Festival of the Jews

I am going to deviate from the study for a moment to discuss the Jewish festival Purim. It will start tonight at sundown and goes to tomorrow night at sundown (March 20-21^st).  It occurs on the 14^th day of Adar on the Jewish calendar (Esther 9:18) some celebrate it longer between the 13^th and 15^th of Adar. There are appointed times that are set forth in Leviticus which the Jews are commanded to celebrate.  This is one of the two Jewish festivals that is a fun time, it is not a biblically mandated holiday.  Hanukah and Purim are both festivals that have resulted from historical occurrences in Israel’s history.

The basis for the holiday falls back on the story of Esther and the deliverance of the Jews during that time.  The festival is based upon real historical events that are commemorated through a lasting memorial.

Esther under fire: Esther has taken fire over the years and many have said that the book is only historical fiction.  I do not hold to this for one very significant reason.  Josephus gives a detailed account of the history of Esther and her contribution to history.[1]  This is in consecutive order and is contained in the book detailing history from the death of Cyrus to Alexander the Great. Josephus lived in the first century A.D. or what has become the “common era”.

During the 4^th century, Christians had gained tremendous power.  They sought to cleanse the world by destroying the pagan temples that permeated Roman society.  The well-meaning act proved to be one of the greatest disservices to history that has ever happened.  They burned all the historical scrolls that were contained in the many temples along with almost all books contained in the libraries.  We lost an inconceivable amount of knowledge, intellectual progress, and history during these burnings.

The Library of Alexandria is an excellent example.  It was established by Alexander the Great or his constituents as a historical library for ancient documents.  At about 44BC it caught fire and an estimate 700,000 scrolls were destroyed. We do not know how many survived.  The library was repaired and grew until 400 A.D.

“About the library the sources are reasonably silent but this is not a surprise because we know already that we cannot be talking about the Royal Library itself. However, Alexandria remained a centre of scholarship and other libraries existed. The Emperor Claudius set up the eponymous named Claudian to be a centre for the study of history and Hadrian founded a library at the Caesarean temple during his visit. Less reliably, Plutarch informs us that Mark Anthony gave Cleopatra the entire contents – some 200,000 rolls – of the Pergamon library as a gift.

“The 12th century Byzantine scholar, John Tzetzes, in his Prolegomena to Aristophanes preserves some details about the catalogue of the poet Callimachus (died after 250BC) who said there were nearly 500,000 scrolls in the Royal Library and another 42,000 odd in the outer or public library. Note that Callimachus is not known to have referred to the Serapeum Library although he is often assumed to be doing so. The fourth century Bishop Epiphanius of Cyprus (died 402AD) in his Weights and Measures (actually a biblical commentary!) says that there were over 50,000 volumes in the ‘daughter’ library that he places in the Serapeum.”[2]

It is unknown as to the amount of actual documents and scrolls that were destroyed by the Christians in the fourth century.  It was recorded to have been burned to the ground.  Of the surviving documents of the era, the Muslims later came in to finish the job by destroying all documents that were not associated with the Koran.  Historians have attempted to dig up ancient history by piecing together parts and fragments that have survived in historical digs.  Yet, we will never recover what fire and misplaced passion had destroyed.

Josephus gave us a first century account of what happened during the time of Esther.  He also gave us information that is not contained in the biblical records.  He gives a detailed account of the regret that King Ahasuerus had regarding his decision and wish to restore Vasti.  He also gives an account of the mechanics of the selection process for the new queen.  Josephus explains the practice of the Golden scepter and the way the practice was established.  Here is an excerpt from Josephus’ record:

