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“And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it.” Genesis 45:2, NRSV

When Joseph is finally revealing his identity to his brothers, he weeps uncontrollably. We can imagine tears for the years lost, for being brought together, for the unreconciled wrong between them, for the grief and pain about what has transpired and for the raw, ragged emotion of the whole situation. Maybe he did not even know that he had such tears to come forth. He wept upon his brother, Benjamin, and he kissed and wept upon all of his brothers.

It’s interesting that we are never told that the brothers weep. They are dismayed. Finally they speak. But we are not told of weeping or kissing on their part. We are really not even given a good apology scene. The story marches ahead with plans for Jacob’s family to relocate to Egypt. We don’t see tears and wailing on the part of the brothers. Does their guilt hold them back? Are they so wracked with regret that they have become expert at keeping their feelings down?

This makes me wonder about crying. When do we cry? How much do we cry? When has there been sobbing and wailing? Uncontrollable grief? The way Joseph’s crying is portrayed, we see that this reconnection and reconciliation is momentous and made even more poignant by the complete surprise involved. Surely Joseph never expected to see his brothers again. And the feelings are overwhelming. I am wondering when we let ourselves be overwhelmed by our feelings. When we just let it out.

The brothers, the guilty ones, seem more reserved, more hesitant, more stoic. Does guilt stifle feelings of grief and tears? Does regret lead to stuffing feelings for self preservation? Maybe there are things we need to let surface this Lenten season.

Prayer
Tears are a gift that help us to know our hearts. We are told that even Jesus wept. Crying is not weak, it is human. May we not be afraid of the tears that are evidence of our full humanity. Amen.

“When Pharaoh calls you, and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our ancestors’ – in order that you may settle in the land of Goshen, because all shepherds are abhorrent to the Egyptians.” Genesis 46:33-34

As Joseph plans for his brothers and family to settle in Egypt, they have to work around a problem. The Egyptians don’t like sheep and shepherds, and Joseph’s family are shepherds with extensive flocks. So the family settles in Goshen, outside the capital, in an outlying area, where they won’t be disturbed by the prejudice of the Egyptians. So, even back in those days, new ethnic groups settled in ghettos, off by themselves, for protection and solidarity.

We are also told that the Egyptians would not eat with Joseph’s family for that was abhorrent to them. The Egyptians let the Hebrews come and stay in Egypt, but they are clearly not fully accepted or welcomed. Later, under a different Pharaoh, the Hebrews are forced to work as slaves.

In today’s world, we know intellectually that there are no justifiable reasons for this kind of division and bigotry. And we know that separate means unequal. Thousands of years have gone by since the time of the story of Joseph in Egypt and yet the same issues face humanity. We wonder when we will choose to move beyond these divisions and prejudices. When will we truly accept that in God’s eyes, there is but one race, the human race. And its diversity is vast and amazing. Something to embrace and be enriched by, not something to fear.

If anything, in America at this time the problems of ethnocentrism and classism seem to be increasing not decreasing. People publicly demonstrate against a homeless shelter in their area, or a half way house of some kind, before you even get to a different ethnic group, skin color, or a community of legal refugees.

Our Christian faith teaches us that everyone is our neighbor and we are to love our neighbor. That means we are to work for the well being of our neighbor. Today, with the migration of populations which will continue to increase, we are needed to speak up and welcome all. Lent would be a good time to befriend someone who is different from you in some way.

Prayer
God is beyond our knowing and beyond our imagining. A hint of the amazing creativity of God can be seen in the vast diversity of the human population. May we see this diversity as a divine gift and appreciate it. Amen.

“Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, ‘Send everyone away from me.’ So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.” Genesis 45:1

After Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt, he sends them home, with grain, and without one brother. Unbeknownst to them, he also sends their money home with them that they brought to pay for the grain. Later they go back to Egypt bringing the youngest brother and the money from the first go round as well as more money and gifts. And Joseph sends them back with grain, with their money, and with a goblet planted in the pack of the youngest brother. Then a guard goes after them and confronts them about the cup. They all return to Joseph and Judah offers to remain in place of his younger brother. Finally, Joseph reveals his identity and everything is exposed.

All these machinations. The return of the money. The insistence on seeing the younger brother. The planting of the cup. Somehow Joseph seems to be ensuring that the brothers are beholden to him. That they are in his debt. That he has intimidated them so that he has the upper hand. Why would he bother with all of this. Why did he not just reveal his identity to his brothers when they first came to Egypt? One reason I think is that he wanted some time to think things over. But I think that he goes through all the other machinations to get them in his debt and under his power because he is afraid that they still hate him and that they will not receive him and reconcile with him unless he has some leverage over them. So he gains that leverage. Later we learn that they have the same fear: That he only reconciled with them because of the father, but once the father is gone, he will no longer have any sympathy for them. And they are all wrong. The brothers and Joseph are all sincerely repentant and desirous of undoing the wrong that has been done.

