Making Our Way to Calvary - Pt 5

Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” (Luke 23:32–38 ESV).

 

In today’s devotional I’ve chosen St. John Chrysostom (c. 347–407) to quote as we make our way to the Cross. He is renowned as one of the greatest preachers in Christian history, earning the moniker "golden-mouthed" (Chrysostom) for his immense eloquence. A Church Father and Archbishop of Constantinople, he is best known for his powerful sermons, commitment to serving the poor, and for composing the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom used in Eastern Christianity. His preaching on the Cross and the love of God expressed in the Cross is incredibly impactful as we consider our own response to Calvary:

 

“But we are able to see Christ’s inexpressible love for man not only from the cross itself but also from the words which He spoke while upon the cross. At the very time when He was nailed and they were mocking Him, deriding Him and spitting upon Him, He said: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34)… At the same time that they were saying, “If You are the Son of God save Yourself,” He was accomplishing everything necessary to save these same ones who were reproaching Him. …He did forgive them, if they wished to repent, because if He had not forgiven them this sin, Paul would not have become an apostle;’ if He had not forgiven them this sin, the three thousand and the five thousand, and the many other thousands, would not have immediately believed.”

 

St. John Chrysostom famously declared the Cross a triumphant weapon and symbol of salvation, noting it turned the earth into heaven and served as a "trophy against the devil". He emphasized it as the ultimate proof of God's love and the source of human resurrection, transforming a symbol of death into a crown.

 

While there is much more to be seen in our reading today and we will look further at the two thieves crucified on either side of Jesus tomorrow; however, for today, I hope you will focus your attention on that center cross. There Jesus, the King of all kings proffered all that was necessary for every person ever created to be forgiven. It was a complete and perfect sacrifice. He paid the debt we could never pay and died the death we deserved!

 

Turn aside, even for just a moment, and recognize how great a love the Father has for you. The Apostle Paul said it this way:

 

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (Romans 5:6–9 ESV).

  

Making Our Way to Calvary - Pt 4

 

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Corinthians 1:18–25 ESV).

 

Continuing our walk to Calvary, I would not do well to omit a brief look at today’s reading. John Calvin emphasized that these verses highlight the stark contrast between human wisdom and divine salvation through the cross. He reminds us that the early disciples focused on how God deliberately uses the "foolishness" of a crucified Savior to destroy human pride and demonstrate true power. In fact, Calvin issued a warning against “… letting preaching eloquence obscure the cross,” stating we must not let it "lead Christians to be taken up with an outward glitter of words... or cover over the cross of Christ with its empty show as with a veil".

 

The sterility of a message of the cross as mere doctrine denies the active, saving power of God, which seems foolish only to those who are perishing. God’s methods are purposefully designed to humble human intellect, as even the "foolishness" of God surpasses human wisdom (cf. v. 25). One of the central themes for the Reformers was that because salvation is entirely God's work through the cross, "no human being might boast in the presence of God" (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:29).

 

The Apostle Paul says the message of a crucified Messiah is a "stumbling block.” He uses the Greek word σκάνδαλον (skandalon), which literally translates “a stick for bait (of a trap), generally a snare.” This ought to give us pause when we use methods that do not directly point to the horror of the Cross. Jesus, the King of kings, the Creator of all things, the Lord above all, was executed in man’s most detestable way; and, He was innocent of any sin or transgression. It cannot be understood by anyone without faith as anything but foolishness. We cannot mask the true nature of Jesus’ sacrifice with any sort of human explanation. Only the declaration of the Scripture in all of its simplicity will do:

 

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. (Romans 5:6–10 ESV).

 

No wonder the reformers utilized our reading to support Sola Fide (faith alone) and Soli Deo Gloria (glory to God alone), reinforcing that salvation is not attained through human philosophical wisdom; it can only be given by God, Himself! Thank God for such a gift!

 

Making Our Way to Calvary - Pt 3

 

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:16–21 ESV).

 

It is essential to understand which came first of grace and free will. Reformers, following Paul in our reading today, emphasize that believers are a "new creation" in Christ, having transitioned from a worldly view to a spiritual one. Central to this is the doctrine of justification, where Christ takes on human sin in His death on the cross, allowing believers to receive his righteousness. It is a foundational text for the ministry of reconciliation, emphasizing the imputation of righteousness and God's initiative in reconciliation. In a famous sermon on Romans 8 that John Calvin later quoted, Augustine once preached:

 

“Yes, you act and are acted upon. And if you are acted upon by one who is good, then you act well. The Spirit of God who acts upon you is the helper of those who act. The name ‘helper’ indicates that you also do something… Grace does not destroy the will but rather restores it” (Sermon 156, on Romans 8:12–17, discussed memorably in Calvin’s Institutes II.V.15).

