It’s a “teachable moment” for the church.

Thursday, June 19th, is a “Juneteenth“ holiday in America. Christians know it as a day to commemorate the end of slavery in the U.S. and mark the day when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas. They came to inform enslaved African Americans they were free, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. While it was initially a more regional observance, particularly in Texas, it became a federal holiday in 2021.

But Juneteenth 2025 commemorates a special day for all Jewish people because it celebrates an event that Christians will never entirely understand. While most Christians dwell in the “New Testament,” we should read and fully appreciate the Book of Esther. Christians debate whether that book should be in the Bible because the word “God” is conspicuously absent. Meanwhile, the profound spiritual lessons in that story fly over our heads like the Blue Angels.

HaShem used ordinary people to save the Jewish race. He glorified Himself in the darkest times and proved that His promise to Abraham could and would never be broken. It was the direst of circumstances, and He showed up.

Here’s why you should call or text a Christian on Juneteenth 2025.

Thursday, June 19th, is also the 23rd of Sivan to Christians and Jews. In the story of Esther, it was the day the oppressors became the oppressed.

“So the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman.” Esther 8:2

What did Esther and Mordecai do next? Did they turn the other cheek? Did they agree to coexist peacefully with their enemy? Did they fold like we did at this month’s Israel Summit in Texas? Nope. The first thing Esther did was to initiate her own “Emancipation Proclamation”.

“let there be a decree that reverses the orders of Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, who ordered that Jews throughout all the king’s provinces should be destroyed. For how can I endure to see my people and my family slaughtered and destroyed?” 8:5–6

Up to this point in the story, Christians and Jews usually agree. Freedom is a good thing. But what she did next is where we lose most Christians.

“The king’s decree gave the Jews in every city authority to unite to defend their lives. They were allowed to kill, slaughter, and annihilate anyone of any nationality or province who might attack them or their children and wives, and to take the property of their enemies.” 8:11

If any of my Christian brothers and sisters are struggling with the situation in Iran, please read Esther. The enemy of the Jews goes back thousands of years. And so does the best solution to deal with that enemy.

When did all of this happen? God wanted to tell us the exact date so we could remember. He is big on stacking stones and writing scrolls, so we cannot forget his interventions.

“So the king’s scribes were called at that time — on the 23rd day of the third month, the month of Sivan. It was written according to all that Mordecai commanded to all the Jews, as well as to the officials, governors, and advisors of all the 127 provinces that stretch from India to Ethiopia. To each province it was written in its own script and in its own language, and also to the Jews in their own writing and language.” 8:9

Reach out to a Christian today. We agree on 90% of the Bible. That makes us brothers. And this is a teachable moment for the American church. We agree on freedom from captivity. But our next step is to learn to finish the job.

The church in the West mows over the weeds. The yard looks great for a while. But the weeds will return. Israel pulls the weeds up from the roots. It’s backbreaking labor. But it is what must be done to ensure a beautiful and peaceful garden. And Torah reminds us that Adam was responsible for cultivating and protecting that garden. (Gen 2:15)

Let HaShem arise and scatter His enemies! Let Israel finish the job! And let the Christians find a new power that pulls us out of the comfortable pews into the spiritual war. The trumpets have been blaring. Can you hear them? Let’s assemble. Let’s unite. Let’s remember Thursday, June 19, 2025.

May the spirit of Esther and Mordecai reign in your households this year! -Issachar