I think we, too, let fear bind us when we are having difficulty in a relationship. We think we need to protect ourselves from the hostility of the other; hostility which may not even exist. We presume this for self protection. We know how to put up a screen of defensiveness, of protection, keeping another at bay trying to prevent ourselves from being hurt. But that attitude may also prevent the healing of the relationship. The wall we put up for protection may also become a wall of division, a rift, an ending of contact.

Lent is a time to think about how we are assuming the hostility and animosity of others which may not even be there. We can also reflect on how others may be defending themselves against perceived hostility from us.

Prayer
We are called to be honest and wholehearted. This also makes us vulnerable. Vulnerability can lead to intimacy and beautiful friendships and connections. It can also lead to hurt and pain. May we take the risk to be truly honest with ourselves and others. Amen.

“Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, ‘Send everyone away from me.’ So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 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.” Genesis 45: 1-3, NRSV

In the story of Joseph, we are told that Joseph is favored by his father. We are told of the lies the brothers tell the father about Joseph’s death. We hear about how the father sends the brothers to get food from Egypt. The father continues to direct the negotiations between the brothers and Pharaoh. In the scene when Joseph finally discloses his identity to his brothers, he asks about his father. Didn’t Joseph have a mother? What about the mother?

This story comes from a time when men were the main players, men told the stories, and men wrote the stories. It was a man’s world. That was a cultural dimension of the presentation of the religious tradition that we have inherited. It is not part of the core of our faith. Male dominance is not a core value of Christianity. Yet many expressions of Christianity have treated male dominance as a core teaching of Christianity instead of part of the cultural context in which Christianity emerged.

We see this merging of patriarchy and Christianity in the treatment of women in the church and the limitations placed on women’s leadership in the church, especially around the ordination of women. The fact that the church has held on to this archaic aspect of middle eastern culture which is not central to Christian beliefs has harmed the church and society. The church perpetuating patriarchy has contributed to the society perpetuating patriarchy, which is why women don’t have pay equity with men, and they don’t have full decision making power over their bodies, and they don’t have equal treatment in many things in society.

We can look at the story of Joseph and be stirred by the best and worst of the human spirit in the story. We can be moved by the spirit of God at work in the story and the fruits that are borne by faith. We can also reflect on the story and see it’s cultural context and know that the mother is left out of this story. It is an issue of cultural context. And a reminder that in our cultural context, because of our Christian faith and values, we cannot accept male dominance and the subjugation of women.

Prayer
May we have the discernment to see our faith heritage for what it is. May we always be aware of the interplay of culture and religion. May we work to perpetuate the values of Jesus in our context even when that means challenging what has long been accepted. Amen.

“Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, ‘What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong what we did to him?’” Genesis 50:15

Decades after Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, they have encountered him in Egypt. Joseph has disclosed his identity to them. He has given them food to save their lives and invited them and all of their families to come live in Egypt. Joseph’s family have been living in Goshen, raising sheep, in Joseph’s backyard, for years.

Then the father, Jacob, dies in Egypt. And the brothers are afraid that now their brother, Joseph, will turn on them. They are worried and try to come up with a way to gain assurance that he is not harboring a grudge against them.

Once his family has moved to Egypt, Joseph is completely supportive of his family. He has given them no reason to question his sincerity. Why are they so worried about this? I think it is guilt. They still feel guilty about what they did. They are still worrying about it. They are still not out from under their shame and guilt.

When people do something hateful and harmful, there are consequences. Not just immediate consequences to the people involved, but often long term consequences. These consequences are not just to victims but also to perpetrators. Guilt, shame, and regret can linger and fester. This is certainly the case with Joseph’s brothers.

Last year, I was called to jury duty. I ended up spending the day with more than 60 others being considered as potential jurors for a capital case. The judge explained everything and we were questioned one by one about various things. One question was whether or not we could vote for the death penalty in the punishment phase of the trial. There were four of us out of over 60 that said we could not vote for the death penalty. I found this astounding. Here I was sitting in the “pews” in the courtroom with all these other people who were willing to be party to killing someone. They were willing to take responsibility for putting someone to death. I was horrified. I would be tormented the rest of my life knowing that I was part of a process that led to someone being killed. I don’t think I could go through a day without thinking about it. It would haunt me.

We should keep this in mind when we entertain thoughts of doing things that are immoral, hurtful, vengeful, or violent. We should think about residual guilt before we cheat on a test or cheat on a spouse. We should think about guilt when we think about cheating on taxes, stealing something, or saying something damaging and hurtful to someone. We may think that taking revenge or expressing hostility, we will get it out of our system. But we also need to think about the guilt and regret that may very well remain with us.

Prayer
We know that God is all forgiving. We have seen this in Jesus.  May we see the dangerous power of guilt and how it eats away at us.  May we prevent this guilt by following Jesus and may we follow his example of forgiveness when it is needed – for ourselves and others.  Amen.