 

I have often used this principle when I teach people the difference between “I’ve got to do…” and “I get to do…” the will of God. Augustine again wrote: "To will is of nature, but to will aright is of grace". He emphasized that grace is essential for salvation and precedes all human initiative. The cross made this a possibility. Without the atonement Jesus made and thereby imputing His righteousness on to us, we would be as lost as Adam and Eve were after eating the forbidden fruit.

 

Still today we find ourselves wandering  through this great creation of our heavenly Father sewing together fig leaves to cover our nakedness and not realizing we have Jesus’ robe of righteousness that covers completely and perfectly. Listen to Augustine again: "O Lord, everything good in me is due to you. The rest is my fault …No greater gift has been bestowed by God". Dwell on that as we continue our walk to Calvary!

 

Making Our Way to Calvary - Pt 2

 

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (Galatians 3:1–9 ESV).

 

It is easy to be lulled into complacency when we think of the Cross of Christ. However, the Reformers, particularly Martin Luther, thought much differently. He viewed our reading today as a critical defense of justification by faith alone, highlighting that the Spirit is received through hearing the Gospel, not by works of the law. Luther argued that believers are justified through faith and that true spiritual life begins and continues by trusting in Christ’s finished work in His death on the cross. In his Lectures on Galatians (1535), he wrote:

 

“Therefore a man becomes a Christian, not by working but by listening. And so anyone who wants to exert himself toward righteousness must first exert himself in listening to the Gospel. Now when he has heard and accepted this, let him joyfully give thanks to God, and then let him exert himself in good works that are commanded in the Law; thus the Law and works will follow hearing with faith.”

 

The Christian faith has a central event that connects heaven and earth. That event is the cross of Jesus Christ. Paul says, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul understood the significance of the cross as being the main thing. The cross shows victory, forgiveness, power, and freedom. The Galatians had lost sight of the cross, so Paul reminded them “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.” He then asked, “Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?” (Galatians 3:1-2). The Galatians’ focus was on what they could do instead of what Christ had already done for them on the cross, and how the Holy Spirit could now guide them.

 

We must reassert our focus on what God has done on our behalf. The Gospel is of no effect if we are not both preaching it and listening to it. This is the only means of life!

Making Our Way to Calvary - Pt. 1

 

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. (1 Peter 1:10–12 ESV).

 

We are but three weeks away from Easter. In these days I pray that looking through the lens of some of the great reformers we may be able to see the glory of this great gift God has given us through the work of Christ. The first of these takes us to our reading today and a quote from Thomas Brooks, who lived from 1608 to 1680. He was a prominent English non-conformist Puritan preacher and author known for his vivid, practical, and highly illustrative writing style. Often referred to as a "doctor of the soul," his works are celebrated for their deep spiritual insight and simple, accessible language that continues to influence Reformed thought today. He wrote in A String of Pearls the following:

 

“A believer’s inheritance, his glory, his happiness, his blessedness, shall be as fresh and flourishing after he hath been many thousand thousands of years in heaven as it was at his first entrance into it… There is a worm at the root of all earthly inheritances that will consume them in time. All earthly comforts and contents are but like a fair picture that is drawn upon the ice, which continues not; or like the morning cloud, that soon passes away. But a believer’s inheritance endures forever. When this world shall be no more , the inheritance of the saints shall be fresh, flourishing, and continuing.”

 

The Apostle Peter speaks of the things that await us as a result of our redemption as “things into which angels long to look” (v. 12). Can you imagine? That which is our gift because of the work of Christ are things the angels long to look at. These great celestial creatures who surround the throne of God have a desire to see these things because of their greatness. The Greek language is especially helpful here. Literally Peter writes the “eagerly peer into or study” the mysteries of the Gospel, specifically the salvation of humanity, the sufferings of Christ, and the subsequent glories. This signifies an intense angelic interest in God's grace, mercy, and wisdom in redemption, which they witness from an outside perspective. We have been given all of the benefits of that work of grace! That is the measure of God’s love toward us.

