The Jacob Chronicles: A Reconciliation
A Sermon by Brent J. Eelman
Today concludes 6 week our journey with Jacob’s family. It started with him cheating his brother Esau out of his birthright and blessing and then he was forced to flee. While running away in the wilderness, he had dream and, in that dream, he encountered the divine. He at last arrived on his Uncle Laban’s land and there he fell in love with Laban’s daughter, Rachel.
Laban, however, tricked Jacob into marrying his older daughter Leah and Jacob ends up working for his uncle for 14 years. After this indentured employment, he returned home with his family and all his possessions. Once again, he encountered God. This time in a wrestling match that left him wounded and limping home to the land promised to his grandfather Abraham.
Last week we heard about the problems that arose among the sons of Jacob and how ten of the older brothers sold Joseph, (at that time the youngest) into slavery and he was carried off to Egypt. Today’s story is the climax and fulfillment of these chronicles, but first, I need to fill in some of the back story.
When Joseph (the son of Jacob) was taken to Egypt, he was sold to Potiphar, a high-ranking officer in the Egyptian court. Joseph was falsely accused and thrown into prison. There he developed a reputation as one who could interpret dreams. (he was the dreamer!). His reputation reached Pharoah, who had a dream that Joseph interprets as predicting 7 years of record harvests and the 7 years of famine. Pharoah is so impressed with Joseph’s interpretation; he placed him in charge of the food stores.
Today’s text occurs in the 2nd year of the famine. It was a global event and consequently the only place where there was food was Egypt. Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to see if they can purchase some food. The plot twists with irony. These were the same brothers who sold him into slavery! Joseph recognized his brothers, (but they didn’t recognize him). He began to play with them, like a cat with a mouse, presumably to “get even” for what they did to him.
First, he accused them of being spies, and jailed them for 3 days. Then he sent them back to Canaan with food, but also covertly returning the money they were to give him for the food.
On a second visit he planted a silver cup in one of the bags, perhaps to accuse them of thievery. The text now begins as the Joseph’s brothers return.
Genesis 45:1-15
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 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. 6For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on 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, your 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 honored 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; and after that his brothers talked with him.
This is the conclusion of a 3-generation story about sin: sibling envy, jealousy, and of course revenge. It is the last chapter of a family epic. Therapists would have a field day with everything that happened in this family.
But today’s chronicle is a story about the triumph of grace, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
It is an appropriate story for our day because we live in a world of envy, jealousy, confusion, and revenge. We live in a world that requires us to adopt certain types of behavior for our own protection and health. We live daily with what can only be called disorder and unhealthy behavior,
whether it is in our own families,
· on the job,
· in the media,
· in the stock market,
· in the halls of government,
· or even our own religious institutions.
The result is a pervading cynicism about life and the human prospect. The angels of our better nature have seemingly flown away. We need to hear a message of grace, forgiveness, and reconciliation. We need to hear good news.
I believe this story of Joseph and his brothers is also one of the most hopeful stories in the entire Bible because it declares that things don't need to be this way. It is, indeed, a story about the triumph of grace. Let's take a journey through this narrative about Jacob's children and hear what it has to say to our generation.
I
In the midst of this global famine, word gets out that Egypt has food. Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to plea and attempt to purchase food. They come face to face with Joseph. It was an interesting and involved encounter. Joseph, the one who was thrown into the well, the one who was despised and sold into slavery was now in charge of Pharaoh's grain stores. Joseph recognized his brothers. They didn't recognize him. The encounter was building to a climax.
Let's consider Joseph's options. The roles were reversed. He was the one in power. He had the control over his brothers. It was perfect; a perfect opportunity to get back. It was a classic "gotcha" moment. The evil brothers were there, cap in hand, begging for what only Joseph had: food.
Joseph toyed with them a bit, perhaps enjoying his power and the opportunity to “get back,” but he soon tired of it. He could have strung them along a little longer. He could make them dance for him, building up their hopes, only to make his moment of revenge sweeter. He could have gouged the price and made a pile of cash from them. What an incredible hand was dealt to Joseph. How would he play his cards?
Then comes one of the most dramatic moments in the Hebrew Bible. Let me read it again:
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 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.
