Lunch with Joseph
(Genesis 43:1-45:28)
1. “When I was a kid, my dad and I were driving somewhere on a nice, sunny afternoon…. My window was rolled down. The town we live in isn’t known to be a destination for celebs of any kind. We pull up to a light; we’re the second car from the front. A polished limo pulls up next to us, and the window rolls down. A man pops his head out and waves to get our attention.”
“It’s William Shatner. All smiles, he asks us for directions to a hotel downtown. My dad, a Trekkie, plays it cool and gives him solid directions. Shatner thanks us, gives me a wink and sits back in his seat. He says to the other people in the limo, ‘Stay on this road for a while.’”
This account was headlined, “He can pilot a starship, but he still needs directions.” [urbo.com]
2. The sons of Jacob were about to share a meal with the second most powerful man on earth, Egypt’s prime minister, the grand vizier. They did not know it was their brother.
3. This meal was part of a test and a larger plan for reconciliation and evacuation.
Main Idea: It is a lot easier to forgive someone who has hurt you deeply when you are convinced that they have pondered the gravity of their wrong-doing.
I. This Story of Reconciliation is Written in INVERTED Parallelism (chiasm).
A. Jacob sends his sons back to Egypt with FEAR (43:1-14).
1. The family grew worse and the grain gone.
2. For them to return to Egypt, they would be forced to take Benjamin.
3. Jacob scolded them some more for telling “the man” (Joseph) about him.
4. Judah promises to take responsibility for Benjamin’s welfare; remember, it was Judah who had proposed selling Joseph as a slave.
5. Jacob realizes they have no choice; he instructs them to return the money and bring more, and to send “the man” some of the unique products of the land (balm, honey).
B. They arrive in Egypt and deal with OFFICIALS (43:15-25).
1. When Joseph catches a glimpse of them, he has his servants bring them to his house for a large meal.
2. The brothers were afraid they were being called to be made into slaves for taking $.
3. They please their case with the servant, he tells them not to worry; they received $.
4. Simeon is released from prison and joins them.
C. The brothers DINE with Joseph (43:26-34).
1. Jacob was going to test his brothers, to see if they had learned and changed.
2. When he sees Benjamin, however, he was about to lose it & retreated.
3. Joseph sees to it that Benjamin’s portion is five times as large – perhaps a test to see if his brother were jealous.
4. The brothers had been humbled and apparently had moved beyond that.
D. Center Point: The brothers are framed and demonstrate that they are no longer only about THEMSELVES (44:1-13).
1. Joseph ordered their sacks were filled with grain and their money again.
2. Joseph had his steward hide his silver cup into Benjamin's sack.
3. The steward catches up to them and searches for the cup – found in B’s sack!
Joseph had been elevated by Potiphar and then framed by Potiphar’s wife; now his brothers would know how it felt. They had a wonderful reception with Joseph, and now they are falsely accused and in trouble.
C’. Joseph DISCLOSES who he is (44:14- 45:15).
1. Judah did not try to deny that Benjamin had stolen the cup.
2. Instead, he said that God was punishing them for a previously committed sin.
3. Joseph offers them all freedom except for Benjamin.
4. Judah explains the condition of his father, and how he had promised to guarantee Benjamin’s safety.
5. He begs Joseph to take him, Judah, as a slave in Benjamin’s stead, with a long, emotional speech.
6. Twenty years earlier, they were heartless about Joseph, and it was Judah who suggested selling him as a slave. Now Judah is willing to become a slave to prevent Benjamin from suffering that fate.
7. Joseph cannot take it anymore: he shocks his brothers with an announcement: I am Joseph!!! They were speechless as Joseph began sobbing.
8. His brothers would be fearful of Joseph for a long time; they had trouble believing he had forgiven him.
9. Let me read to you Joseph’s response: Read aloud 45:4-8.
10. Genesis 50:20, “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…”
11. He is eager to see his father and cannot wait for him to come down to Egypt.
B’. The brothers DEPART from Egypt with officials blessing them (45:16-24).
The Pharaoh invites them, sends empty wagons and donkeys to help them move, and offers them pastureland in the Land of Goshen.
A’. Jacob receives his sons back with JOY (45:25-28).
• He is eager to see his son, Joseph, who he thought had died twenty years earlier.
II. Reconciliation is Easier for Us All if We Are Convinced that the Offender Has Taken His/Her Wrong-doings SERIOUSLY.
A. We may not be in the position of Joseph to TEST the sincerity of those who are repentant, but we can still OBSERVE.
Matthew 3:7-10, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
B. It was important for Judah and Simeon to see for themselves how they had CHANGED. It wasn’t all just for Joseph.
C. God can sometimes use broken relationships to work a GREATER good, in time.
1. There is purpose in suffering; for Joseph and for his brothers.
2. Forgiving and being forgiven is a big, important part of the Christian life. There is a reason this is in the one prayer Jesus taught His disciples to pray.
3. We can forgive or be forgiven, even after decades since the wrong was done.
D. Joseph and his brothers NEEDED one another, they just did not realize it; so we may need others with whom we are currently unreconciled.
• People get along better if there is a crisis and they must work together.
• Church conflicts, for example, often arise because someone has lost focus on the main things, the important things – and amplified their pet-peeve area.
• Truly solid believers – solid doctrinally, ethically, morally – are becoming fewer and further between. We need to work harder at getting along with one another.
E. Emotional pain and even guilt can humble our ARROGANT pride.
F. The test of genuine repentance is this: given the same CIRCUMSTANCES, would you do the same thing?
G. Sometimes the guilty party, though forgiven, has the hardest time ACCEPTING forgiveness.
H. Forgiveness is the bridge we must all cross; if you have a hard time forgiving others, how can you expect others to forgive YOU?
I. Forgiving a repentant wrong-doer – or being forgiven when we repent – wonderfully illustrate what GRACE looks like. If you are not eager to forgive, you are not GRACIOUS.