As your journey seems to be filled with difficulties and challenges, spend a moment and remember that which awaits you. It is so incredible, even the angels long to see it!

 

Joseph's Bones - Our Eternal Hope

 

So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father’s house. Joseph lived 110 years. And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation. The children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were counted as Joseph’s own. And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. (Genesis 50:22–26 ESV).

 

At the end of his life, Jospeh makes his brothers swear an oath to “carry” his bones with them when they leave Egypt and return to the land God had given them. For many readers of this story this verse (v. 25) is almost ignored. Yet it carries with it one of most incredible examples of Joseph’s faith which gave him his unshakeable hope in the future. In fact, in Reformed theology, this verse is interpreted as a profound demonstration of faith in God's covenant promises and a rejection of settling in Egypt. John Calvin commented that this act signaled that the "eternal covenant" did not die with Joseph. It highlights that Joseph's hope was not in his position or comfort in Egypt, but in the future, greater fulfillment of God’s plan.

 

According to D. Martin Lloyd-Jones, Joseph's direction to “carry his bones home” was an incredible declaration of faith in the promise of God. Even after living in the luxury of Egypt for years, Joseph’s heart was never truly there. His request to have his bones moved was a final, physical witness to his belief in God's promise to Abraham. Lloyd-Jones also emphasizes that Joseph died with absolute certainty that God would "visit" His people and deliver them, even if it took centuries. It highlights God’s sovereign governance. Joseph trusted that even though he died in a foreign land (Egypt), God’s plan to bring His people to the Promised Land remained certain.

 

What this means for us today is that whatever this world is, it is not our home. As much as we may have, or as little as we may have, it is merely temporary. We are being prepared to be taken to our eternal home by Jesus Himself.

NOTE: Full essay of this study is available by request (please email request to oldag71@yahoo.com). 

 

Joseph - the Great Reunion with His Father

 

He had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to show the way before him in Goshen, and they came into the land of Goshen. Then Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He presented himself to him and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while. Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.” Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. (Genesis 46:28–31 ESV).

 

It’s strange, but at the worst or best of times in their lives, people sometimes say, like Jacob, that they are ready to die. Earlier in his life Jacob had said he would welcome death because he had lost his favorite son, Joseph (cf. Genesis 37:35). However, though he mourned and mourned and refused to be comforted, Jacob did not die out of grief.

 

Now, reunited with Joseph and ecstatic to have this dear son in his arms again, Jacob repeats that he is ready to die. But this time, rather than grief, he expresses joy at having been reconciled to his sons, both to his son lost in slavery and to his sons who betrayed their brother.

 

Let’s note this tender moment: Joseph, so eager to see his father, orders his chariot to be prepared and races out to meet Jacob in Goshen. As soon as he arrives, Joseph wraps his arms around his aged father and weeps “for a long time.” What delirious joy! In this way, over 20 years of aching separation comes to an end.

 

Many of us have also struggled with aching separation in our lives. And the worst kind is separation from God. But that ended with the work of Christ on the cross and in the resurrection. Jesus said it this way:

 

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:1-7 ESV).

Joseph - Restoration Leads to Reward

 

When the report was heard in Pharaoh’s house, “Joseph’s brothers have come,” it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your beasts and go back to the land of Canaan, and take your father and your households, and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land.’ And you, Joseph, are commanded to say, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. Have no concern for your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’” (Genesis 45:16–20 ESV).

 

When redemption finally comes, it can surprise us with sudden blessings and delights. It’s as if there’s a cloudburst of goodness. The stream of healing renews everything along its course! We watch Joseph throw his arms around Benjamin. Then, with kisses of friendship and more weeping, he shows forgiveness to all his older brothers. And they talk with him, catching up on years of news about their families, and, of course, their father too. How sweet it is!

 

In addition, Pharaoh, whose country has been spared and even strengthened by God through Joseph, is pleased when he hears that Joseph’s brothers have come. His grateful heart pours out a cavalcade of bounty: the best of everything in Egypt suddenly becomes theirs!

 

Pharaoh also invites Joseph’s brothers to bring their father and all their families to Egypt. So, they head back to Canaan in wagons heaped with more surprises: clothing, grain, bread, provisions, and silver.

 

Can you believe that God’s blessings in abundance exist on the other side of repentance? What joy forgiveness and reconciliation can bring! It may be hard to imagine, but it’s true!

 

Joseph - Repentance that Leads to Restoration

 

So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And 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. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. And 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 tarry. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.’ And now your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him. (Genesis 45:4–15 ESV).