All the anger, all the animosity and enmity, all the desire for revenge dissolved into a moment of amazing grace. It was amazing because the cycle of revenge and retribution was broken in that one moment.
When the psalmist wrote: "Behold, I make all things new," he was referring to moments like this. A new foundation was created for that family as they were gathered there. Reconciliation occurred. Brothers were reunited. Joseph, who they believed was dead, was alive. It was another chance to be together. Community was, at last, restored!
II
How does this speak to us today? I believe it operates on many different levels: inter-personal, familial, community, and even national. On the personal level it declares that broken relationships can be mended and rebuilt. It tells us that the foundation of friendship, indeed any type of human relationship is graciousness: grace manifest in forgiveness and love.
It speaks to families. I personally hate the word dysfunctional. I am pretty sure that I can make a case that most families are characterized by some dysfunction. Some children are favored over others. Parents take on the huge responsibility of raising children without any training or guidance. We learn on the job. Mistakes in judgement are constantly made.
I look back on my own family situation and my parents. They had their flaws, some big, but by the grace of God, they were good enough.
Grace.... It needs to be part of our family life.
· There we learn to forgive.
· There we learn to love others when they are most unlovable.
· There we discover that reconciliation can indeed happen and that enmity and all the other things that divide people can be overcome.
This story speaks to communities. Neighborhoods, clubs, organizations, and yes even churches need to be characterized less by righteous judgment and more by loving, forgiving grace....
· the grace of God that was embodied in Christ
· the grace of God that Joseph showed toward his brothers who betrayed him.
It speaks to churches. How often do church people conflict and fight in righteous indignation.... dividing the Church that Christ called together as one. The motto of the church of Jesus Christ is not “We’re right and you’re wrong.” It is “Come to me all who are overburdened, and I will give you rest.” The purity that we often desire as a church is not found in doctrine, but in doing. We discover our calling, indeed our identity as a community in fulfilling the words of Christ to minister to the stranger, the alien, the hungry, the hurting… indeed the least of these, our sisters and brothers.
It speaks to nations. We are badly divided, not geographically but ideologically. The divisions that we experience are ripping apart friendships and families, communities and congregations. The text this morning ends with a wonderful sentence: after that his brothers talked with him. Grace, forgiveness, reconciliation enables us to talk with one another.
In this story of Joseph and his brothers, we discover, however, that the grace of God is not always easy to embody. It is so much easier to “get back,” to get even. The theologian Paul Tillich wrote:
Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness.
· It strikes us when we walk through the dark valley of a meaningless and empty life.
· It strikes us when we feel that our separation is deeper than usual, because we have violated another life, a life which we loved, or from which we were estranged.
· It strikes us when our disgust for our own being, our indifference, our weakness, our hostility, and our lack of direction and composure have become intolerable to us.
· It strikes us when, year after year the longed-for perfection of life does not appear, when the old compulsions reign within us as they have for decades, when despair destroys all joy and courage....
We cannot force ourselves to accept ourselves. We cannot compel anyone to accept himself. But sometimes it happens that we receive the power to say "yes" to ourselves, that peace enters into us and makes us whole, that self-hate and self-contempt disappear and that our self is reunited with itself. Then we can say grace has come upon us. (Paul Tillich, The Shaking of the Foundations, pp. 161-62.)
Grace came upon Joseph and “he could no longer control himself.
III
I will conclude with a personal comment. This is why I do what I do. Stories and moments like this. I am starting to reflect upon 47 years of ministry. It is not about running a church. It is not about meetings, building projects, fund drives, and all the other things that seem to consume our common life. All those things are part of any social organization....
It is all about grace.
· The grace of God that welcomes us with open arms, as Joseph welcomed his brothers.
· It is about the grace of God that breaks into our common life and restores wholeness, meaning, acceptance, and hope.
· It is the grace that enables us to rediscover our lost sisters and brothers and embrace them.
The story of Joseph and his brothers is an amazing story that gives me hope.... and at its core is the grace and love of God that came upon Joseph and restored the family of Jacob. This was the foundation of the nation of Israel—It is the foundation of the “New Israel” the church of Jesus Christ. Our challenge is to embody this same grace in our lives. This is Good News. Amen.
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