When Sin Builds The Gallows [Esther 5]

Now I know that it’s January - it’s a new year, and so I’m sure that none of you are wasting your life watching stupid videos on the internet. You’re better than that, I can feel it - you’re people with purpose, people with drive. But not this guy - I love those dumb videos. That algorithm has got me pegged - they know exactly what I want to watch. You can ask the staff, or my poor wife - the amount of times I whip out my phone like, “hang on, I have a cool video I want to show you.” My wife - she’s not even on social media anymore! She has such phenomenal self control and makes good decisions about how she uses her eyeballs. She got off the apps so I couldn’t send her videos anymore - so I do that awesome thing where I’m sitting right next to her on the couch, so now I just lean over. She loves it. I’m sure it’s not annoying to her at all. (I swear some day she’s just going to do the world a public service and stick my phone down the garbage disposal). But one of my recent finds is the brilliance of pancake art - have you seen these? They take pancake batter and put them in all different colors, like with food dye, and then they put them in squeeze bottles and the street vendors - you can watch them do it, they create masterpieces. It’s amazing. I can’t draw that good with professional art supplies and a youtube tutorial - but they’re doing it with pancake batter. Live! Literally, street vendors will do this as a performance while people watch - and the griddle is hot, so they have to go fast because otherwise it will burn. 

But here’s the thing - before they flip it, sometimes it’s hard to tell what they’re going for. The front is a masterpiece. It’s a work of art, but the back is a hot mess - it’s all blurry and squishy. So I thought to get us started, we could play a little game. I’m going to show you a picture, and I want to see if you can guess what it is before the flip. I’m going to start easy, and then it’ll get harder. [put up mickey 1] Alright, the first one is super easy - iconic shape. [let them guess - put up mickey 2]. Let’s see the flip side - there we go, Mickey Mouse. Alright for this second one, you can see the lines they do before they add the background color. [put up Bingo 1 and 2] I’ll give you two pictures to help you out. Any guesses? [bingo 3] That’s right - Bingo from the show Bluey. It’s pancake art, it’s mostly going to be kid’s stuff - right? But look at that detail! It’s crazy what they can do. Alright, now this one is a little trickier. [put up zootopia 1] It’s from a very recent kid’s movie that just came out last year. Any guesses? Maybe if we show the second picture, before they add the pink background stuff [put up zootopia 2] - little clearer? That is the fox from Zootopia. [put up zootopia 3] Nick Wilde, if you’re keeping score. I feel like this next one is pretty easy, [put up stitch 1] because those ears are so distinctive. If you guessed Stitch from Lilo and Stitch [put up stitch 2] - you nailed it. Alright, last one - I’ll give you two pictures to help you out. [put up calvin 1 and 2]  Anybody? That’s right, [put up Calvin 3] we’ve got Calvin and Hobbes - just needs a little syrup and you can eat that work of art. Now what I’m getting after with all of this is that before the flip - it’s just a hot mess. It’s blurry and mushy and you can’t see the design, you can’t see the masterpiece - and what we’re going to see when we get into God’s word is that - a lot of the time - that’s exactly how God works in our lives. Like, let me ask - have you ever had a moment where things in your life look like an absolute mess - but then years later it all makes sense? Sometimes we just need to flip the pancake in order to see what this mess that we are going through right now, is creating for us.

Today we are continuing in our series on Esther. We got started last week, and if you missed it, sort of the major thing was about how God is not absent even when he is silent - and that’s a theme we’re going to see throughout this whole book. And last week we kind of set the stage a little bit - introduced Esther and her cousin Mordecai who adopted her and raised her. But today, it’s time to introduce our bad guy. And I’m just going to give it to you at the top - I want to come at this a little differently. You see, if you know this story, you might remember; Haman makes a great bad guy. He’s like a cartoon character. This is a guy who definitely has an evil cat, and an eye patch and spins around slowly in a chair when people come into the room. People think about Haman the way we in the modern world think about Hitler. He’s 100% evil, there’s no redemption, there’s zero sympathy, nobody likes this guy. But as I was reading this past week, I felt convicted that there was more to Haman than just a caricature. And what I realized is that Haman is the anti-example. Haman is the perfect case study for what life looks like without Jesus. He is a man who is completely consumed by his sin. He is what life looks like when you don’t have redemption - when you don’t have the Holy Spirit. And so as we get into the story, I’m going to go back and forth between the story of Haman and the teachings of Jesus and I want you to see the difference Jesus can make in your life. 