 

The repentant heart of Judah brings him to a beautiful conversion. In one of the most eloquent speeches in Scripture, he pleads with Joseph to accept him as a substitute—and to spare not only Benjamin but also the life of his aged father. Judah knows his father’s heart: if Jacob loses Benjamin, it could bring him to his grave in sorrow. So this once proud, now broken man sincerely offers up his life as a slave, to spare a favored son and a devoted father. What a change from the Judah who said they should sell Joseph, their father’s favorite, into slavery! Now he offers himself as a slave in place of the remaining favored brother, Benjamin.

 

Our reading today reveals a deeply emotional Joseph who finally tells his brothers his identity, forgiving them for selling him into slavery. This passage is significant in many ways. Perhaps one of the greatest of these is how Joseph sees God’s providence in using their actions to preserve life during the famine. He instructs them to bring their father, Jacob, and their families to Goshen in Egypt, for safety.

 

We should look at this carefully! Here we have another picture of the mission of Christ. This offer of Judah points to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, who, knowing the Father’s ardent love for us, took “the very nature of a servant [slave]” (Philippians 2:7) — to rescue us from our slavery to sin and wondrously to spare his Father the unbearable grief of losing us, his dear children! “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Is this not the great message of our celebration of Easter!

Joseph - Confrontation that Leads to Repentance

 

When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there. They fell before him to the ground. Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me can indeed practice divination?” And Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s servants, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found.” But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the man in whose hand the cup was found shall be my servant. But as for you, go up in peace to your father.” (Genesis 44:14–17 ESV).

 

Guilt can be priceless. This may sound strange; however, it is the call to repentance. St. Ambrose of Milan, one of the early Church Fathers wrote:

 

“But nothing causes such exceeding grief as when anyone, lying under the captivity of sin, calls to mind from where he has fallen, because he turned aside to carnal and earthly things, instead of directing his mind in the beautiful ways of the knowledge of God. So you find Adam concealing himself, when he knew that God was present and wishing to be hidden when called by God with that voice which wounded the soul of him yourself? Why are you concealed? Why do you avoid Him Whom you once longed to see? A guilty conscience is so burdensome that it punishes itself without a judge, and wishes for covering, and yet is bare before God.”

 

When we have exhausted our efforts of evasion, denial, suppression, blaming, minimizing, rationalizing, and justifying, all to avoid facing up to our sin we are left with repentance. When all the devices of our crafty hearts are used up or cast aside, the horrible reality of our own guilt meets us head-on. It is that moment we come face-to-face with our greatest need. At that eye-opening moment we face the stark, liberating truth. As an old spiritual song says, “It’s … not my father, not my mother … not my brother, not my sister … not the elder … not the preacher … but it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.” Over the years we build up a thick wall of immunity to facing our guilt; this is why redemption comes hard.

 

With great wisdom and love, Joseph confronts his brothers: “What is this you have done?” And Judah, knowing they have no other options, asks plaintively, “What can we say to my lord? … God has uncovered [our] guilt.” With cleared vision, they finally see God’s hand upon them. With their guilt exposed and bowing low, the brothers surrender. This is the moment true deliverance and restoration begins. Have you reached that moment yet? Now is the time!

 

Joseph - Another Call to Repentance

 

Then he [Joseph] commanded the steward of his house, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack, and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain.” And he did as Joseph told him. As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys. They had gone only a short distance from the city. Now Joseph said to his steward, “Up, follow after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? Is it not from this that my lord drinks, and by this that he practices divination? You have done evil in doing this.’” (Genesis 44:1-5 ESV).

 

Nothing has yet convicted the brothers to confess. Not harshness. Not imprisonment. Not returned silver. Not relentless famine. Not father Jacob’s anxiety. Not even Joseph’s lavish kindnesses. Worse, as the brothers leave Egypt, with sacks full, spirits light, and Benjamin and Simeon with them, it seems they might get away with their secret after all. But the love of God won’t let them go. Joseph’s steward comes charging after them, raising a cloud of dust. The steward, scowling, dismounts, strides over, and accuses the brothers of repaying good with evil. After all his master has done for them, how could they run off with the governor’s silver cup?

 

What a charge! The brothers are accused of treating pure goodness with thievery and deceit. Joseph has framed them again, now putting Benjamin in peril. As the old idiom declares they are between a rock and a hard place! They have a choice to make. Either leave Benjamin as a slave in Egypt and lie again to their father or confess their sin.

