"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32 NIV)
This morning I am taken aback by Joseph’s ability to forgive and bless his offenders long before they confess and make amends.
By Genesis 43, the brothers had spent a full year in fear of their return trip to Egypt. They waited until the food was all but gone because they knew Zapheneth-Paneah (Joseph) required the presence of the youngest brother the next time they approached the throne. Things in Canaan got quite desperate before Jacob finally released his hold on his youngest favored son.
Resist the tendency to read scripture solely for facts. Instead, sit in the emotions of such an arduous journey. Consider the apprehension in each step, the brothers heavy-laden with their double payment of silver and dread. They knew they had wronged this foreign power, but they couldn’t quite put their finger on how.
The brothers arrived in Joseph’s chamber and they were immediately scurried away to his house. Their imaginations must have run wild with fear, they say as much in verse 18: “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back in our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.”
Wow, that rhetoric sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Attack, overpower, seize and take. Isn’t that exactly what they had done to young Joseph four chapters and twenty year earlier? Joseph’s brothers expected the worst because they had done the worst. I suspect they had lived the last twenty years waiting for the other shoe to drop.
But Joseph, instead, takes us all by surprise. He may have been caught off guard the first time his brother’s showed up in his jurisdiction, but he knew they’d be back. The famine was severe and only a few years in, Jacob’s sons had no choice but to boomerang between Canaan and Egypt.
"The steward took the men into Joseph's house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys." (Genesis 43:24 NIV)
It’s remarkable that Joseph didn’t spend the stretch between his brother’s visits plotting revenge. Instead, he painstakingly plotted a course for kindness. In his idle hours, he dreamt up ways to bless his estranged siblings. When they show up on scene again, his hospitality is quite stunning. He squirreled them away to his house, killed the fatted calf, washed their feet and foddered their donkeys — all before they confess any kind of wrongdoing.
Joseph has long been heralded as a type of Christ because of his laid down life for the salvation of his people. Today I see this reality in a whole new light; Joseph was Christlike first and foremost through his ludicrous kindness toward his offenders. He was able to forgive and bless long before his transgressors were even willing to admit their offense: to God or each other. We could even say his kindness led them to repentance. It reads like Joseph gained the heart of God in his waiting room.
"....God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance." (Romans 2:4 NIV)
I’m convicted anew. How do I handle my transgressors? Am I ready and willing to bless them with grace? Which potential brother or sister in Christ can I welcome back in kindness? How can I portray Christ in the pages of my own story?
I’ve posted these steps to forgiveness before. They were hard-fought for in a season of serious offense and certainly not yet a practice I’ve mastered. Still, they regularly resurface in my life because walking with fallen people produces pain on a daily basis. I’ve found these methods to be both true and helpful. I pray they bless you, too.
Lord, please forgive us for our challenges in forgiveness. It’s a shame, really. What we receive so readily, we struggle to extend to others. Open our hands and our hearts. Walk us through the steps of forgiveness. Show us how to plot a course for kindness when our ‘enemies’ turn up on our porch. Let our grace and love make room for repentance. May Your character be formed in us as we practice the Kingdom principles. Amen.