Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a robe of fine linen and purple, and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.
The verse turns a page. The man who sat in sackcloth at the palace gate now walks out of the king's presence in royal robes, wearing a great gold crown. The whole city erupts in gladness. Commentators read the scene as real history, and also as a picture of a greater exaltation still ahead.
From the Gate to the Throne
This is not the first honour Mordecai received. What changed at verse 15 was his position, not just people's opinion of him.
after
H. L. RossierAll the people of Shushan had already seen Mordecai clothed in royal dignity, because he had "spoken good for the king" (Esther 7:9). But up to this point that dignity was only moral dignity, so to speak. Right afterwards he went back to his position as a servant at the king's gate. From this point on, he is no longer at the gate; he comes before the king. His dignity becomes effective and official.
Others trace the reversal back to his refusal to bow to Haman, and read the robe as the answer to that stand.
C. H. MackintoshHe stood like a rock and let the whole tide of difficulty and opposition roll over him. He would not bow to the Amalekite, whatever the cost. Obedience was his path. The results were with God. And look at the result! In one moment the tide turned. The proud Amalekite fell from his high position. The exiled Jew rose from his sackcloth and ashes to a place next to the throne. Haman exchanged his wealth and honours for a gallows; Mordecai exchanged his sackcloth for a royal robe.
The Colours of the Robe
One writer takes each colour as carrying meaning drawn from elsewhere in Scripture:
Leslie M. GrantPersia no doubt knew nothing of what these things meant in God's eyes. But Scripture treats blue as the heavenly colour and white as purity of moral character. So Scripture sees Mordecai as a picture of the Lord Jesus, the Man from heaven in whom is moral perfection. The crown of gold reminds us that Christ is far more than man, for gold speaks of the glory of God... The garment of fine linen and purple shows that royal glory (the purple) belongs to Christ, joined with the grace of perfect purity (the fine linen)... Christ on earth wore the clothes of the poor, but He will soon have His rightful place, with garments of glory and beauty.
Commentators differ here. Another reads the same colours as the court dress of the empire:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe royal robes were blue, white and purple, the Persian colours. They show the ancient Persian view of the world: white was the colour of light, blue the sky, and purple was linked with the sun.
A Man Coming Out from the King's Presence
The picture that several writers find here is of Christ's public honour, still future.
Michael HardtGod will not fail to give the greatest honour to Christ, who glorified Him on the cross. God has exalted Him to the place of honour at His right hand, and one day God will honour Him publicly. Mordecai "went out from the presence of the king in royal robes... with a great golden crown" (v. 15). In the same way Christ will appear in glory, coming from the presence of God, so that the earth will recognise and honour Him.
Why a Whole City Shouted
The gladness is not only Jewish. The whole city cheers, and that tells us something about how people judge a righteous man in the end.
William KellyMen may feel ill will toward a life that condemns them without a word. Even so, conscience must justify the truehearted. So when it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices. Compare Esther 8:15-17.
Joy Before the Danger Had Passed
The striking thing is the timing. The Jews celebrated while the danger was still ahead of them.
C E StuartWhat a change had taken place. Perplexity gave way to gladness; feasting took the place of fasting. Why? The thirteenth of Adar had not yet come. The first decree stood unrepealed. Why this change? The written word of that second decree had made all the difference. Relief had come; a way of escape from that dreadful doom now stood open to the Jews. They believed it, and they acted as if they believed it.
Two Feasts Held Almost at the Same Time
One writer sets this celebration beside the feast kept at Jerusalem in Ezra 6, and finds the comparison sobering. The Jews in Shushan were rescued and glad, but they were still far from where God had put His name.
The Christian's FriendThrough grace and mercy they do sometimes have a feast and a good day; they do have answers to their prayers, special marks of God's favour, and striking interventions on their behalf; they may also be much used in leading others to turn to God, as we read, "Many of the people of the land became Jews"; but I press it, they are still short of their true, full blessing.
Summary
- Sackcloth to robe. Mordecai's refusal to bow cost him everything. Then the tide turned in a moment, and the exiled man went from ashes to a place beside the throne.
- Gate to government. The earlier honour was passing, and he went back to the gate. Now he stands before the king with an official authority he will not lose.
- Robe read as glory. Some writers read blue, white, gold and purple as heaven, purity, divine glory and royal rule — a portrait of Christ. Others read them as the plain court colours of Persia.
- Glory yet to come. Mordecai came out from the king's presence into public honour. So Christ will come from God's presence in glory, and the earth will honour Him.
- Joy resting on a written word. The danger had not passed. The Jews rejoiced because they believed the second decree — and the city rejoiced with them.