Esther takes the risk of approaching the king unbidden. The king is pleased with her, however, and
extends the scepter to her that she might come into his presence. He offers up to half his kingdom which seems
a bit on the extreme side, but Esther makes a very modest request, that Herod
and Haman come to a banquet that day.
After the feast the king again makes his offer and again Esther simply
requests that these two come to another banquet tomorrow. Haman now feels secure in his position not
only with the king but also with the queen who has favored him with these
opportunities but he is angered when the Jew Mordecai does not do him obeisance. For all he has, riches, children, position,
he wants this one thing, that Mordecai will respect him and fear him. His family and advisers counsel him to have a
gallows erected specifically for Mordecai, he will have fear one way or
another.
John prophesies concerning the coming of God in wrath and
his message is clear, get ready. The
path to readiness is repenting of sin, changing your life, changing your mind
concerning some things, and going in a different direction. John sees one who is coming who will purge
the people, He will come in power. Then,
Jesus presents Himself to John for baptism.
Baptism is for sinners, and Jesus is not a sinner. His baptism was in obedience to the Father,
and in this act of obedience the Father is well pleased. Jesus' baptism and crucifixion are of one
piece. The baptism is identification
with sinners and the crucifixion is identification with sin. Neither was strictly necessary from a human
perspective but both were necessary to fulfill all righteousness. He could have pleaded innocence and refrained
from this step but it was done in obedience to the Father's will, just as was
the crucifixion.
Why in the world did they beat the ruler of the
synagogue? In I Corinthians, Paul greets
a Sosthenes as a brother. It seems
likely that Sosthenes was, even while ruler of the synagogue, a Christian, and
for this he was beaten by the Jews who had attempted to bring Paul to trial in
civil court. Gallio was indifferent to
all the religious charges and actions. He,
perhaps, knew the mess Pilate had gotten himself into in trying to sort out the
Jewish religious accusations, and decided his best course of action was to
stand apart. Paul continues his ministry
and his missions by traveling to re-visit the churches he had begun. Finally, we get to Apollos who has an
incomplete grasp of the message of Jesus.
He proclaims only the promise of the coming of the Lord, not the fact
that this has already happened, and that there is more than promise, the
kingdom is partially realized in the work of Jesus and at Pentecost. He has come and He has given the baptism of
the Holy Spirit.
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