Step out of the palace

As christians we recognise that we are part of a new kingdom, one that we only experience in part here on Earth. We are, ‘in the world but not of the world’ (paraphrased from John 17:16). This means that although we are physically a part of the Earthly dimension, we know our souls belong not to this place, but to heaven.
We know that we are destined for more than this earthly experience and realise that we don’t really belong here anymore. We become misfits in this world. Esther understood something of what this was like. She was selected to become a part of the Persian palace, and so no longer fit into the comfortable community she had grown up in. The society that she once understood and loved was now removed from her as she became royalty. Her closest friends were no longer her beloved cousin and neighbours, but royal confidants established in palace practices. She had little contact with the outside world, and even less understanding of what was occurring outside her dwelling. She didn’t even know or understand what happened outside her very gates. She was absorbed into the king’s realm, segregated from the rest of the world, removed from relationship and separated from the cares of the community.
The danger for us as people of faith, is that we also become segregated and removed from the society we are a part of. The more we realise we no longer ‘fit’ in the world, the more we recognise we cannot go along with some of the earthly practices, the more we can remove ourselves from community into our christian realm, only mixing with christians, only reading christian books, watching christian films, concerned with christian issues, then we too can come completely segregated from the society we once belonged too. We can, through our passion for Christ and purity remove ourselves from community but then we will no longer see or understand the woes of those around us. We see this happen with Esther;

‘And in every province, wherever the king’s command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes. 
When Esther’s young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. *5*Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was.’
Esther 4:3–5.

Esther no longer knew what was happening in her own town because she was confined inside the walls of the palace. She had no recognition of the king’s new edict, and she had no idea how to respond. She saw people in turmoil outside the gates, but did not truly understand the problem. The danger, as Esther found, when you become part of a new kingdom, you are set apart from those in your very vicinity. Then you can be so removed from their reality and experience of Earthly life that you have no idea what; troubles, distress or happiness is known among the people next door let alone the rest of the community. So, when we see something distressing, we may wish to help, like Esther did, her heart was moved to respond, to provide assistance, yet it was the wrong help. It was totally inappropriate though her intentions were good. Esther provided clothing for those sentenced to death - what use would that be? Yet, it was not Esther’s fault as she was no longer a part of the society outside the palace, she was an inhabitant of the palace, unaffected and unharmed by the troubles outside.

We can fall into the same trap. We can end up living in a christian bubble, it is easy to do, as human nature is designed to draw us to people like ourselves, so we enjoy relating to and sharing time with other christians. However this can become exclusive when you surround yourself with all things christian. We can become consumed with our ideals of a christian life, and exert all our energies inside the kingdom of God forgetting that the actual King stepped out of his heavenly realm in order to seek those outside the gates. He did not look on with pity or pour out provisions to assist them, He went out the gates, He descended to our level and understood life from our point of view. This King, Jesus, the perfect Son of God, gave up his Godly privileges in order to meet the likes of you and me, the likes of; your neighbours, the ASBO kids, the prostitutes, destitute and lonely, the weird and troubled. Jesus, God, went outside the protection of the palace, maintaining His righteousness yet stepping into a world of trouble, still knowing where He belonged, but willing to put aside His deity, his majesty and power, in order to meet people. In order to show others they matter, they are loved, they are important, and they too can have a home in His palace too.

Now, now that Jesus has rejoined HIs Father in heaven, who has this mandate? That’s right, you and I do. Those that know who Jesus is are told to ‘go and make disciples’. We are to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and make Him known to society around us. We need to step out of our comfortable christian bubble and be part of the community around us, investing time in getting to know others and demonstrating a different way, telling the good news that people don’t have to stay where they are. They are not alone in their strife, and in fact, they have an invitation to the palace, and you are the chosen messenger to give the invite.

It Is time to move outside the palace gates to get a good look at what is really going on. Jesus did.