Family Reunion..The Impossible Dream

As Joseph sat around the long table laden with food, he could barely contain himself. The excitement of having all of his eleven brothers sitting around the palace table was overwhelming. Joseph was unsure how much longer he could keep his identity from them. He had come face-to-face with them several weeks ago when his brothers had come to buy grain. Joseph had swung between relief and heartbreak that they did not recognize him. As Joseph had waited for their return, bringing their youngest brother Benjamin with them (as he had instructed), he had been tempted to go down into the palace prison. This is where Joseph had held his older brother Simeon hostage until the other brothers had returned. 

Many times Joseph had crept down the palace stairs to Simeon’s chamber, tempted to open the cell door and blurt out his identity in their native tongue to  Simeon, but slowly the emotion would pass. Joseph prayed and was comforted that there would be a better time for the revelation of his identity when the rest of his brothers returned. Now, here they are, all together right under his nose, and none the wiser. Joseph smiled to himself and had snickered when the brothers had discussed how odd it was that they were seated by age at the table. Of course, they had no idea that their Royal Egyptian host understood and spoke Hebrew. Joseph excused himself momentarily, and went to the outside chamber where he wept warm salty tears after studying his baby brother Benjamin’s face. Pulling himself together, Joseph returned to the table with resolve about the next step in his plan. He had instructed his servant to place a silver goblet inside Benjamin’s grain sack and to tell no one. As the men at the table stood to leave, Joseph bid them farewell and hurried off to send his servants to follow his brothers. 

As Judah, Benjamin and the other brothers mounted their donkeys, Joseph’s assistant stopped and said, “There has been a robbery! My Masters personal silver cup went missing right about the time you left. We must search through your belongings.” The men were afraid and argued that they were men of honor. However, when Benjamin’s sack was opened, there lay the cup. The Palace official arrested Benjamin but the other brothers insisted they could not leave without Benjamin. So all of the brothers returned to the palace where Joseph was waiting “What have you done?” inquired Joseph. “This is how you repay my kindness? Do you not realize a man of my standing can interpret dreams and signs.?! I can recognize thieves!” (Genesis 44:1-17)

Judah stepped forward as the oldest and spoke on all the brothers behalf. “We can not return to our homeland without Benjamin. We will be your slaves but if Benjamin does not return, our aged father will surely die. Benjamin is the youngest and our father is deeply attached to him. He and his older brother, Joseph. were born of Rachel, my father’s  beloved wife. Our father, Jacob, has spent a lifetime grieving Joseph’s death, the loss of Benjamin will be too great for him to bear. Take me instead!” (Genesis 44:18-34)

Joseph could feel the crack of the emotional wall deep inside him that had begun construction on the day these brothers had thrown him in the well. Joseph cried out to his servants”OUT! Everybody Out!” (Genesis 45: 1-2). The servants scrambled and scurried away for they had never seen their master, Joseph in such a state. At this moment, Joseph began to weep and wail so loudly that many outside the chamber could hear. Joseph managed to tell Judah and the others between sobs, “It’s me, Joseph. I am, your brother!”  Judah and Simeon and the others stepped back riddled with fear, frozen in disbelief. “Come closer, see for yourself. It is me. Joseph, the boy you sold. I have been here so long and been through so much that I have seen God’s hand at work. Don’t feel guilty. Forgive yourselves for what has happened. Your motives were evil but God meant it for good. God has placed me in charge to feed you and our people during this famine. This was Gods’ amazing plan all the time! You must return home and tell my father, Jacob , I am alive, and  that I am Master over all the land of Egypt. Tell him he must come here and bring our family. This way he and all of you will be protected and provided for.” (Genesi 45:3-8)

When Joseph was done speaking, the room was silent. He descended the steps from his throne and reached Benjamin first. Both brothers hugged each other fiercely, sobbing as Joseph inhaled the scent of Benjamins’ cloak and all the memories of home it evoked. Joseph turned to the rest and met each brothers’ embrace, kissing their neck and assuring them of his love, forgiveness and joy at being reunited with them. When the emotional tension had broken, and the tears had dried, the chamber became full of the chatter and noise of 12 brothers who all began to talk at the same time. Much as in the carefree days of their youthful life before the caravan had come and carried the dreamer away. 

Let me just say, who doesn’t love happy endings? Though I have paraphrased the encounter, it can be read in its’ entirety in chapters 43 though 46 in the book of Genesis. The focus of these chapters paint a personal emotional picture, full of enough family dynamics to produce a blockbuster captivating film. However, I am reminded that this picture is painted on the canvas of a loving provisional sovereign God still at work. Though God’s name is mentioned only but a few times in these chapters, His divine presence and signature are all over it.

