Real Men Do Cry Series

4.1 ‘Now when Mordecai knew all that was done, Mordecai tore his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry,’

Mordecai’s reaction to the publishing of the decree in Susa was to tear his clothes, put on sackcloth with ashes, and cry out. This was a typical way of expressing deep feeling. It was an outward manifestation of inward grief. In the Near East men did not hide their feelings as we do. Real men can and do cry.

‘Went out into the midst of the city and cried with a loud and a bitter cry.’ He would not be allowed in such a garb into the palace area for the king’s presence must not be affected by grief. Thus he went out into the city itself; among the people who were perplexed by what was happening. It may well be that one of his aims was to win the sympathy of the inhabitants, who would recognize him for what he was, a Jew and a king’s official. But the parallel situation in Jonah 3.5-9 suggests that it was also a cry to God. Indeed, it is hardly conceivable that in such a situation a Jew would not cry to God.

4.2 ‘And he came even before the king’s gate. For none might enter within the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.’

He approached the palace as closely as he dared, entering the public square which would be in front of the gateway to the palace. But he could not enter the palace area itself where the wearing of sackcloth was forbidden. Such manifestations of grief were not to be allowed to affect the king. His probable reason for doing so was in order to attract the attention of Esther, who, secluded in the harem and ignorant of events, would hopefully hear of this strange event, that the official who was her friend was behaving in such a way. Her attendants would know that he wanted to have contact with Esther as 2.22 makes clear.

4.3 ‘And in every province, wherever the king’s commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.’

And throughout the empire, in province after province, wherever the decree was issued, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing, and many lying in sackcloth and ashes. It is not surprising for their situation was desperate and totally unexpected. Total annihilation lay before them. This behavior could only have been with a view to moving God to action, for no one else could alter the king’s decree.

4.4 ‘And Esther’s maidens and her close servants came and told it her, and the queen was exceedingly grieved, and she sent clothing to clothe Mordecai, and to take his sackcloth from off him, but he would not accept it.’

When news reached Esther in her seclusion, by means of her maidens and her close servants, who would know that Mordecai had her sympathy and that she was his patroness (2.22), that he was behaving in such a way, she was very upset and wanted to discover why. So she sent clothing to him so that he would be able to remove his sackcloth and enter the palace area.. But he blatantly refused to accept it. This alerted her to the seriousness of the situation. It had to be something very serious which prevented him from fulfilling his guardianship duties. This personal reminiscence, so unnecessary to the story, and so irrelevant, indicates an original source close to the action. To suggest that Mordecai’s refusal was discourteous is to overlook how deeply he felt about the situation. At this critical stage he was more concerned with what God thought, and with moving God, than with what man thought.