“When Esther had used this supplication for three days, she put off those garments, and changed her habit, and adorned herself as became a queen, and took two of her handmaids with her, the one of which supported her, as she gently leaned upon her, and the other followed after, and lifted up her large train (which swept along the ground) with the extremities of her fingers; and thus she came to the king, having a blushing redness in her countenance, with a pleasant agreeableness in her behavior, yet did she go in to him with fear; (235) and as soon as she was come over against him, as he was sitting on his throne, in his royal apparel, which was a garment interwoven with gold and precious stones, (236) which made him seem to her more terrible, especially when he looked at her somewhat severely and with a countenance on fire with anger; her joints failed her immediately, out of the dread she was in, and she fell down sideways in a swoon: (237) but the king changed his mind, which happened, as I suppose, by the will of God, and was concerned for his wife, lest her fear should bring some very evil thing upon her, (238) and he leaped from his throne, and took her in his arms, and recovered her, by embracing her, and speaking comfortably to her, exhorting her to be of good cheer, and not to suspect anything that was sad on account of her coming to him without being called, because that law was made for subjects, but that she, who was a queen, as well as he a king, might be entirely secure: (239) and as he said this, he put the sceptre into her hand, and laid his rod upon her neck on account of the law; and so freed her from her fear. (240) And after she had recovered herself by these encouragements, she said, “My Lord, it is not easy for me, on the sudden, to say what hath happened, for so soon as I saw thee to be great, and comely, and terrible, my spirit departed from me, and I had no soul left in me.” (241) And while it was with difficulty and in a low voice, that she could say thus much, the king was in great agony and disorder, and encouraged Esther to be of good cheer, and to expect better fortune, since he was ready, if occasion should require it, to grant to her the half of his kingdom.”[3]

Josephus drew his information from a significant historical source at his time or simply wrote to embellish the story that we find in the biblical account.  Here is the biblical account:

Esther 5:1–4 (NLT) ¹ On the third day of the fast, Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace, just across from the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance. ² When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her. So Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter. ³ Then the king asked her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!” ⁴ And Esther replied, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet I have prepared for the king.”

When Mordecai is honored we also get much more information into the situation, first the biblical account:

Esther 6:10–12 (NLT) ¹⁰ “Excellent!” the king said to Haman. “Quick! Take the robes and my horse, and do just as you have said for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the gate of the palace. Leave out nothing you have suggested!” ¹¹ So Haman took the robes and put them on Mordecai, placed him on the king’s own horse, and led him through the city square, shouting, “This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!” ¹² Afterward Mordecai returned to the palace gate, but Haman hurried home dejected and completely humiliated.

Josephus gives us a similar account:

“If thou wouldst truly honor a man whom thou sayest thou does love, give order that he may ride on horseback, with the same garment which thou wearest, and with a gold chain about his neck, and let one of thy intimate friends go before him, and proclaim through the whole city, that whosoever the king honoreth, obtaineth this mark of his honor.” (255) This was the advice which Haman gave, out of a supposal that such reward would come to himself. Hereupon the king was pleased with the advice, and said, “Go thou, therefore, for thou hast the horse, the garment, and the chain, ask for Mordecai the Jew, and give him those things, and go before his horse and proclaim accordingly; for thou art,” said he, “my intimate friend, and hast given me good advice; be thou then the minister of what thou hast advised me to. This shall be his reward from us for preserving my life.” (256) When he heard this order, which was entirely unexpected, he was confounded in his mind, and knew not what to do. However, he went out and led the horse, and took the purple garment, and the golden chain for the neck, and finding Mordecai before the court, clothed in sackcloth, he bade him put that garment off, and put the purple garment on: (257) but Mordecai not knowing the truth of the matter, but thinking that it was done in mockery, said, “O thou wretch, the vilest of all mankind, dost thou thus laugh at our calamities?” But when he was satisfied that the king bestowed this honor upon him, for the deliverance he had procured him when he convicted the eunuchs who had conspired against him, he put on that purple garment which the king always wore, and put the chain about his neck, (258) and got on horseback, and went round the city, while Haman went before, and proclaimed, “This shall be the reward which the king will bestow on everyone whom he loves, and esteems worthy of honor.” (259) And when they had gone round the city, Mordecai went in to the king; but Haman went home, out of shame, and informed his wife and friends of what had happened, and this with tears: who said that he would never be able to be revenged of Mordecai, for that God was with him.”[4]

Josephus records that after the favor of Mordecai a great fear landed on the citizens of the nation.  The Jewish people were led to rejoice:

“(284) Accordingly, the horsemen who carried the epistles, proceeded on the ways which they were to go with speed; but as for Mordecai, as soon as he had assumed the royal garment, and the crown of gold, and had put the chain about his neck, he went forth in a public procession; and when the Jews who were at Shushan saw him in so great honor with the king, they thought his good fortune was common to themselves also; (285) and joy and a beam of salvation encompassed the Jews, both those that were in the cities and those that were in the countries, upon the publication of the king’s letters, insomuch that many of other nations circumcised their foreskin for fear of the Jews, that they might procure safety to themselves thereby; (286) for on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which according to the Hebrews is called Adar, but, according to the Macedonians, Dystrus, those that carry the king’s epistle gave them notice, that the same day wherein their danger was to have been, on that very day should they destroy their enemies.”[5]

What we see is more detail that indicates that not only was royal edict given for the Jews to protect themselves.  We see incredible commitment from the people of the land to convert to Judaism.  It takes a lot for a grown man to allow himself to be circumcised.  Josephus recorded that Mordecai was allowed to live with the queen.  He assisted the king in ruling over the people and that state of the Jews after the Haman incident was much better than the Jews could have hoped for.