Now if you want to grab your bible, we are mostly going to be in Esther chapter 5, but before we get there we have to start in chapter 3, where Haman meets Mordecai. While you’re looking that up - let me back a quick picture. This story comes during the Persian Empire’s dominance. The jewish people were defeated and taken as servants or slaves into Babylon - serving the Persian people. Mordecai is a jewish servant in the palace of Susa, and Haman is a big important Persian official. And one of the things we got into last week was that the Persians had a lot of really weird rules - and they have ALL the power. The king is terrifying with how much power he has, and with a simple decree - he can pretty much ruin anybody he wants to. Like, these power shifts are easier than kidnapping the Venezuelan president. And so we get started, in chapter 3, verse 1 [read v.1-2]. So it’s pretty straightforward. Haman gets this big promotion, and pretty much everybody bows down to him. Well, everybody except for Mordecai. Verse 3, [read v.3-6]. Haman says, “you won’t bow down to me - and I don’t think it’s enough to destroy just you - I’m going to have to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire” Estimates vary, but we’re probably talking about upwards of a million people. Because ONE dude won’t bow down to you. That’s crazy. 

But this is where we see the first example of a life without redemption. When you have no sense of God’s justice, when you have no sense of forgiveness or mercy or humility - the only thing that makes sense to you is an eye for an eye. That’s humanity’s default position. We think the law of physics applies to our morality - every action deserves an equal and opposite reaction. You hit me, that makes it okay for me to hit you back. You lied about me, that makes it okay for me to lie about you. You cut me off in traffic, that makes it okay for me to do the same right back at you - and a little bit, I want worse for you than what you did to me. Right? Like, i want to cut you off, and then I hope a cop pulls you over. I want to hit you back, but I want you to hurt a little more. This is the default status of humanity. Haman is illustrating the brokenness of the human spirit. Our knee jerk reaction is usually not something we should be proud of. But into that brokenness, and this is going to be the main thing I want you to soak up today, into that brokenness, Jesus offers us a better way. Matthew chapter 5, you don’t need to turn to it, but we’ll put it on the screen. Chapter 5 verse 38, Jesus says, [read v.38-48]. You have heard the law of this world. That’s what Haman is living into. That’s who we are before we encounter the Holy Spirit. But Jesus stands there and says, “I have a better way.” It’s harder. It’s so challenging - loving your enemy? Responding to hatred with love - are you kidding me? That’s crazy hard to do. But it is the better way. Into the brokenness, Jesus offers us a better way. 

So back in the book of Esther, Haman goes to the king and convinces him to destroy the Jewish people. We remember that the king has all the power - he just passes a decree and sets a date - all those people are going to die. But it doesn’t happen right away - there’s a delay. The decree goes out in April, and executions are set for March of the next year. So the Jewish people have some time to freak out. So we fast forward to chapter 5, and Esther is hosting a party with a very exclusive guest list. Only the king and Haman are invited. And after that party, Haman is feeling so good. He’s the right hand man to the king, he’s got this promotion - but there’s just one thorn in his side. Chapter 5, verse 9, [read v.9-13]. Haman has everything. He’s as high as he can get in this society without getting rid of the king, and yet - it’s not enough. He says, “this is all worth nothing as long as Mordecai is still there.” And again we see that Haman is a perfect example of humanity without redemption, humanity without Jesus. He has everything the world has to offer, and yet there’s always going to be something that ruins it. Haman is this incredible example of every single one of us when we try to go after everything in our own way. It’ll never be enough, the hole will never be filled, there’s always going to be something to ruin your fun. And into that, the teachings of Jesus pierce through. In Matthew, chapter 16, verse 24 [read v.24-26]. Into the brokenness, Jesus offers a better way. When we become Christians, and we choose to follow him and give our life to him - Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts. This is a redemption that begins inside each of us. It’s a long process of becoming more like Jesus - but without it, we will always be searching for satisfaction in the wrong places. Into the brokenness, Jesus offers a better way.

