What does it mean for a Jew to be living in Persia? It means that you grandfather chose not to go back to Jerusalem. Rather than return when Cyrus the Great permitted the Jews to go home in 538 B.C., instead your grandfather chose to stay in Babylon β and then he chose to take his chances by moving further east into Persia, in order to serve Cyrus β or maybe his son β your father β took a job working in Darius's court.
And now you find yourself β 50 years later β living in a Jewish expatriate community in Susa (modern day Iran).
The book of Esther is not about living in Exile. The Exile is over! You could go home to Jerusalem any time you like! Although "home" is an odd name for a place your family hasn't lived for more than 120 years.
The book of Esther is not about living in Exile β the book of Esther is about what it means to live in the Dispersion β the diaspora. Your identity as a people still matters β but you no longer really think of that land as your home.
In that way, Esther helps us to think about what it means to be the people of God in the new covenant!
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