The naysayers who call this book fiction ignore the writings of a first century historian who had access to tremendous source material that has since been destroyed.  We have absolutely no way to validate or to deny what he wrote.  What is important is that we have an ability to see that there was significant detail that indicates a strong probability of an actual historical event that took place.  It is rather foolish of commentators to say that the book of Esther had questionable background when it is clearly evident that the Christians destroyed historical documents which probably validated the book.  Perhaps it would be better to say that as of yet we have not dug up evidence that supports the book before we so quickly discount it.

Queen Esther: Some claim that Esther was about 12 years old when she was selected.  The scriptures identify the idea of a virgin, (Hebrew: Betulot) as a young girl of age for marriage.  We have a few indications in scripture that these girls are at least in their mid to late teens.  For example, when they sought a virgin to keep David warm at night, it would have been foolish to pick a little 12-year-old (1 Kings 1:2-4).  When the Lord spoke of His virgin Israel, the description of her was as a fully developed girl with full breasts (Eze 16:7).  The idea is that the girl is old enough for child bearing but had never lain with a man.  The tragedy of this situation is that of all the girls that were gathered, the king had a different girl each night until he finally selected Esther. Remember though, this king was not a believer. He was a pagan king.

Purim: Traditionally, the feast is held at a synagogue where the book of Esther is read out loud.  Every time that the name Mordecai is mentioned, everyone will cheer and shout loudly.  When Haman is mentioned, tremendous booing, rattling of noisemakers, and sounds of discontent are heard.  Jews will dress up for this festival much like Halloween is celebrated.  Traditionally, they celebrated by dressing up like one of the characters in the story.  Today, dressing up covers a wide spectrum of costumes.  The idea behind dressing up is that Jewish people conceal their identity just as Esther concealed her identity as a Jew. The festival takes on a carnival type of atmosphere. Often the Jewish people will become quite drunk at this celebration as well.

Purim is translated as “lots”.  Haman had cast to determine when the Jews would be destroyed. His lot fell on the 13^th day of Adar (Esther 3:6-7, 13). God delivered the Jews through the intervention of Esther as she moved on the advice of Mordecai to speak to King Ahasuerus.  He put forth an edict that allowed the Jews to defend themselves from extermination.  In short, this is a feast that celebrates the way that God delivers His people from trouble.

Esther 9:20–32 (NLT) ²⁰ Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to the Jews near and far, throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes, ²¹ calling on them to celebrate an annual festival on these two days. ²² He told them to celebrate these days with feasting and gladness and by giving gifts of food to each other and presents to the poor. This would commemorate a time when the Jews gained relief from their enemies, when their sorrow was turned into gladness and their mourning into joy. ²³ So the Jews accepted Mordecai’s proposal and adopted this annual custom. ²⁴ Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews, had plotted to crush and destroy them on the date determined by casting lots (the lots were called purim). ²⁵ But when Esther came before the king, he issued a decree causing Haman’s evil plot to backfire, and Haman and his sons were impaled on a sharpened pole. ²⁶ That is why this celebration is called Purim, because it is the ancient word for casting lots. So because of Mordecai’s letter and because of what they had experienced, ²⁷ the Jews throughout the realm agreed to inaugurate this tradition and to pass it on to their descendants and to all who became Jews. They declared they would never fail to celebrate these two prescribed days at the appointed time each year. ²⁸ These days would be remembered and kept from generation to generation and celebrated by every family throughout the provinces and cities of the empire. This Festival of Purim would never cease to be celebrated among the Jews, nor would the memory of what happened ever die out among their descendants. ²⁹ Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote another letter putting the queen’s full authority behind Mordecai’s letter to establish the Festival of Purim. ³⁰ Letters wishing peace and security were sent to the Jews throughout the 127 provinces of the empire of Xerxes. ³¹ These letters established the Festival of Purim—an annual celebration of these days at the appointed time, decreed by both Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther. (The people decided to observe this festival, just as they had decided for themselves and their descendants to establish the times of fasting and mourning.) ³² So the command of Esther confirmed the practices of Purim, and it was all written down in the records.

