Third Sunday in Lent (4)
I know that I am not alone in saying that
the story of Joseph is one of my favourite narratives of the Old Testament.
Joseph is the son of Jacob and Rachel, the grandson of Isaac and Rebecca and the great grandson of Abraham and Sarah. At the beginning of his story, we find that Joseph (whose mother has died) has become his father’s favourite (of 12 sons) and the heir apparent. In a famous scene of fraternal betrayal, Joseph’s brothers throw him into a cistern and sell him as a slave to a caravan of merchants who are on their way to Egypt. The brothers kill a goat, and with the blood, fabricate the boy’s death, telling his heart-broken father that he is dead.
In Genesis 37-41 we read of Joseph’s time of enslavement and imprisonment. We are told that God is with him and guides him until he comes to a position of power, second only to Pharaoh himself.
The plot thickens when, during a severe famine, Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt pleading for assistance. They don’t recognize that the powerful Egyptian official listening to their petition is their brother. But Joseph knows exactly who they are, and his shrewd and compassionate handling of the situation makes for a profound and deeply satisfying story.
Today’s lectionary reading is the beginning of the end of the narrative. In the previous chapter (45), in a passage of tearful reconciliation, Joseph reveals his true identity to his astonished brothers. He tells them that God has redeemed their past actions by putting him in a position where he is now able to deliver the whole family from certain starvation. The Pharaoh invites Joseph’s family to come and settle in Egypt and the brothers return to Canaan to tell their father that Joseph is alive and is now a great ruler in Egypt.
In our reading from Genesis 46, Jacob (who is also called “Israel”) travels from Hebron to Beersheba (on the Negev desert, at the southern boundary of the Promised Land). There Jacob offers sacrifices to the covenant God of his father, Isaac. That night, God speaks to Jacob in a vision in which he reassures Israel with these words: “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.” God promises to remain with Jacob in Egypt, and to ensure that Jacob will return to the Promised Land. This return to the Promised Land appears to mean that when he dies, Jacob’s body will be returned to the family tomb in Canaan AND that one day his descendants will return to this land promised in God’s covenant.
Perhaps the sweetest of God’s promises to Jacob is that he will now be with his beloved Joseph for the rest of his life, and at the time of his death, it will be Joseph who tenderly closes his father’s eyes.
In Genesis 46:5, we read that Jacob leaves Beersheba for Egypt, taking all his descendants and household with him. In verses 8 through 27, the names of all of Jacob’s sons, daughters, grandsons and granddaughters are listed. This list includes Joseph and his 2 sons born in Egypt. In total, there are 70 names recorded. It is a number which symbolizes completeness. The nation of Israel will arise from those 70 names.
Today’s final passage from Genesis 46: 28-34 describes Judah, the eldest son (and the spokesman) guiding his family to the region of Goshen. This is a lush area on the east side of the Nile estuary and is the land that Pharaoh (encouraged by the wise promptings of Joseph) has given to them. In Goshen, the Hebrews will pasture their livestock and build new lives. It will be in Goshen, in a deeply moving scene in Genesis 46:29, that Jacob, who for 23 years believed Joseph to be dead, is reunited with his son. We read that Joseph “threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time.” Jacob said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”
This is a very important story for the people of God in at least 3 ways:
1) It reminds us that God can
transform all things, even broken or evil things, for His good purposes. The story of Joseph is an embodiment of
Romans 8:28, where Paul writes: “And we know that in all things God works for
the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
2)
The story of Joseph is a
foreshadowing of the story of Jesus, in which acts of evil and betrayal are
transformed by God into the work of salvation itself. Listen to the words of Peter’s sermon in Acts
2:23. These words are about Jesus, but
they echo Joseph’s story: “This man was
handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the
help of wicked men, put Him to death…”.
3)
Most importantly, the story of
Joseph describes a critically important moment in the history of salvation. For
God had promised Abraham (Genesis 18:18; 22:18) that through his descendants,
all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Because of Joseph’s obedience to
God, the promise will be fulfilled.
- Canon James Robinson