February 20 2022
Epiphany 7 February 20th 2022
Old Testament: Genesis 45:3-15 “Famine in Israel”
Psalm: Psalm 103:1-13 “So great is His steadfast love”
Epistle: 1st Corinthians 15:21-26 (27-29) 30-42 “The last enemy … death”
Gospel: Luke 6:27-38 “Love your enemies … forgive”
Sermon Text: Genesis 45:3-15 (Background from Genesis 37, 39-44)
Sermon Title: “God Sent Me”
Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Perhaps there is no more difficult statement in all of Holy Scripture than Jesus’ words at the beginning of our Gospel reading this morning. “I say to you … Love your enemies, and do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who abuse you. To the one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from the one who takes your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either”; ending with what we usually call the “Golden Rule; “as you wish others would do to you; do so to them”. (Luke 6:27-29, 31) Jesus once again speaks “hard words”.
In the Old Testament text this morning, Joseph was given an opportunity to put this into practice. You remember the background of this story, don’t you? Just to review; Joseph is the youngest of the many sons of Jacob/Israel and “because he was the son of his old age, (and also a child of his favorite wife) Israel/Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other sons”. (Genesis 37:3a) Now, parents having a favorite child is never a good idea, but it does happen quite frequently.
As the favorite son, Joseph also received special gifts such as “the robe of many colors”. (Genesis 37:3b) “But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him”. (Genesis 37:4) Evidently Joseph wasn’t too fond of them either, as he “brought a bad report of them to his father”. (Genesis 37:2b)
Then Joseph had a dream; which he shared with his brothers, that he would one day rule over all of them. Now, “they hated him even more for his dreams than for his words … and his brothers were jealous of him”. (Genesis 37:8b, 11a) The hatred between them continued to grow and one day when Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers in the field, “and as he came near to them, they conspired against him, to kill him … to throw him into one of the pits”. (Genesis 37:18b, 20a)
But when they saw a bunch of slave traders, “a caravan of Ishmaelites”, the brothers decided to make a profit, selling him into slavery for 20 shekels of silver, “and they took Joseph to Egypt”. (Genesis 37:25a, 28b) To cover up their sin against their brother, they took his coat of many colors, dipped it in animal’s blood and told their father Jacob, “a fierce animal has devoured him … and Jacob refused to be comforted”. (Genesis 37:33a, 35a) The brothers would now have to keep up this deception the rest of their lives.
Joseph was sold to Potiphar, “an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard”. (Genesis 37:36b) Genesis records many things that happened to him there. Joseph was blessed, for the Lord was with him and “he was made overseer of Potiphar’s house and was in charge of all that he had”. (Genesis 39:4b) But, when he did what was right, and refused to have an affair with Potiphar’s wife, she falsely accused him and Jospeh ended up in prison, where he spent the next two years. The Lord continued to be with him, even in prison, and He gave Joseph the ability to interpret dreams.
When Pharaoh heard of this unique ability, he called for Joseph in prison, to come and interpret his dreams. Joseph was able to tell Pharaoh what his dreams meant and he was greatly rewarded. “Pharaoh said to Joseph, since God has shown you all of this … you shall be over my house and all my people … only with regard to the throne shall you be greater than me”. (Genesis 41:40) He had gone from slave and prisoner, to 2nd in command over all of Egypt.
Because of the wisdom God gave Joseph, Egypt was able to survive “when the famine had spread to the whole land”. (Genesis 41:56a) In addition, “All the earth came to Egypt … to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth’. (Genesis 41:57) Among those who came to him for food were his own brothers, who had sold him into slavery. In the beginning, they did not recognize him, but Joseph surely recognized them.
He put his brothers to a severe test, to make sure they were not lying to him, but eventually, “Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph! Is my father still alive? But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence”. (Gensis 45:3) Of course they were dismayed; their first thought was that Joseph, being in a position of power, would use that power as an opportunity for vengeance. That would be the first thought of many of us too; would it not? It’s time to pay them back for their sins.
So, the brothers were scared when Joseph said to them, “come near to me”. (Genesis 45:4b) But instead of seeking revenge, Joseph told them, “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 severe in the land for two years … and God sent me before you to preserve a remnant on earth; to keep alive for you, many survivors”. (Genesis 45:5-7)
The Lord God was actively working, even in the sinful behavior of Joseph’s brothers. “So, it was not you who sent me here, but God has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his house”. (Genesis 45:8a) He then sends the brothers back home, and to bring his father Jacob back, and then promised to “provide for you … for there are yet five years of famine to come … so that you do not come to poverty”. (Genesis 45:11) Then Joseph, “kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked to him”. (Genesis 45:15)
After all those years, Jospeh was able to reflect on his life and to see God’s hand of providence in all of it. So, their father Jacob came to Egypt and Joseph got to spend some time with him before he died. After his death, the brothers still worried about how Joseph might treat them, and so they offered to become his servants/slaves, but he said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? 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 … so, do not fear. I will provide for you and your little ones”. (Genesis 50:19b-21a)
Jospeh could easily have played the part of a victim; certainly, his brothers and many in Egypt has sinned against him, but in his suffering, Joseph learned patience in waiting for God to act on his behalf. He also learned about forgiveness, even of his brothers; his enemies. Knowing that God had shown His mercy in dealing with him, Joseph was not (no longer) interested in seeking vengeance against his brothers; even though he had the power to do so; rather, he was free to love them and do what was best for them; to provide for them during the next five years of famine.
Joseph was putting into practice what Jesus spoke of in the Gospel today; “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you; pray for those who abuse you … as you wish others would do to you, so do to them”. (Luke 6:27-28, 31) “Be merciful, even as your Father (in heaven) is merciful … forgive and you will be forgiven”. (Luke 6:36, 37b)
As God’s forgiven people, we too, are called to put these things into practice. Of course, we cannot save ourselves or in any way contribute to our salvation by our works. “God saved us … not because of our works, byt because of His own purpose and grace”. (2nd Timothy 1:9a) Christ Jesus died and rose again that through faith in Him, we might not die eternally. We cannot do these works (love, show mercy, and forgive) without true faith in Christ, for no one is able to do any work, that is good in the eyes of God; except through faith in Christ.
But, now that we have been justified by His grace as a gift, we are able to (however imperfectly) perform these works of love for our neighbor; “which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”. (Ephesians 2:10b) The Lutheran Confessions teach that “this saving faith is bound to yield good fruits and that it ought to do the good works commanded by God” (A. C. VI, par. 1) in His holy Word.
As the Scriptures declare, “we love because He first loved us” (1st John 4:19); even our enemies. We forgive as we have been forgiven; not holding grudges; which is dangerous to our own souls, as Jesus said “forgive as you have been forgiven”. (Luke 6:37b) We do not seek vengeance, waiting for the opportunity to pay back those who have sinned against us; for the Lord declared “Vengeance is mine, I will repay”. (Deuteronomy 32:35a) Rather, we strive to show mercy, even to “the ungrateful and the evil”, (Luke 6:35b) because our Father in heaven is (has been) merciful towards us. Amen.
The peace of God …