Today, in honor of Father’s Day, I will talk about the man who wasn’t a stepdad, but a dad that stepped up. Amidst Israel’s captivity, from the rule of the Babylonians and the conquest of the Persians, there was a man who preserved his “home” while exiled from his homeland. 

When there’s a death in the family, it is a terrible thing. Not only does the family have to wrestle with the loss of someone precious to them but also the loss of that person’s role in the family. There’s an incredible sense of pain, loneliness, and uncertainty. As a member of a conquered and displaced people, Mordecai would have felt this pain intensely, being unable to bury his family members in the land of their fathers. However, instead of only seeing his own pain at the death of his uncle, Abihail, one of his only named family members, Mordecai sought to ease the pain of another.

When Abihail’s home became empty, deprived of a father, bereft of a mother, a young Esther walked out of that barren house to see Mordecai waiting for her outside. There, a single man, without a wife in a society where women were the primary caretakers of children, took her in and called her daughter.

Through the grief, the loneliness, the trials, and the pain, through the ups, downs, over, and unders, Mordecai comforted, fed, clothed, and guided her. Esther flourished under his loving care.

When she came of age and was taken to Susa as part of the king’s harem, Mordecai didn’t abandon her. Confined to a strange place and made to compete for the attention of a man who could choose whether she lived or died, Esther could still rely on Mordecai. Every day he walked near the courtyard, listening for news of her as he waited outside.

When Esther was chosen to be queen and was moved into the king’s palace, Mordecai continued to watch out for her the best he could. Though the two were now separated by class and the high walls of the palace, he made sure she always knew that he was there for her, waiting outside the king’s gate.

When trouble came and the wicked Haman threatened the demise of the Jews, Mordecai did not hide from Esther the plight of their people. Clothed in ash and sackcloth, Mordecai wailed throughout the city and up to the palace gates. Outside the walls, he warned Esther of the peril that would consume her people and eventually her. He called for her to gather her courage and go before the king. When fear threatened to silence his adopted daughter, he reminded her of her identity and the God that they both served.

Encouraged by Mordecai’s guidance, Esther made up her mind to save her people. Though they were kept apart in different parts of the city, Mordecai and Esther went to God together. Because of their efforts, Haman was put to death and their people were saved.

Mordecai’s steadfast care for Esther always had him waiting for her outside. He was someone Esther could rely on even when she was sequestered in the thick of things. This is much like how growing up, our own fathers wait on us, whether it be to pick us up from a friend’s house or to come to them when we’re going through rough times. This care that we see in our earthly fathers comes from our Heavenly Father who protects, provides for, and guides us.

Though we do not always heed his guidance like Esther heeded Mordecai’s, God is always waiting for us right outside.