Joseph and Generosity – Genesis 45

A text – Genesis 45:3-11

³ 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.

⁴ 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. ⁵ And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. ⁶ For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. ⁷ God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to keep alive for you many survivors. ⁸ 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. ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ 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.’

Genesis 45:15

¹⁵ And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them, and after that his brothers talked with him.

A reflection:

The Joseph story is such an epic tale of family, jealousy, betrayals, and God’s faithfulness despite everything that it can be breathtaking. Better than anything you could make up for a musical, right?

In Monday’s post we looked at some daunting instructions of Jesus to turn the other cheek, love your enemies, and so on. Taken as a paragraph of shoulds, it seems undoable. Especially under stress. But taken apart and seen as how we respond to other human beings whom God has put us together with to get God’s work done, co-creating a trustworthy world, maybe more doable than we thought.

Now here is Joseph, encountering the brothers who had basically done him in, caused his probable death or at least enslavement. Those brothers realize to their horror who he is, what power he now wields, and that, by their own laws of justice, an eye for an eye will mean they are all done for. And listen to Joseph address them and their feelings of horror. Joseph sounds just like Jesus. He has bounty and he will bless them with it. He has not only a coat but a shirt for them. He saves them. God has saved Joseph and given him a mission in Egypt, which Joseph extends to his own family. God has saved Joseph and made him prosper, so Joseph saves his family and makes them prosper.

It’s epic, but it’s also intimate. And our own callings can be epic, but also intimate. Our work might be as big as governing a region, or as small as touching a child’s cheek with love. Whatever God has blessed you with, God calls you to share with someone God has placed on your path. Even if that someone has betrayed you, harmed you, or taken your coat. These days everyone can use some kindness, goodness, gifts. I am resolved to use what I’ve been given today to be generous with someone who lacks generosity. I’ll let you know how it goes.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for giving us gifts to share with others. Help us to pay attention and know when the moment is right to pass our gifts to those you have in mind. Amen.