 

This time their response is different. They have finally had enough of running from their sin. The brothers tear their clothes and return to the city. Here they expect to face a vengeful, harsh judgement. Instead, they find a brother who is willing to forgive and restore. Is this not exactly what Jesus did for us? Is this a time for you to turn back from your rebellious ways?

 

Joseph - Kindness and Grace

 

When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and bowed down to him to the ground. And he inquired about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves. And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!” Then Joseph hurried out, for his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there. Then he washed his face and came out. And controlling himself he said, “Serve the food.” They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement. Portions were taken to them from Joseph’s table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him. (Genesis 43:26–34 ESV).

 

This portion of Joseph’s story is so poignant. We see an amazing cascade of kindnesses! Despite their anxieties about being invited to the ruler’s home for a meal at noon and fearing the worst, the brothers are inundated with hospitality! The steward assures them that he received their silver, and he suggests that God himself put treasure in their sacks. Then Simeon is released to them. The brothers also receive water to wash their feet and food for their animals.

 

On top of all that, when Joseph comes home, he speaks kindly to them instead of harshly! Joseph asks about their father, Jacob, and pronounces God’s blessing on Benjamin. Then he provides a lavish feast, with Benjamin’s portions “five times as much as anyone else’s.” The brothers’ apprehension begins to ease. They must have wondered what Joseph showed such kindness to them. They were paupers in front of the prince; they were insignificant in comparison in their minds. They had been humbled finally.

 

Then, after all this bounty from Joseph shows us a clear picture of God’s grace pouring out of his heart toward his guilty brothers. Indeed, at the sight of Benjamin, Joseph must excuse himself and find a place to weep privately. It is a love that can come only from God, Joseph showers kindnesses to thaw his brothers’ hard hearts and lead them to the point where they can finally break their guilty silence and confess their wrongdoing.

We would do well to listen to the Apostle Paul:

 

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. (Romans 2:1-5 ESV).

 

Lent is the season to look inwardly at our hearts and marvel at the kindness and grace of God in the work of Jesus on the cross! It ought to lead us to repentance just as Joseph’s kindness led his brothers to finally confess their sin and repent. Turn your heart toward Jesus today!

 

Joseph - the Dilemma of His Brothers

 

Now the famine was severe in the land. And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little food.” But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.’” Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?” They replied, “The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?” And Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice.” (Genesis 43:1–10 ESV).

 

As long as the grain from Egypt lasted, an uneasy peace settled over the tents of Jacob’s clan. But two relentless forces bore down on them: the cruel famine parched the earth, and the food supply dwindled. Before long, they would need more grain.

 

But two other mighty forces were also squeezing the hardened sons of Jacob. On one side was that stern ruler, with his unyielding demand to see their youngest brother. And on the other side was their father, who could not bear the risk of letting his “only” son go. It was a dilemma they could not avoid any longer.

 

This pressure finally reaches a crescendo, however, the brothers do not yet come clean and confess their deep secret to their father Jacob. Sinful secrets are not easily exposed. It is so hard to admit doing wrong. Judah even tries to reprimand his father, saying they could have made two round trips to Egypt by now if Jacob had not delayed them. Finally, Judah strikes a deal with Jacob, offering to take full responsibility for Benjamin. And Jacob finally relents, telling his sons to bring many gifts to “the man” in Egypt, along with double the amount of silver they found in their sacks. So the brothers hurry off to Egypt—not knowing they are finally on their way to coming clean for their sin from so long ago.

 

Is God bringing you to such a place in your hidden sin? Now is a great time to turn to Him and receive forgiveness and restoration!

 

Joseph - a Father's Intervention

 

As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.” Then Reuben said to his father, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.” (Genesis 42:35–38 ESV).

 

The story of Joseph is a constant amazement in how God works all things together for good. In our reading today we see that it was father Jacob’s turn to confront his sons. His tone might not have been as harsh as Joseph’s, but his charge was heavy: “You have deprived me of my children.” (vv. 35-36). Remember that many years earlier he had been inconsolable after hearing of Joseph’s disappearance. “All his sons and daughters” had tried “to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted” (Genesis 37:35). Joseph’s older brothers were forced each day to face a heartbroken father. Yet they kept their secret hidden. Indeed, they lied to themselves that they were honest men.

