It's Still Difficult

Genesis 50:15-21

Joseph has already assured his brothers that they have nothing to fear from him, that God was at work in their plans. With Jacob gone, however, they imagine the worst. Guilt does that kind of thing.

In the course of that little drama being played out before Joseph, the dream that started all this finds the other end of the arc over the whole story. The brothers throw themselves down before Joseph (recall 37:5-11).

The evoking of the dream controlling the narrative also points to the resolution of the guilt question. The one who was wronged has the power to grant the forgiveness, but Joseph isn’t interested in that power; he points to God. Joseph doesn’t want to dwell on the guilt at all, nor to the dream as something to lord over them. They are all part of God’s dream, God’s plan. The question running through the whole saga is whether there will be death or there will be life. God has shown he is for life.

A kind of footnote question: But why is it all so hard? That remains a real question for those who believe in God’s plan in things, and believe they are participating in God’s vision for things, but find the way difficult to the point of utter discouragement. I would not provide an explanation; that is beyond me, and I struggle with this myself. So together we would just keep returning to what we find in God’s story. Within that story, the Joseph story is filled with pain, but there is this over-arching, controlling dream.

I would say it is still the case that without the dream, the pain would indeed be unbearable. But without the pain, the dream would run the risk of being romanticized and we would lose the capacity to connect with the world we are called to reach.

We live a dream, not a fairy tale.

Prayer:
God, let us minister to one another in the reality of this journey, trusting in the dream you share with us, which is bigger than our frustrations, worries, and way bigger than the guilt that debilitates - either ours or what we impute to others. You are able, and you make us able. Through Christ. Amen.

Tomorrow: The conclusion of our walk through Genesis, and some thoughts about what’s next.