Be Reconciled

Genesis 50:15-21

When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” ¹⁶ So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: ¹⁷ ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. ¹⁸ His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” ¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? ²⁰ As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. ²¹ So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Be Reconciled

Joseph, the son of Jacob … not the husband of Mary … was the subject of our Old Testament reading today. Joseph was the eleventh out of twelve sons. He was also his father’s favorite. Maybe you remember the story about how Jacob gave Joseph a fancy multicolored coat? He would also send Joseph out to check on his brothers to see how they were doing, and when he came back he “gave a bad report” about them.

Then there was his dreams; dreams that indicated that he would rule over his brothers and they would bow to him. (I mentioned he was the eleventh of twelve?)

Joseph’s brothers hated him. They even wanted to kill him. In fact, they grabbed him one time when he came to check on them and threw him in a pit. But opportunity intervened, and some traders came through, and they sold Joseph into slavery. Then they went home and told their father that his favorite son had been killed by a wild animal … and they brought a bloodied, multicolored coat to him as proof.

The traders took Joseph to Egypt. He suffered there. He was a slave, falsely accused of sexual assault, and thrown into prison. He also succeeded there. Joseph trusted God in the midst of all his suffering, and God blessed him … but in His time and in His way; and He did it through dreams.

Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had two dreams that no one could figure out. Joseph was known for interpreting dreams, and they brought him to Pharaoh. Joseph interpreted his dreams; dreams that predicted years of feast and bumper crops, and years of famine and hunger. It was a warning from the LORD. He told Pharaoh that he should appoint a man with wisdom to prepare for the lean times.

Pharaoh agreed and appointed Joseph for the task. Only Pharaoh was more powerful than Joseph, and Joseph ruled and shepherded the people. He initiated a plan to tax the Egyptians and saved food during those good years, and then he sold it back to them in the lean years.

This famine didn’t only affect Egypt. It was throughout the whole region, including Joseph’s family. They heard there was food in Egypt, so they went to buy some, and guess who they had to deal with. One day, there they were, the men that had meant to kill him and sold him into slavery, bowing before him … just as Joseph’s dreams once predicted.

Joseph had them right in the palm of his hand! Would he take revenge? He didn’t trust them. He hadn’t forgotten what they did to him. He hadn’t forgotten his suffering. And while he did test them, he forgave them, saved them, and gave them a new home, providing for them and their children. He moved the whole family to Egypt, including his father, Jacob.

Our Old Testament reading took place right after Jacob died. The brothers are scared that the only reason Joseph hadn’t taken revenge on them was because of Jacob, so they lied to Joseph. They said, “Dad said you have to forgive us!”

Hear again what Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? ²⁰ As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. ²¹ So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Notice, Joseph comforts them, but he acknowledges their sin … what they did still matters! He also points out that God used their sin for good. They he promised to take care of them.

Forgiveness like that is hard! When you have every right to refuse forgiveness … it is hard to forgive. Especially when you’ve been deeply wronged. Peter gets that. That’s why he asks, “How many times should I forgive my brother when he sins against me?” I mean, there’s gotta be a limit, right? But … Jesus forgives all your sin. So, if Jesus has forgiven you for all of your sins – every thought, word, and deed – how do you think you should handle things when someone sins against you?

Don’t get me wrong! I’m not saying there aren’t consequences when people sin. Joseph’s brothers had lasting guilt, which led them to live in fear and doubt! Sometimes, when trust is broken, sins lead to separation in this life.

But forgiveness is different. It is a generous act of God’s mercy. At the Cross, Jesus took your sins upon His body, and He died to pay for them. He is a kind of second Joseph. We have all wronged Him. We have all betrayed Him. And He continues to have words of mercy and forgiveness on His lips.

That’s what all this is for … everything we do here at Gloria Dei … and it is what our lives revolve around as Christians. We are here to deliver and receive Jesus’ forgiveness to sinners. That is why every service has confession and absolution. It is why we cherish baptism, where God works to wash us of our sins and give us faith to receive His grace. It is why we celebrate the Lord’s Supper week after week, because Jesus promised to give us His body and blood to eat and drink in, with, and under the bread and wine to give us forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Because we are forgiven, we strive to forgive. We try to be people who extend God’s mercy – the mercy we ourselves live in – we try to extend that mercy to others. And even when we fall short in those good and godly efforts, we hold on to God’s mercy as our only hope for Jesus’ sake.

So, live in Jesus’ forgiveness. Acknowledge the wrongs you’ve done. Confess your sins. Then trust … trust Jesus … trust His word proclaimed to you … you really are forgiven. Jesus died and rose for you so you can be forgiven … and being forgiven, we can be forgiving. Amen.