 

This is such a common theme in humanity. We are all guilty of believing our own lies if we tell them to ourselves often enough. But now God turns up the pressure. The brothers are forced to face a father whose grief is now multiplied. First it was Joseph, and now Simeon is gone, and Benjamin could be next! Jacob reminds them that Benjamin is “the only one [of Rachel’s sons] left.” This blatant favoritism may well make them bristle. The surely were thinking “the only one left… how about us, the other nine? Don’t we count?” Still, Jacob could be right! Benjamin could be taken too. Where would that leave the brothers? The pressure rises, but they still won’t crack.

 

Yet God still has more planned for their conviction. We will see them go back to Egypt and facing Joseph again the will no longer be able to avoid the truth of their sin. It I then that Joseph will declare that what they had done was indeed meant for evil, but God meant it for good! And, that is all that matters!

 

Joseph - the Gift for a Guilty Conscience

 

And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, and to replace every man’s money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them. Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed. And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of my sack!” At this their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?” When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land. But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we have never been spies. We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.’ Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I shall know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’” As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. (Genesis 42:25–35 ESV).

 

Guilt. What a gift for a seared conscience! For 20 years these men had been slinking along through life, hoping their dirty secret would never be exposed. But now, as they stopped to rest for the night, one of them opened his grain sack to feed a donkey and got the shock of his life. There lay his silver, staring him in the face. Later, back in Canaan, the jolt reverberated as each brother opened his sack with their father, Jacob, watching. Each one saw their own silver—“evidence” that could be used against them to show that they were not “honest men”!

 

When a truly guilty person wonders if some serious adversity may be a sign of God’s prodding them to repent, they may very well be on the right track. When we are truly guilty but our hearts are still hardened against coming clean, then God, who sees all we have done, may roar at us through some adversity so unnerving that we cannot help trembling. If something like that happens to us, it is a sign of God’s grace, a gift leading us back to God. It is God working good in our lives.

 

Each one of us will do well to ask ourselves honestly today, “Is there something I need to confess to God?”

 

Joseph - the Guilt of His Brothers

 

On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so. Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.” (Genesis 42:18–22 ESV).

 

In this part of Joseph’s story we are about 20 years past Joseph’s brothers selling him into slavery. However, it doesn’t take long for their sense of guilt to return when this harsh-speaking ruler in Egypt demands that one brother stay as a hostage.

 

I’m in the process of finishing an essay titled “the Chickens Always come Home to Roost.” (I will make it available when it is finished of course). The gist of the essay is underscored in our reading today. While it’s one thing to suppress a sin, it’s quite another to erase it. Guilt—even old guilt—haunts us until it is fully confessed and forgiven.

 

Perhaps this guilt is what kept the brothers from going down to Egypt in the first place. They may have been afraid that they would somehow meet Joseph and their sin would come out into the open. It took a bit of chiding from their father, telling them to do something about the lack of food, to finally pry them loose and compel them to go.

 

So, after being kept in custody for three days, and then told that one of them must stay in prison while the others bring their youngest brother, the truth finally pops out. And Joseph hears it all, though his brothers don’t realize he can understand them, for he has been using an interpreter.

 

In response, Joseph turns away and begins to weep. But it is too soon to extend mercy to his guilty brothers. Conscience pangs are a beginning, but the brothers are not yet confessing and seeking forgiveness. They had not yet learned the essential nature of repentance. We have a difficult time with that as well. While we are forgiven, our hearts are truly cleansed in the act of confession. This is a season of such action. Be free from the shame and guilt you are carrying from your hidden sins. John wrote: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 ESV).

 

Joseph - Harsh Words for His Brothers

 

Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. And he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land.” They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food. We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies.” (Genesis 42:6–11 ESV).

 

As we begin this chapter in the life of Joseph we are able to see some of the resulting good God works in the life of both Joseph and the nation of Israel. It is interesting that Joseph spoke so harshly to his brothers, who didn’t recognize him (vv. 7-8). It sems like this is the response from someone who was bent on vengeance; However, this was not Joseph’s intent, as we see from the rest of the conversation. He was giving them an opportunity to show their remorse and repentance for what they had done in selling him into slavery.

 

It is also unusual to us that Joseph did not reveal himself to his brothers. However, the rest of the story will make it clear that Joseph does not have malicious intentions. The truth is that Joseph’s brothers were not exactly ready to be reconciled with Joseph and to receive forgiveness. Joseph may well have had a forgiving spirit, but that is not the same as extending or showing forgiveness, which will often happen later in the process.

