When we stick to the surface reading of a life story, we dishonor the person who lives it.
“The Bible speaks very plainly and very clearly.”
Most stories do not speak plainly and clearly. There’s always subtext, always context. But according to Mark Driscoll, if the Bible doesn’t say it, then it’s not probable.
This 3rd sermon on Esther is a completely obvious misreading of the Bible. It would be almost laughable if it weren’t so serious.
Mark Driscoll seems to think that a girl and her uncle could simply refuse the most powerful man in the world. He seems to think that because Esther pleased the king, she had sexual experience. He condemns Esther and Mordecai for not returning to Jerusalem. He infers things that may or may not be true. Even though he appeals to a plain and clear reading, in making his judgments, he doesn’t stick to a plain and clear reading. In making his condemnations, he continually thinks the worst of people.
“She could’ve said no.”
Accusing Esther of sleeping around, of being sinful, rebellious, and calling her a hypocrite because of where she was living and because she didn’t say no, is a very dangerous accusation. How many women today are accused of bringing their pain on themselves? If she hadn’t been drinking. If she hadn’t been alone. If she hadn’t been out so late. If she hadn’t worn those clothes.
They could’ve all said no.
Because when you read this story in such an extremely literal way, when you ignore the nuance and the unspoken cultural conditions, you make women feel guilty and ashamed when they shouldn’t. You accuse them of doing something wrong when they were the ones that were violated.
In this sermon, Mordecai’s daily care and worry about Esther is mocked. When we ignore the underlying stories and the context of a life, we demean people. We write them off without ever understanding who they are and why they act the way they do.
“This freaks me out as a dad.”
And so Mark imposes what he would do on the story. He doesn’t enter the pain of the story. When we don’t enter the reality of other’s stories, we do the same thing. Usually we just want to give our opinion and leave the room. It’s too painful, too awkward to enter in. Because sometimes you can’t do anything. Or you don’t know what to do. We keep ourselves on the surface because we can’t handle the depth of reality. If we aren’t intentional, we can find ourselves groping in the darkness instead of offering a light.
Mark Driscoll could’ve put himself in the shoes of all those other fathers who had their daughters stolen. He could have put himself in the shoes of Mordecai. Not make fun of him, but empathize with him. What would that be like if your daughter was taken and you couldn’t say no? How painful and gut-wrenching would that be? How would you sleep at night? How would you go on with your life?
Understanding the context of story is important for how we relate to people. When we ignore the causes of pain in a life, when we pretend that their current struggles aren’t important, when we deny them the courtesy of listening and understanding, we dehumanize them. We treat them as a one-dimensional character and not the living, breathing images of God that they are.
A person’s life, just like the Bible, does not speak plainly and clearly. When we ignore the nuance of story and the depths to a life, we become callous and hard, and treat people the same.
This is part of a series on Esther. Part One is here.
I listened to Mark Driscoll’s sermon- I actually liked a lot of it (like his conclusion about how imperfect people are DEFINITELY part of God’s story), but I agree with your criticism- he judged Mordecai and Esther unfairly. In the text, it just says the king ordered the beautiful virgins to be brought in, so they were. Like the idea of the women even having a choice never occurs to anyone.
It seems to me like Esther was making the best out of a very oppressive situation- working within the system to help save her people, rather than just refusing to be part of it at all.
I have not listened to Driscoll’s actual sermon. It’s not worth the time it would take me, given what you and others have shared about it. Whenever I hear about the latest ridiculous statement by Driscoll I want to pull out my hair in frustration. His lens is so distorted and yet he cannot even see that. It distresses me greatly that this man has such a significant following and influence in the American church. As you have said, he fails to even begin to enter into the complexities of the story and Esther’s situation. Far easier to just write her off as a shameless slut… Excuse me while I go scream.
I didn’t mind the first two sermons too badly, but this one just grated on me. I couldn’t stand how he kept making fun of single guys and young guys too.
yeah, I’m kind of regretting wanting to do this series. You’ll notice this was posted on Friday instead of Wednesday like I originally thought I’d do….I just kept putting off listening to it, lol.
I agree with you. I am thoroughly disgusted by this guy for a number of reasons, not the
least of which is the way he completely misses nuance in the ancient
text. He takes a surface reading and superimposes it on life in
21st-century Seattle. In this series, we have that tendency, along with
his disturbing sexual preoccupation. His preaching is horrifying.
Excellent post, Caris. Recently here in Australia, in Melbourne, a young woman was raped and murdered within metres of her home while walking home after a night out with friends. Some of the comments made after this horrific assault were identical to the ones you listed above, ‘if she hadn’t been alone, out so late, drinking, wearing that, etc.’ I can’t help but think that sermons like the one you have critiqued contribute to an ongoing culture of judgment and blame. And it is terrifying. Thanks for your considered and articulate thoughts on this.
love this!