Joseph-The Redeemer

This week, we conclude our study of Joseph’s life and ministry. What an amazing journey he lived! A favoured son, blessed with two special dreams from God, a man of integrity—who did not use his favouritism to do less, but rather worked as hard as he could first for his dad, then for Potiphar, then for the captain of the prison, then for Pharaoh. Because he knew, that in all that he was doing, he was doing it unto the Lord.

When we caught up to Joseph last week, Judah had offered himself in Benjamin’s place. In so doing, he passed Joseph’s test, he proved that he was no longer the unmerciful, jealous, murderous brother he had once been. Judah was a changed man. He cared deeply for Benjamin and he cared deeply for his father.

Our lives are a series of opportunities. We are responsible for how we respond to them. In every circumstance, there is the opportunity to do what is right, or to do what is wrong. Let’s explore this by looking at Judah in particular.

Judah was jealous and envious of Joseph. When he became aware of his envy toward Joseph, he should have dealt with it. He could have spoken to his father, and asked him why he showed such favouritism, why he treated Joseph differently from the rest of them? That might have helped him deal with his jealousy and envy. But probably not. He probably would’ve continued to feel the same.

Judah allowed his jealousy and envy to fester. He resented that he was so diligent in his work. He hated that Joseph called him out for not doing what was required of him. Rather than dealing with this anger, jealousy and envy, recognising them for what they were, he chose to feed them, dwell on them, embrace them.

Jesus told this parable: The kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early, about six in the morning ,to hire labourers for his vineyard. After agreeing to work for a denarius—a day’s wages—the workers went out to work.

The master went out again, at 9am, he found more men looking for work and told them they would get whatever is right. He went out again at noon, and at 3pm and did the same. And then, at about 5pm he still found some people waiting to work, so he sent them to work in his vineyard.

Now, let me ask you, do you think the ones who were hired last would expect to get the least amount of money? But when the master paid the workers, in order of the ones hired last to the ones hired first, he gave each of them the same: a full day’s wages.

The ones who worked the full day, expected to get way more money because they worked way longer. When the received exactly what they agreed to work for, they were upset and complained to the manager that they should have been paid more, because they worked longer than everyone else. They complained that the manager made them equal with them who have done more work. The manager replied, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me to work for a day’s wages? Take what belongs to you and go. I chose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge me my generosity?”

Judah, begrudged his dad his generosity. But a proper response would have been to acknowledge that Jacob can do whatever he wants to do with what belongs to him. He needed to check his heart, and resist the desire to sin by being jealous, envious, covetous.

Beloved members of Maranatha, we also are faced with choices each and every day. We can choose evil, we can choose to covet, we can choose to be jealous or envious.

Or we can choose to focus on the blessings we have received from God our Father. We need not concern ourselves with the blessings He has chosen to give to others. Frankly, if we compare ourselves to others, we won’t be very happy at all, for we all tend to think that others have more than we have.

No, we must not do that. We must compare ourselves to God and His standard. And then we discover two things. One, we have fallen far short of His expectations, and two, He himself has given us everything we need to meet his expectation: he has given himself, in Christ, through the Holy Spirit. Let’s see how this happens.

Joseph is so overwhelmed by Judah’s change, and his brothers all being there, and seeing Benjamin again, that he can’t contain his secret any longer. So, he said to them, I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.

Joseph’s brothers were dismayed at his presence. All of a sudden, they realised the truth. All the money, all the food, the cup of divination, it was all from Joseph. What would this mean? Then, all of a sudden, like a thunderclap, Joseph was in the position of power. He held their lives in his hands. What if he did unto them what they did to him? What would they do in his position, no, what did they do in his position? Why wouldn’t he treat them in the same way?

But Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.”

How do you feel about being in God’s presence? Generally pretty good? But what do you feel about being in God’s presence, after you’ve sinned, and I mean, really sinned? You might be like Joseph’s brothers, dismayed at God’s presence. Dismayed because you realise your sin. Dismayed because you failed God. Dismayed because you didn’t keep your sinless streak going longer. Dismayed because you took God’s amazing love and walked all over it.