Incidentally, Esther is the only book in the Bible where the name of God is not directly mentioned.  Those who read Hebrew tell me that through the book there are acronyms where God’s name is written in the book in several places.  Most of the time, the letters of these words are capitalized to demonstrate their significance.

The day is often commemorated with a fast on the day prior to Purim.  The 13^th day of Adar is a day of fasting according to tradition.  The 14^th day of Adar is a day is marked with great feasting.  There are special recipe’s and foods designed just for this feast.

New Testament Significance:

Ok, so it is a fun festival, loaded with good times.  What does it mean today?  Did Jesus celebrate Purim?  If He did, what was the significance of it?

It is argued that Jesus celebrated Purim in John 5.  The man who was healed by the pool had been sick for 38 years.  No one moved him to the waters when they were stirred.

John 5:1–15 (NLT) ¹ Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. ² Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. ³ Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. ⁵ One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” ⁷ “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” ⁸ Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” ⁹ Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, ¹⁰ so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!” ¹¹ But he replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” ¹² “Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded. ¹³ The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. ¹⁴ But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” ¹⁵ Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him.

Jesus healed him and walked away keeping his identity secret.  The man was interrogated as to why he was walking with his bed and he stated that the one who healed him instructed him to do so.  Later Jesus identifies Himself and instructs the man to stop sinning. This is completely consistent with the traditional flavor of the festival.  Identities are kept secret until either it is guessed or revealed.  It seems consistent with the festival that Yeshua took part in the holiday.  Gordon Franz made this comment:

“Most people are unaware of this, but Jesus celebrated the feast of Purim! In John 5, the Lord Jesus is up in Jerusalem for an unnamed feast. Scholars have debated whether the feast was Passover, Purim, Succoth or even Pentecost (Bowman 1971). Some have objected to Purim because it is a “minor” feast and not one of the three “major” pilgrimage festivals (Deut. 16:16). That argument is irrelevant because Jesus also celebrated another “minor” holiday, Hanukkah (John 10:22; Franz 1998:25,26). Chronologically, the only feast that makes sense is Purim in AD 28. The feast of John 5 fell on a Sabbath (5:9). The only feast day to fall on a Sabbath between AD 25 and AD 35 was Purim of AD 28 (Faulstich 1986). The Spirit of God intentionally left out the name of the feast because the Lord’s name was deliberately left out of the Book of Esther. In John 5, Jesus healed a man who had an infirmity for 38 years near the Pools of Bethesda (John 5:1-9). It is also the first time in His public ministry that He declared that “God was His Father, making Himself equal with God” (5:18). He also said that He was the “Son of God” (5:25) and the “Son of Man” (5:27).”[6]

The Battlecry:  Messianic Christians pick up the battle cry that Mordecai gave to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish.  And who knows whether you have attained royalty for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13b-14 NASB95).  According to this mindset, the Jewish people are in danger of perishing from the earth.  Messianic Jews and Messianic Christians are here to alert others of the imminent danger that they face.  In essence, as believers today, we were born to carry the battle cry of Mordecai.  We are reaching to the Jews to tell them about their Messiah.  We are also reaching to the world to tell it about coming judgment.  I hold that we are also witnessing to the “church” to draw people out of complacency as we are rapidly approaching the tribulation.  This is the time for God’s people to wake up and take action.

This evening I hope to celebrate Purim with my family.  We will read through the book and cheer for Mordecai and boo for Haman.  And in the seriousness of the celebration, we will be having buckets of fun reading through the passage.  Then we will discuss the way that we hide behind our costumes and identify ourselves with the world.  We will be looking at how that we are called for “such a time as this” to reach out to everyone to proclaim the news of Yeshua.  Did I mention that we are going to eat, feast, and have a party?  I would encourage you to do the same.   Why not have a little fun with it?

Father, as we explore the thumbnail sketch of Purim, draw each of us to understand the urgency of Your message to Your people.

In Him,

Joe Turner.

[1] Josephus Antiquities 11.183, Book 11, Chapter 6

[2] http://bede.org.uk/library.htm, accessed 3/24/16.

[3] Flavius Josephus and William Whiston, The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, Antiquities 11.234-241 (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1987).

[4] Ibid. Antiquities 11.254-259.

[5] Ibid. Antiquities 11.284-286.

[6] http://www.ldolphin.org/jpurim.html, accessed 3/24/16.