And Haman’s family tries to comfort him. He’s all mad about Mordecai, “I’ve got all this awesome stuff, but none of it matters if Mordecai still lives” and so then his family tries to cheer him up, it’s pretty twisted. Esther chapter 5, verse 14, [read v.14-16]. Yikes. That’s horrifying. That’s sadistic. Right? Can we all agree - that’s messed up! But when sin consumes you, and you have no redemption, and you have no Jesus - it can lead you to some really dark places. Haman’s sin consumes him. And I don’t want to jump the shark and give away the ending too much - but a little foreshadowing: Haman’s sin built his own gallows. And our sin does the same thing to us. 

The story continues in chapter 6, verse 1, [read v.1-2]. If you were here last week, you might remember this: we talked about how Mordecai overheard a plot, saved the king, they wrote it down and everybody moved on. Verse 3, [read v.3-4]. So here we have a classic sitcom level misunderstanding. The king has been thinking about Mordecai, and how he can reward him for saving his life. Haman has been thinking about having Mordecai impaled on a giant pole. And then verse 5, [read v.5-9]/ [Snicker]. I love it so much. God is such a great author, this is such a chef’s kiss moment. Muah, delicious. Verse 10 it drops, [read v.10-12]. And you know what I’m going to say - Haman is each of us! Without the redemption of Jesus, focusing on our own desires, focusing on our own pride - we become Haman. But into the brokenness, Jesus offers a better way. Luke 14, one more teaching of Jesus, and I know I’m jumping back and forth - but I really want to drive home this idea of how much Haman needed the way of Jesus, and how much each of us need it in our lives. Luke 14, verse 7, [read v.7-11]. If Haman had had one OUNCE of humility, he would not have embarrassed himself like he did. But his pride consumed him, his sin had swallowed him up completely. And Jesus comes in with his teaching - actually, it’s better to humble yourself. Humility is actually the key here, to unlocking the way we should live. 

You know I used to preach Esther and I would laugh at Haman - because it’s such a ridiculous character. But I think we’ve all got a little bit of Haman in us. How many of you have been insulted, and wanted to respond with insult? How many of us have so many incredible blessings in life, and yet - like Haman, all we can think about is that one little thing that bothers us? That one thing we don’t have yet. That one thing our neighbor has that we’re missing. How many of us are consumed by pride? We’re so wrapped in our own little world - we don’t even think they might be talking about somebody else. Life without Jesus will always lead to brokenness. But into that brokenness, Jesus offers us a better way. I used to laugh at the character of Haman, but to be honest now I see him as this sort of tragic character. I can’t imagine a life without the mercy and love of Jesus transforming my heart. And to all of you here - I just want you to realize that your life is less without Jesus in it. 

Haman was consumed by his sin. And that sin built gallows in his life, that ultimately led to his death. And that’s what sin has for all of us. That’s what sin offers us. The brokenness of the world offers us death, a life without redemption, a life without a second chance. But Jesus offers us something better. Forgiveness. Freedom from sin. Freedom from what sin leads to. Romans 8, my favorite chapter in the whole bible puts it like this: [read v.1-4]. In front of every single person in this room is the path of Haman, and the path of Jesus. You have that choice. Will you claim Jesus? Will you follow his teachings, his way - let him transform your heart? None of us were meant to follow the path of Haman. You were made for more than that. 

And so to close out this morning, I’d like to share a story with you. A testimony from my friend Anja. Last summer we did a message on shame, and overcoming that shame - and she came up to me after the message and said, “I’m ready to share my story.” And I just want to warn you - this is an explicit story, referencing trauma. I would give it a PG-13 label, and like we said earlier - parents, if you would prefer your kids not hear these things yet, please feel free to exit for the next six minutes. There’s no shame in that, it’s completely understandable. It is worth staying for, but it took incredible courage for Anja to share this story, and we always want to give people a choice. And what we’re going to see in Anja’s story is a brokenness that threatens to overwhelm, threatens to consume. But into that brokenness, Jesus offers a better way. [run the video].

I think about the seashells, rough on the outside, but with that beautiful pink, mother of pearl color underneath. Or maybe it’s messy pancakes…pancakes that need to be flipped over before we can see the masterpiece. Will you let Jesus flip your life around today? Redemption is near. Whatever your brokenness is - Jesus offers a better way. Let’s pray.