The Creator of the universe, the Savior of sinners, the Lord of heaven and earth, rides to his death on the humblest of animals and is described as humble and meek. Of all the adjectives that could be used to describe our Lord, he is described as humble, gentle, and meek.
Mourning, weeping, and grieving are a response to pain and suffering. In this life, tears are inescapable, and Jesus knows your tears are inevitable. But Jesus says in Matthew 5:4, blessed are you who mourn for you will be comforted.
To be poor in spirit means to be empty before God. When a person is poor in spirit, there is an acknowledgment of one person's inadequacy before God. We should not be shocked that this is the first beatitude. If Jesus was about to preach into the hearts of his listeners, and now us, then we need to come to Jesus empty and needy.
Does Jesus have the authority to tell us what it looks like to flourish? If Jesus does not have the authority to teach us what it means to flourish, then what is the point of Christianity. But if we can see in the Bible that Jesus does have the authority to speak into our hearts…well, we better pay attention.
The purpose of commemorating the day with the word Purim is to remember that God providentially delivered the people of God from the clutches of Haman. In Esther 8-10, we read how God rescued his people, but the rescue points to a more incredible rescue.
The book of Esther is a sobering reminder that there is a battle between good and evil in this world, and sometimes the faces of evil are those in authority. But here is the deal. Even though you have earthly authorities - good and bad - there is One who has ultimate power over this world and the entire universe!
On what other basis do Mordecai and Esther have to believe the Jews will not be wiped off the planet? A hunch? A false hope? Or is Mordecai and Esther remembering the faithfulness of God?