Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, "send everyone away from me." So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that all the Egyptians heard it and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph, is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come closer to me." And they came closer. He said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on the earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, as well as your flocks, herds and all that you have. I will provide for you there - since there are five more years of famine to come - so that you and your household and all that you have will not come to poverty.' And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father how greatly I am honoured in Egypt and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here." Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; after that the brothers talked with him.
Genesis 45:1-15
Joseph the proud owner of the coat of many colours and the object of his father's deepest affection; Joseph the dreamer with gifts of discernment beyond his years. On this routine morning he would say good bye to his father and leave for a day of work with his brothers not suspecting it would be the last day he would see his father for years to come; not suspecting the depths of his brothers hatred, not suspecting that he would be betrayed, stripped of his coat, beaten and tossed down a well, left for dead, and ultimately sold into slavery. His eleven brothers would rid themselves of Joseph and take the coat stained by the blood of an animal to their father. Joseph died, they would lie, in the jaws of a wild animal. Their father would grieve deep like every parent who loses a child. Jacob has known much suffering in his life but this loss will almost break him. The dysfunction, the sin in his family has become so unwieldy that it has ended in this: a brother betrayed and trafficked and a lie that enslaves each one.
At the time Joseph arrives a slave in Egypt the country is flourishing and he ends up serving in the home of the Potiphar second in command in all of Egypt. The Lord is with Joseph, his talents are noted but his trouble does not end. Soon after catching the eye of Potiphar's wife but refusing her advances, the rejected woman frames Joseph and he is thrown into jail. It is in this place of confinement that God opens up a way for Joseph, he is treated well, respected and given responsibility. God has not forgotten him. And Joseph continues to walk with God. Though the Egyptians enjoy prosperity the Pharaoh cannot rest, he is troubled by his dreams. He is awakened by the image of seven fats cows coming out of the Nile followed by seven skinny cows who eat the fat cows. And another dream seven ears of corn plump and good growing on one stalk. Then seven ears thin and blighted come up and eat the plump stalks. (Genesis 41:1-9) Pharaoh has little imagination for what it means but feels that he is being warned about something. His magicians and wise men are of little help and do not console him, he cannot shake this dream. He comes to Joseph on the advice of the cup bearer who remembers Joseph's gift. Joseph tells Pharaoh it is not he who will interpret the dream but God, the cows represent seven prosperous years followed by seven lean years, the second dream means the same thing but underlines the urgency. The Pharaoh is being warned to take precautions against a coming famine. Joseph becomes an adviser to the Pharaoh, the acumen which won him such favor in the eyes of his Father, is now bringing him great honour in the house of the Pharaoh. His power is growing - no other slave has come out of prison to rise to such heights.
The famine spreads across the lands to the house of Jacob; once wealthy and powerful they are becoming desperate and hoping to buy grain in Egypt. It is here they will bow down to Joseph and at his feet they will be shown mercy and will ultimately live. One could hardly imagine a more dramatic moment where such breadth and depth of emotion would be felt. Imagine the relief of seeing family in a foreign land but the arms that you want to throw yourselves around last beat you and cast you off, the flickering hope that would beat inside Joseph that he would once more embrace his beloved father. Imagine the faces of their brothers when they realize this man who has them at his mercy is the one they betrayed. Or the torment of having to confess this lie and wait for justice. And their own faint hope that their brother, who was sold for a slave is the one who will save them. Could it be that be that Joseph would exchange their emptiness for fullness, their bankruptcy for wealth?
As we hear this story we are confronted with difficult questions: did God really plan for these terrible things to happen to Joseph so that his family would be saved? Does God bring tragic circumstances into our lives as a part of his 'good plan'? These are hard questions which probe our deepest beliefs about God, is he really good? Can he be trusted? How is he at work in the world? People will answer these questions differently and in truth they are deeply mysterious and beyond our full knowing or understanding. However, I believe that this story tells us about a God who redeems, who makes a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert. It tells of a God who takes our pain and suffering, our own brokenness and our burdens and bears them in himself. It tells of a God who can give us hope in place of despair, certainty for our futility, mercy for judgement and freedom from slavery. Though we will walk through deep waters and suffer pain we know that we do not walk alone and we trust that God is always working his good and redemptive ways in our world. We look back at stories in the scripture and we find mercy and grace at every turn where there might only have been judgement. God clothes Adam and Eve, he provides an ark for salvation, a ram for Abraham and Isaac, and his own Son, Jesus, the revelation, the very Word of God, who leads the great exodus for all people in all times: freedom from our slavery to sin and life in place of death. And we add our own stories to the great witness of the salvation, providence and redemptive work of God in the world.
This story also teaches us about trusting the goodness of God in the midst of our own suffering. Joseph's response to the suffering in his life is instructive; Joseph stays true to God, his heart does not stray he remains loyal, patient and submitted, accepting his circumstances even when they were unjust. He knew the leading of God and had faith that God was making a way for him through hardship in this foreign land. Although God provides for Joseph and Joseph recognizes this I appreciate that the story does not skirt or trivialize the reality of his pain, he is working this out throughout these years in exile. Joseph names his first son Manasseh, he said, "God has made me forget all my hardship and my Father's house." The second is named Ephraim, "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my misfortunes." And when he first meets his brothers his responses to them are conflicted; there is anger and compassion, stinginess and generosity. He wants to bless them but this is not easily done. He wants to see their character, can they be trusted? Will they tell the truth? How will they respond when their feet are put to the fire? And when he can no longer hold it in, the pain of saying his name brings with it a cry so loud and deep that it is heard throughout the Pharaoh's home. It is a cry of anguish, I am the one whom you sold as a slave, the one despised and rejected, the one who will save you, who will offer you a future and a hope. Do you see Christ throughout this story? And then after the cry there are words of forgiveness, words of peace. There is a long embrace and weeping for all that has been lost and for all that it is forgiven, for restoration of relationship and for new life.
A spiritual writer reflected that Julian of Norwich a 14th century Benedictine monk who lived in a time of social upheaval and death by black plague shared many of Joseph's disciplines and as well as his unwavering trust in the goodness of God. Julian wrote, "Just as our flesh is covered by clothing, and our blood is covered by our flesh, so are we, soul and body, covered and enclosed by the goodness of God. Yet the clothing and the flesh will pass away but the goodness of God will always remain and will remain closer to us than our own flesh."
"All shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well."
-Julian of Norwich
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