Genesis 45:1-15
1Then 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. 2And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it.
3Joseph 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.
4Then 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. 5And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6For 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. 7God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8So 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. 9Hurry 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. 10You 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, your herds, and all that you have. 11I 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.'"
12"And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. 13You must tell my father how greatly I am honored in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here." 14Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck.
15And Joseph kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.
So Far
The church's year of grace has reached the seventh Sunday after Epiphany; this exceptionally long epiphany season will conclude next Sunday with Transfiguration. And then? Ash Wednesday followed by six Sundays in (but not of) Lent.
This time I'm only blogging a brief consideration of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible first lesson that's a small slice of the story of patriarch Jacob's son Joseph and his brothers. The Joseph narrative spans Genesis 37 through 50; this summary includes wonderful contemporary illustrations. You'll notice some backtracking and repetitions because Genesis was compiled from different separate sources.
This segment aligns well with the overall Epiphany theme of revelation, unveiling, clarification of God's presence in Jesus, light of the world, and also in us, as we reveal Jesus' ongoing presence in the world. Please feel Joseph's and Benjamin's joy-filled tears! This story often brings up the fact it's always possible to forgive, though forgiveness frequently is a process. In many cases, we humans need to have some clue about why the other person behaved as they did. Joseph's story frequently starts discussions concerning whether or not it's healthy to reconcile with an individual, situation, or organization in the wake of forgiveness. Sometimes it is; sometimes it's not. At least in this particular vignette, life again is healed and whole between Joseph and his brothers.
Joseph as a Type of Christ
This passage is about forgiveness, reconciliation, and new beginnings. Joseph's behavior and attitude is similar to Jesus' charge to us in his sermon on the mount (in Matthew) and his sermon on the plain (in Luke). We often refer to scriptural characters as "types" or images/icons of Jesus Christ. For example:
• Adam is firstborn of the old Creation // Jesus is firstborn of the new creation
• Moses with Exodus from Egyptian slavery; Ten Commandments on Mount Horeb/Mount Sinai // Jesus with a new Exodus of liberation from several types of bondage; Sermon on the Mount
• David the shepherd who later becomes king // Jesus the new shepherd, new king
• Jeremiah the weeping prophet // Jesus weeping over Jerusalem
• And there are more! Martin Luther read Jesus into almost every sentence of the OT!
Joseph – God – Resurrection
Joseph's brothers had intended serious harm (as in killing him) to Joseph, but Joseph was wise enough to recognize the action of God's Spirit of life in redeeming an incredibly bad situation. in today's reading, Joseph keeps giving God the credit; in fact, in the last chapter of Genesis, chapter 50, Joseph again credits God.
In spite of us, in spite of other people, in spite of circumstances, God ultimately heals, mends, renews, resurrects. Today's second reading from 1 Corinthians 15:35-50 includes the apostle Paul's formal theological assurance of resurrection from the dead. For Paul, the gospel is death and resurrection!
Living in Empire
The story of Joseph and his brothers also is about living well under empire (in this case Egypt). We've discussed Ezra, Nehemiah, and the people they served living purposefully under imperial Persia when they returned to Jerusalem after Babylon. For the past few millennia It's been impossible to avoid the influence of empires, whether they're national governments (Babylon, Persia, Rome, Spain, Great Britain) or transnational corporations (Bayer, Walmart, GE, Nestle… entities like Hyundai and Samsung aren't much different). Because we can't escape into a bubble or to a remote island, we need to find ways to live and maybe even thrive, whether by resisting or even some degree of cooperation. At the start of Joseph's story, with famine all around, they had no choice but to go to a place where crops would grow and they could be fed.
Final note: God even redeems (literally takes back, buys back) death into new life!
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