 

Further, it was important that Joseph’s brothers recognize their sin and confess it. So, Joseph came up with a plan to get them thinking about their relationship as brothers and about their brother Benjamin, who had stayed home with their father. This was a first step in a long and painful but good process of reconciliation, as the brothers hear harsh words from a stranger in a richly ornamented robe.

 

It also points us to the coming of Jesus when He was born into such humble circumstances in Bethlehem. Though the King of kings, he came as a helpless infant, birthed in a stable, surrounded by only Mary and Joseph (his earthly father), and perhaps a few animals seeking shelter from the cold night. God sent His Son to call gently to His chosen people. Often, that is how He comes to us. We should take great care not to mistake that as weakness. It is the greatest expression of grace and love!

 

Joseph - a Healing for the World

 

The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.” So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth. (Genesis 41:53–57 ESV).

 

Joseph’s story and influence have gradually shifted from a local setting in his family, to a national setting in the land of Egypt, to a much wider setting described as “all the world.” Indeed, because Joseph, with God’s wisdom, has stored up grain in Egypt against this major famine, Egypt has become the most powerful nation in the known world of its day. This famine has spread disaster in “all the other lands.” And “all the world” comes to Egypt to find food because the drought is “severe everywhere.”

 

Perhaps the most astonishing truth is in the Messianic Typology in this passage. It is painting a picture of the wondrous revelation that the entire world, facing death by starvation, can be fed with life-giving nourishment by one person. In this case it is Joseph; however, it unmistakably points us to Jesus. This story points us to Christ and his mission, appointed by God to save the world “when the set time had fully come” (Galatians 4:4). Jesus came to save us, the people of all nations, by feeding his very life into our starving souls.

 

This is a wonderful reminder, especially at this time of the liturgical calendar. We are thirteen days into the Lenten Calendar. Hopefully you are spending a bit extra time meditating on the incredible gift God provided for us in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It ought to inspire us to serve faithfully so that God can work in and through us just as he did Joseph. As Joseph’s life points to the mission of Jesus in many ways, our lives can reflect that of Jesus, the ultimate Savior and Sustainer of life. I wonder who will be brought into your path today that needs to hear their challenge is merely a means to a great good in their lives. Give hope in what seems to be hopeless; give grace, in what seems to be despair and loss. Give healing in a time when death seems so mighty. Jesus has conquered all of that an more!

 

Joseph - the Healing of God's Grace

 

Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.” The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” (Genesis 41:50–52 ESV).

 

I encountered a wonderful young lady at my church the week after my last heart catheterization. She greeted me warmly and said, “I heard you had another brush with heaven last week.” I smiled and politely said, “It wasn’t nearly that good.” That turn of the phrase may seem a bit surprising. After all, how can we talk about death using the word “good”? Well, first, let me say, it was not nearly as serious as all that; however, death is not the end. Death is but the beginning of eternity at my home even now prepared for me. This truth has come from a life experiencing the healing of God’s grace. Paul said it this way: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 ESV). There have been plenty of experiences that could result in bitterness and anger; however, I have learned these are merely momentary inconveniences in the grand life He has given me.

 

Joseph was seventeen when he was sold as a slave, and he was thirty when Pharaoh made him second in command over Egypt. Thirteen years of undeserved misery could have left deep rage and bitterness in Joseph’s heart. But Joseph was also tempered by God’s constant care, and in the end, we will see that all this was for the good of Jacob’s family.

 

When Joseph eventually encounters his brothers again, he will give them a taste of discipline and speak harshly, but eventually they will reconcile. Joseph might wish for revenge after the way they treated him, but his actions show that he does not treat them as their sins deserve (cf. Psalm 103:10). In other words, we can see that God also guides Joseph to act with grace, mercy, and wisdom. Although the memories of our hurts can have a long shelf-life, their power to foster a spirit of retaliation can be disarmed by God’s healing mercies showered on our wounded spirits.

 

In addition, Joseph is richly blessed! Bumper crops pour in, just as God predicted through Pharaoh’s dreams. Joseph also enjoys the warmth of a loving wife and the birth of children. And his sons’ names suggest that he has been healed of the wounds he endured. Egypt, once a place of suffering for Joseph, is now a land of blessing. This land in which we live may seem like a land of suffering, however, God has something far greater in store for us!