When I consider Joseph and all he has been through, I know it is only through the love and power of God’s forgiveness that he was able to move on. This is still true for all of us. Family wounds, deep family wounds require a lot of understanding, counsel and forgiveness. This doesn’t mean that they are forgotten. God did not put that divine expectation upon the frail human mind. The scriptures say that God is able to forgive our sins and cast them into the sea of forgetfulness (Micah 7:19). This doesn’t mean God literally forgets, as in that His memory is finite. It means, out of His great love for us, He chooses not to hold our wrongs against us. In this fashion, I am called to embrace forgiveness. As I do this more and more, I choose not to replay the hurtful wrong like a broken record playing in the back of my mind. This choice leads me down the path of forgetfulness, in that the hurt and bitterness of past wounds do not remain in the forefront of my mind and existence. 

Joseph could have easily continued to replay and entertain all the wrong and injustices he has endured, but he opted to trust God to work it out and made the most of the opportunity before him. I recognize that sometimes I have missed moving forward with God because I won’t let go of the past. Bitterness is a poisonous seed and once it is planted. and watered, it can blossom into a life like kudzu grows in the south. Not only is Joseph not bitter, I can’t miss the fact that he is thorough. The scriptures reveal Joseph went to each and every brother (Gen 45:15). Think of the brood of 10 brothers that participated in his capture and sale. Don’t you think there were some of the 10 who were ring leaders, some who were more passive? Certainly we see that Reuben intervened and prevented the others from killing Joseph. It would be easy to see how in a group situation, Joseph could issue some kind of a corporate blanket forgiveness without personally addressing every single culprit in the group. But Joseph doesn’t take shortcuts. He kisses every brother, hugs them. He restores them individually. I love how that the scriptures state, ”After this, Joseph’s brothers were able to talk freely with him”(Gen 45:15). 

The power of forgiveness and restoration go together like peanut butter and jelly. Forgiveness is like peanut butter. It’s the substance, the protein that makes the sandwich nutritional and hearty. But, oh the jelly is the restoration. Sweet, pleasant and it is the taste that lingers after the sandwich has been eaten. Restoration expresses itself through joyous fellowship and laughter. There is nothing as sweet as making up with a friend or family member after a quarrel  or a grudge match. I have experienced this from time-to-time, especially in ministry.  Of course, there are disagreements among God’s community of faith. We are like folks who choose to live outside the faith. We get hurt, we get angry, we may even experience betrayal. It’s not how we are hurt that is so different, but how we as followers of Christ make up and resolve our troubles with each other. We are not just to forgive and forget, but we are called to restore. Of course, there are mentally abusive, physically violent situations that limit the restoration process. But in these painful devastating situations, God’s forgiveness and comfort will restore us to Him and help us to move on to relate to others. At these intersections of life, we must leave our offenders in God’s hands.This is what Joseph modeled in his life. Though the wound was there, Joseph patiently waited for God to work it out and embraced the new relationships God moved into his life. Joseph’s forgiveness is so thorough that he doesn’t use the power he  has within reach to avenge his own cause. Joseph is ruler over all of Egypt. These  brothers of his could disappear with one command. The birds could have ravaged their bones in the desert sun,.or they could have been taken to the palace prison where Joseph spent 10 years. Maybe just a few years of hard labor for them might make Joseph feel a little better. But Joseph’s arrogant adolescent temperament has been refined by God and Joseph chooses the more excellent way. Though it is within his power to repay, he doesn’t. I believe this is the mark of spiritual maturity in a believer’s life. Sometimes I don’t often pursue revenge, not because of my great character and forgiveness, but simply because repayment is out of my control and reach. How much greater to submit any control or reach I might have to God rather than avenge myself and repay my enemies  The blessing of honoring God with His plan for justice is a healing balm for my own soul. as well as the souls of others’

Now  as I said we all love happy endings. It is hard to hang onto this belief in the culture that we live in.The jaded perspective that nice guys finish last and only the evil prosper saturates our  outlook. I made a commitment a long time ago to try to limit my exposure to media productions that are filled with unresolved conflict. That is not entertainment to me. If I want that experience, I will watch the news. I love that Joseph and his brothers all made up, they  all went back and picked up their Dad and their duds and moved to Goshen in Egypt . The reunion between Jacob and his son Joseph is one of the most moving reunions in the bible. It reminds me there is a glad reunion  in my future. 

Someday, I will come face-to-face with Christ. My redeemer and my friend  who is  closer than a brother (Prov 18:24). I will be reunited with my parents, grandparents. my brother and a host of other friends and family who have gone ahead of me. I have a journal with all the names of those(including my dogs) that have died that will be there to welcome me to heaven. I keep the list not as a morbid reminder of what I have lost but as an exciting itinerary of what is waiting for me. Any unresolved hurt or conflict I might have will disappear ;like a vapor. they will cease to be important. The title of the journal is “The Welcome Committee.” A joyful reunion awaits all who put their trust in Christ and that no matter the loss, no matter how disappointing earthly dreams can be at times. Heaven is the ultimate reality.

I encourage you to go on read the rest of Joseph’s story in the following chapters of Genesis 46 and beyond and see how God blessed the nation of Israel.

This 5 o’clock worker will be taking the month of August off to vacation, and emphasize other ministries that I am involved with. I will return to the vineyard where the 5 o’clock worker will start the series “The Chosen Life”. 

Sharon Bundo