was put his glory on display, and everything would be good.

Frailty tends to alienate us from others, and leadership can exacerbate the alienation. Ahasuerus works in an industry that aims to serve others, yet he is focused on his resources and capabilities. He alienated others by demonstrating his majesty. There are pleasantries between the king and the subject as long as he is the primary subject. When the subject presses against the person’s frailty in the role of king (manager, coworker, middle-class vis-à-vis stranger, etc.), the king has to press it down. Richard Mouw helps make the point:

“What leaders should want from their followers is not loyalty rooted in fear but a deserved trust undergirded by a sense of shared purpose. Here, the appropriate models are not the military leaders of ancient Rome but the Savior who was put to death by Roman soldiers on a hill outside Jerusalem’s walls.”

King Ahasuerus is king as long as subjects follow. But when anything pressed against him, it became clear that behind the façade was the same human frailty we all know. And it was not his majesty or glory but another moment in creation that begs for more. All of time and creation groans for the resurrected Christ’s presence.

Paul told the Ephesians in his epistle, “to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:6-7). And later, God gets “glory in the church and Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever” (3:21). A frail Ahasuerus put his “glory” on display for six months in 127 provinces, resulting in chaotic events. God puts his glory on display through all generations through the Son, who becomes frail for us, and the events of his chaotic death result in our ordered lives. And then afterward, God invites us to a banquet at the end of everything.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Working Within a Fallen System (Esther) .