The Journey 320
Read: Esther 7, 8
Youcef Nadarkhani– This name may be very familiar in Christian circles, since a large number of people prayed for this pastor, who was in jail in Iran for more than three years. His fight was not only a fight to stand for ones faith but it was also an issue of justice and religious freedom. His fight for freedom gained international attention and after a long battle he was freed this year. The world rejoiced at this news. But the world seems to forget the man who fought to get freedom to Nadarkhani. In a country like Iran, where the majority of citizens belong to Muslim faith, the legal system has to toe a middle line between the laws of the land and also Muslim shariat law. Because religion was often mixed in court cases, lawyers would be scared or would not dare to fight cases related to religious freedom. But it was a human right lawyer named Mohammed Ali Dadkhah who defended Nadarkhani and stood by him through thick and thin. He is one of the few daring attorney who have defended not only persecuted Christians like Nadarkhani, but also a number of political prisoners. Dadkhah is human rights lawyer who believes in basic human rights, religious freedom and for the right of people to dissent and right to raise their voice. He has also sought to defend the right of the press too. Thus as Dadkhah fought for Nadarkhani, and as the world leaders also put pressure, his efforts bore fruits. Nadarkhani was released and he walked free. As Nadarkhani was released, it was Dadkhah who seemed to be the most happiest person and he proudly exclaimed that it is a joy to see Nadarkhani walking away to freedom. But as Nadarkhani walked to freedom, trouble arose for Dadkhah. In the past what Iran would do was that it threatened lawyers who defended and fought for rights of people of other religious faith with jail imprisonment. Dadkhah knew that if he defended Nadarkhani, one day he would also have to face the same punishment that Nadarkhani faced. But he was not afraid to risk his freedom and his life for the sake of another person. According to the latest news reports, Dadkhah has been taken into custody and has been sentenced to nine years imprisonment. As Nadarkhani roams free, Dadkhah is behind bars for the last forty seven days. It is ironic that a man who stood for the freedom of others is now behind bars. Society is indebted to a number of people like Dadkhah who never thought of their comfort but was always ready to sacrifice for the freedom and welfare of others. In a world full selfish people and religious bigots, attorneys like Dadkhah stand out in the crowd as a model for everyone; to stand up in life not only for ones own personal interest, but also for the interest and welfare of others and suffer in the process. When we look in the Word of God we also a find a few individuals who stood above their personal interest and risked their life so that other could be free.
The person that we shall use for our study is Esther. When we study about Esther, we find that she was the one who dared to risk her life for the sake of her people. As we meditate on the theme “ Transformed Living” the portion that we shall use for our meditation is from Esther 8. The background of this portion is the evil plot of Haman who was a powerful person in the kingdom of Ahasuerus. All the people bowed down before him, but it was only Mordecai who refused to do this sort of obeisance. This made Haman angry and he developed a hatred towards Jews, not only because of Mordecai but also by the fact that he was an Amalekite. Thus Haman devises a plan that would not only exterminate Mordecai but also all other Jews as well. When Mordecai understand about the evil plot of Haman, he seeks the help of Esther. The problem with Esther was that she now lived in the palace and this had made her slightly detached from the problem of common people. When Esther heard about the mourning of Mordecai she sends him new clothes and later asks him about the reason for his mourning and that is when Mordecai tell Esther about the evil plot of Haman. Mordecai tells Esther to go to the presence of the King and beseech him to spare the lives of Jews. It is here that the trouble lies for Esther. She knows that if she goes before the king without being called, she had every chance to loose her life [ Esther 4:16]. But then she decides that it is time for her to think beyond her life and her own security. She decides to submit to God and she observes a fast and tells others also to observe fast because of the impending doom that may occur. But along with this, she began planning as to how to save the Jews from the evil plot of Haman. She organizes a feast and invites both the King and Haman. It is during the feast [Esther 7] that we find Esther boldly conveying to the King about the evil plot of Haman to exterminate the Jews and request him to spare their life. The King understands the heinous plot of Haman and the most unique part in this whole incident is that finally it is Haman who is hanged to death, in the same gallows the he had prepared to kill Mordecai. Mordecai is exalted to a position of responsibility [ Esther 8:2, 10:2,3] while Esther remains the favorite of the king and remain loyal to him. This happened because Esther was ready to look at the welfare of her people than her own life and interest and it is this attitude that not only saved the lives of countless Jews, but it also promoted Esther to greater power and responsibility. It is this truth that we need to carry along in our life. If we are selfish and are concerned for our own interest, we may win but our win will be short lived, but if we are ready to sacrifice and bear for others, we may loose certain privileges in our life, but ultimately we gain the best more than what we lost. People like Dadkhah live, so that they can sacrifice for others freedom. Can we also be like Esther to put other and their interest first than being only concerned as to what we get in life?
Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla
Youcef Nadarkhani– This name may be very familiar in Christian circles, since a large number of people prayed for this pastor, who was in jail in Iran for more than three years. His fight was not only a fight to stand for ones faith but it was also an issue of justice and religious freedom. His fight for freedom gained international attention and after a long battle he was freed this year. The world rejoiced at this news. But the world seems to forget the man who fought to get freedom to Nadarkhani. In a country like Iran, where the majority of citizens belong to Muslim faith, the legal system has to toe a middle line between the laws of the land and also Muslim shariat law. Because religion was often mixed in court cases, lawyers would be scared or would not dare to fight cases related to religious freedom. But it was a human right lawyer named Mohammed Ali Dadkhah who defended Nadarkhani and stood by him through thick and thin. He is one of the few daring attorney who have defended not only persecuted Christians like Nadarkhani, but also a number of political prisoners. Dadkhah is human rights lawyer who believes in basic human rights, religious freedom and for the right of people to dissent and right to raise their voice. He has also sought to defend the right of the press too. Thus as Dadkhah fought for Nadarkhani, and as the world leaders also put pressure, his efforts bore fruits. Nadarkhani was released and he walked free. As Nadarkhani was released, it was Dadkhah who seemed to be the most happiest person and he proudly exclaimed that it is a joy to see Nadarkhani walking away to freedom. But as Nadarkhani walked to freedom, trouble arose for Dadkhah. In the past what Iran would do was that it threatened lawyers who defended and fought for rights of people of other religious faith with jail imprisonment. Dadkhah knew that if he defended Nadarkhani, one day he would also have to face the same punishment that Nadarkhani faced. But he was not afraid to risk his freedom and his life for the sake of another person. According to the latest news reports, Dadkhah has been taken into custody and has been sentenced to nine years imprisonment. As Nadarkhani roams free, Dadkhah is behind bars for the last forty seven days. It is ironic that a man who stood for the freedom of others is now behind bars. Society is indebted to a number of people like Dadkhah who never thought of their comfort but was always ready to sacrifice for the freedom and welfare of others. In a world full selfish people and religious bigots, attorneys like Dadkhah stand out in the crowd as a model for everyone; to stand up in life not only for ones own personal interest, but also for the interest and welfare of others and suffer in the process. When we look in the Word of God we also a find a few individuals who stood above their personal interest and risked their life so that other could be free.
The person that we shall use for our study is Esther. When we study about Esther, we find that she was the one who dared to risk her life for the sake of her people. As we meditate on the theme “ Transformed Living” the portion that we shall use for our meditation is from Esther 8. The background of this portion is the evil plot of Haman who was a powerful person in the kingdom of Ahasuerus. All the people bowed down before him, but it was only Mordecai who refused to do this sort of obeisance. This made Haman angry and he developed a hatred towards Jews, not only because of Mordecai but also by the fact that he was an Amalekite. Thus Haman devises a plan that would not only exterminate Mordecai but also all other Jews as well. When Mordecai understand about the evil plot of Haman, he seeks the help of Esther. The problem with Esther was that she now lived in the palace and this had made her slightly detached from the problem of common people. When Esther heard about the mourning of Mordecai she sends him new clothes and later asks him about the reason for his mourning and that is when Mordecai tell Esther about the evil plot of Haman. Mordecai tells Esther to go to the presence of the King and beseech him to spare the lives of Jews. It is here that the trouble lies for Esther. She knows that if she goes before the king without being called, she had every chance to loose her life [ Esther 4:16]. But then she decides that it is time for her to think beyond her life and her own security. She decides to submit to God and she observes a fast and tells others also to observe fast because of the impending doom that may occur. But along with this, she began planning as to how to save the Jews from the evil plot of Haman. She organizes a feast and invites both the King and Haman. It is during the feast [Esther 7] that we find Esther boldly conveying to the King about the evil plot of Haman to exterminate the Jews and request him to spare their life. The King understands the heinous plot of Haman and the most unique part in this whole incident is that finally it is Haman who is hanged to death, in the same gallows the he had prepared to kill Mordecai. Mordecai is exalted to a position of responsibility [ Esther 8:2, 10:2,3] while Esther remains the favorite of the king and remain loyal to him. This happened because Esther was ready to look at the welfare of her people than her own life and interest and it is this attitude that not only saved the lives of countless Jews, but it also promoted Esther to greater power and responsibility. It is this truth that we need to carry along in our life. If we are selfish and are concerned for our own interest, we may win but our win will be short lived, but if we are ready to sacrifice and bear for others, we may loose certain privileges in our life, but ultimately we gain the best more than what we lost. People like Dadkhah live, so that they can sacrifice for others freedom. Can we also be like Esther to put other and their interest first than being only concerned as to what we get in life?
Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla