“An unplanned mole?”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Saturday, September 17, 2022

Esther 2:5-8, 15-23 (Forward, p. 50) CEV p. 516

In espionage circles a mole—or sleeper agent—is a person placed in a potentially sensitive position within the enemy’s apparatus early on in life or in their career, with the express purpose of working, or worming, their way into gaining access to covert or secret information. But how about access also to the halls of influence and power? Does this also fall into the category of a mole or sleeper agent?

In this regard, one has to wonder about Esther and Mordecai, but especially Mordecai. With Esther, she had relatively little choice about being ‘drafted’ into the king’s harem, so her motive seems pretty clear and straight-forward. But what about Mordecai? Why did he expressly forbit Esther from revealing that she was Jewish?

I can suggest two motives. The first is because anti-Semitism, as evidenced later by such individuals as Haman, was already alive and well back then, and so in revealing her ancestry, Esther might suffer discrimination, persecution or worse. And, secondly—which I think is really the case—that having a mole, a sleeper agent, a fellow traveller, in positions of power and influence might prove useful sometime down the road. And, indeed, in a way that was most beneficial to the king, this certainly proved to be case with Bigthana and Teresh plotting to kill the king. Mordecai, by now a palace official himself, got wind of the scheme, and was able to pass this information on to Esther, who was then able to warn the king. Thus, the intervention of Mordecai and Esther saved the king’s life. And, of course, to jump ahead in the story, Esther’s place in the royal court, the royal harem, was to prove most beneficial to all the Jewish citizens of the country later on.

In one sense, Jesus became a ‘mole’, not in any subversive or otherwise questionable sense, when He took on human flesh and became one of us. It meant that He was able to understand and sympathize with us, stand with us, and help us in ways that no outsider ever could.

And, in one sense, each of us as Christians should also be like this. We are ultimately citizens of heaven, where our real allegiance is placed. But we are also here on earth, hopefully to make an impact. According to the apostle Paul, we are more than moles; we are ambassadors of Christ Jesus. And so, we are not only to make an impact, but also to share and promote this ‘other’ kingdom, and even to invite people to come and be part of it. And, surprising as it may seem to most of us, each of us has a sphere of influence, a circle of friends, family and acquaintances, that is absolutely unique. And, probably unknown to most of us, we have an impact and a bearing among these people that can scarcely ever be over-stated or over-estimated. For better, or for worse, we have an impact on them on one way or another—whether we like it or not. And so, let us be conscious of this, and be intentional moles, ambassadors and influencers among those we know and meet. Amen.

Forward notes: “The king loved Esther more than all the other women” (verse 17a).

“In the book You Were Made for This Moment, author Max Lucado points to the story of Esther as inspiration. When this beautiful young Jewish woman became a Persian queen, she kept her identity a secret. Lucado highlights her moment of metanoia—of spiritual transformation—when she determined she was willing to risk her life to save her people. He reminds readers that while we may never face something as big as the choice that confronted Esther, we were made for this moment.

“I recently was feeling discouraged about the seemingly unsurmountable problems confronting our country and our world. Then I had an epiphany. God put you and me here in this tricky time. I was placed into this broken world. I said to God, ‘You put me here in the present—not in an earlier time. You must know I am meant to be here.’ The thought gave me peace and a sense of relief. That moment of clarity helps me to not feel afraid but to be confident and secure in the knowledge that God is with me always and that I truly was made for this moment. Now I am eager to see what God has in mind for me in the days to come.”

Moving Forward: “Do you believe you were made for this moment?”