Joseph

Genesis 45:1-5 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.

So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And 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.”

The brothers found themselves standing before Joseph in Egypt. To their dismay, their brother Joseph whom they had envied, betrayed, sold into slavery, and assumed to be dead was the very one before them in power and glory. Their sins had been brought to light and they were defenseless in his house and in the land which he had been given authority over. I will stand before Jesus as a sinner completely at His mercy and before His judgment seat. Will not all of my thoughts, words, and actions be brought to light before the judgment seat of Christ? And will I not find that the Person I should have been loving all the days of my life is the very One who will judge me?

The brothers should have loved and been willing to give their own life for Joseph, but instead they hated him and betrayed him. When they were the most vulnerable and helpless, they did not encounter a resentful savior, but a compassionate one. All of the days that Joseph’s brothers hated him, persecuted him, and wished him dead, Joseph loved them. Joseph being exalted to glory in Egypt could save the lives of many. With humility, he did and he even saved those who wronged him. All of the days I lived for myself in disobedience, there was Christ loving me. For Christ bore the shame, He endured the suffering, He refused temptations, and He was punished in His innocence. He is exalted in glory as the one One who can save us and wants to save us.

Jesus is a merciful Savior who tells me, “come near to me, please” just as Joseph told his brothers the same. The brothers take those heavy steps towards Joseph and find themselves in his embrace. The mercy and grace of God bid me to come closer to Him and as I move closer, I become more aware with every step how unworthy I am. When I take those first steps towards Christ, He then moves towards me and I find myself in His loving embrace. The tears of shame and repentance stream from the brothers’ eyes and the tears of love and forgiveness and flow from Joseph’s eyes. I yearn to have Christ wipe every tear from my eyes.

Just as the brothers had to confess their sins, may also my prayers of repentance be heard by Christ. May the Lord let me abide in His land as the brothers lived in the land of Goshen. May I guide all that I can into the pastures of abundant life in Christ as the brothers brought their families and sheep into the plentiful land where Joseph ruled. May I spend my days under the merciful rule of the Most High God and within His love just as Joseph’s family lived under his authority and loving care.