Genesis 45:3-11, 15 (NRSV)
Read Genesis 45:3-11, 15 on biblegateway.com
Verse 3Joseph 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. Verse 4Then 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. Verse 5And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. Verse 6For 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. Verse 7God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. Verse 8So 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. Verse 9Hurry 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. Verse 10You 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. Verse 11I 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.' Verse 15And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.
Devotion
Unlike Joseph, I have no brothers. Three older sisters. My sisters’ family bathroom was upstairs with Mom. Dad and I shared a shower, sink, and toilet in the basement. This is where Dad taught me to shave, wear a jockstrap and a cup, and tend to my vulnerable body while respecting the vulnerability of another.
Imagine Joseph revealing himself to his brothers. Joseph clears the Egyptian court, turns it into a locker room, and invites his brothers “Come closer.” Joseph reveals himself to them—reveals their tribal rite: circumcision. They are boys, again. Memories of bragging, dreams of status, and performing “feats of strength” for the old man. Old Jake was quite a wrestler back in the day. Joseph’s amazing, technicolor, letterman’s jacket was supposed to end that. Torn, dipped in goat’s blood, his vengeful brothers bring the jacket to Dad. No more Friday Night Lights.
Decades later, disrobed and vulnerable, Joseph fumbles to re-tie his drawstring. His first, faltering question still echoes off the locker room walls, “Is my father still alive?”
Prayer
Dear heavenly Father, wise Mother, loving Parent, in your vulnerability, your family story becomes our story. Heal our tales of sibling rivalry. Redeem our old list of jealous dreams, stolen cups, and shady deals with wandering Ishmaelites. In your dying, we are reborn. In your vulnerability, our fathers are still alive, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Interested in digging deeper into today’s text?
Read more here.