Sackcloth and Ashes

 

When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry. He went up to the entrance of the king’s gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. 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. (Esther 4:1-3 ESV).

 

Sackcloth and ashes were used in Old Testament times as a symbol of debasement, mourning, and/or repentance. Someone wanting to show his repentant heart would often wear sackcloth, sit in ashes, and put ashes on top of his head. Sackcloth was a coarse material usually made of black goat’s hair, making it quite uncomfortable to wear. The ashes signified desolation and ruin. When someone died, the act of putting on sackcloth showed heartfelt sorrow for the loss of that person. We see an example of this when David mourned the death of Abner, the commander of Saul’s army (cf. 2 Samuel 3:31). Ashes accompanied sackcloth in times of national disaster or repenting from sin. Our reading today describes Mordecai tearing his clothes, putting on sackcloth and ashes, and walking out into the city “wailing loudly and bitterly.” This was Mordecai’s reaction to King Xerxes’ declaration giving the wicked Haman authority to destroy the Jews. Mordecai was not the only one who grieved. All the Jews joined him.

Sackcloth and ashes were also used as a public sign of repentance and humility before God. Lent begins this year with Ash Wednesday and ends before the celebration of the just before Easter morning. The common practice of celebration, known to many as “Mardi Gras,” takes place on Tuesday accompanied by revelry and feasting. It was originally observed because of the stark practice of fasting and denial to proclaim the genuine feelings of sorrow in repentance.

 

Perhaps no other year in my recollection has there been such a need for lamentation. I do not say this in regard to any mistaken belief that the trials of this past year are somehow punishment for our sin. Jesus took all of that on the Cross. However, I can say there is a great need for a call to concentrate our minds in the calling of God to a life of purity and service. Perhaps the best way to begin that process is “to taste the tears of God.” Perhaps we should remember that the only two times recorded that Jesus cried were a result of the stubborn refusal of men to recognize His love for them. As you prepare for Lent, reexamine your realization of God’s love for you. He sent His only begotten Son to die in our place. Is there any greater sacrifice than that?