Hear God’s words, “Come near to me, please.” Joseph isn’t just saying these words, God is speaking through Joseph, to his brothers, to Joseph—just as much a sinner as the lot of them, to you, to me. Come near to me, please.

Sin, the devil, guilt, shame, all seek to drive us away from God’s love, His forgiveness in Christ Jesus. But God always seeks to come closer to us. He sought out Adam and Eve in the garden. He sought out Noah, he sought out Abraham. He sought out all kinds of people who, by all definitions should not be included, as we’ll see next week in Jesus’ genealogy.

Don’t let your past wrongdoings prevent you from approaching God. Come to him, confess, repent, believe that He has forgiven you in Christ Jesus and live for him.

Joseph could have been very bitter and angry with his brothers. He could have treated them the same as they treated him. He could have justified all kinds of things. But God’s love compelled him to forgive. Why?

Because he saw the truth! He saw that out of all the terrible, awful, horrible things he’d endured, God brought salvation. The dreams were not communicating that Joseph would become some sort of lord, or king or ruler over his family. Rather, his dreams revealed that he would be in a position to save his family from death, that he would hold their fortunes, their very lives in his hand. And, yes, he did have the power to turn them into his slaves, if he’d allowed wickedness to rule in his heart.

But instead, he allowed love to rule in his heart. And love doesn’t lord over others. Love serves others. Love puts others first. Love seeks out what is best for those around, even at the expense of what is best for oneself. Love seeks the good of others.

Joseph forgave his brothers. And he instructed them to forgive themselves, to not be distressed or angry with themselves, for God used it to send him there ahead of them to save them. This proves what Paul writes in Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Wherever you are are right now, right now is where God wants you to be. Jesus Christ has offered you salvation, the complete forgiveness of all our sins, as we remembered during last week’s celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

Now, are you living in the forgiveness of sins, or are you living as a sinner, as a terrible person, as someone who has done harm, lied, or failed, or whatever it might be.

Stop being that person. Be the person you are in Christ. Let the Spirit of Christ live in you. Don’t look at Joseph and think, “Oh yeah, forgiving his brothers was easy. He just did it.” Make no mistake. He had to choose to do what was right. He had to release his anger, his bitterness, his frustration, his desire for vengeance to the Lord. He had to let the Lord deal with his brothers. And the Lord did. Judah changed. The brothers changed. And after they had reconnected, they talked, and they talked about it all. And they asked for forgiveness. And he granted it to them.

And then he sent them to bring his father to him, so that they would survive the famine. And as his brothers departed, he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the way.”

Joseph knew the temptation. it would be easy to talk about whose fault it was to kill Joseph, to sell him into slavery, to say, “If only I hadn’t done such and such. If only I had done this or that. Maybe if they’d treated Joseph rightly, there wouldn’t have been a famine. But there is no going back, and it does nothing to talk about it as though you could. There simply is.

And there is now the present, and the present is full of every opportunity to do differently. The present is full of every opportunity to do what is right. Forget about the past. Confess and then get on with it. Make the necessary changes. Repent. You don’t have to stay in the rut. In the power of the Holy Spirit, you can change. You are a new creation in Christ. Live it!

God loves you. Jesus died for you. God has given you himself. We know this is true: we cannot save ourselves. We need to grasp this truth also: we cannot live holy lives by ourselves either. We need Jesus. Our song of response is, “Yet not I, but through Christ in me.” Our only hope for faithful living in this life is Christ in us. But here’s the rub. Christ doesn’t just wave his hand over us, and “poof” we’ve got it all together all at once. No, Jesus gives us opportunity after opportunity to choose. Choose Christ. Choose to receive His forgiveness. Choose to forgive. Choose peace, choose life, choose love. Choose to see each other in Christ. Love each other in Christ, and work together in Christ and in obedience to him according to His word. Amen.