Jubilee: Patriarchy (Esther 1:5-12)

In Esther 1, a woman resists. When Queen Vashti heard the king’s order, “she refused to come.” “And this made the king furious, and he burned with anger.” Her reward for having courage and maintaining her dignity was to be silenced and to be shamed. Put back in her box, forced to wear a scarlet letter.    

This is the insidious, relentless oppression of patriarchy. Women who go along with the system, lose. Women who stand up and say no are removed. Women who speak out are labeled liars who just want to bring good men down. For women under patriarchy, there are no good options.

The truth, as uncomfortable as it is to admit, is that patriarchy is part of the church. Even in passages like Esther 1, we so often gloss over the ugliness of patriarchy. We don’t spend much time on Queen Vashti, skipping to the part where her replacement, the Jewish Queen Esther saves her people from genocide. 

Church, we must do better. Many of us have only heard from half the church, which means we have only heard half of the voice of God. When women are not given opportunities, we all suffer.