Reading through the passages in
the Bible about Joseph’s life is like reading about a family I might know or
even my own family. The usual sibling rivalry – the squabbles, jealousy,
favoritism – is present and it didn’t just happen during Joseph’s time, it
happens even today. Joseph and his eleven brothers did not get along so well
because aside from being such a large brood, most of them connived to do
something evil to him. They seemed to have ganged up against him because he was
their father’s favorite son. If you were the apple of your parent’s eye, you’d
probably feel proud and look down upon your other siblings; or you can be the
one who gets away with every mischief and wrongdoing simply because you were
the favorite. But this was not the case with Joseph. He is depicted as an
almost perfect son – he was obedient, hardworking, God-fearing, and respectful.
He loved his family – every single one of them.
As
I read through what Joseph experienced at the hands of his brothers, I really
couldn’t imagine how a brother or sister can do that to his or her sibling. To
sell a brother into slavery? To be rid of your sibling and break the heart of
your father by telling him his favorite son was dead? It’s just beyond “cruel”.
But his brothers did it. For us who are reading his story, we might think that
it’s unfair for all those to happen to Joseph because he was faithful to God.
Not only did he suffer from what his brothers did, even when he was working
hard and earning his wages honestly, the Pharaoh’s wife got him in trouble. He
was thrown into prison yet he still made something good out of the situation by
using his God-given talents to help his fellow prisoners by interpreting their
dreams. Even those whom he helped forgot about him. At this point in his life,
it would seem that all was lost for him. But we see that Joseph steadfastly
held on to his faith in God, he never gave up, he kept hoping that one day, all
will be made right. And indeed, his faith was rewarded.
In the context
of dealing with our family members we have different standards than the ones we
set for dealing with our friends. When we deal with our friends, it is much
easier for us to reconcile with them or sometimes, we don’t even bother to
reconcile and just move on. When it comes to our family, it is much harder to
ignore them – they’re family. When I was younger, reconciling with my siblings
after a fight was so much easier, but as I grew older, I realized that it
becomes more difficult to reconcile with them because we have somehow developed
a sense of dignity and regard for self that our pride gets in the way. As
little girls, when my sisters and I had fights, we made up in less than 10
minutes – sisters can’t stand not talking with each other for a long time
because there’s just so much important stuff to tell the others. As we grew
older, it took longer and longer for us to reconcile; maybe because we had more
things to attend to– school requirements, time spent with friends, parties to
attend, dates with a boyfriend – so, we can put the reconciliation moment on
hold for as long as we liked. At least, it was like this for my sisters and I.
In Joseph’s case, he waited for years, before he got a chance at reconciling
with his brothers. In all those years, if I were Joseph, I would have thought
of a million different ways to get back at those who did me wrong – especially
now that he was a high ranking official in Egypt. He could do as he pleased.
But we read that Joseph never held a grudge against his family. In fact, he was
looking forward to their reunion and favored them in what they were seeking –
food and provisions as there was a famine in the land. He gave them food and
returned the silver coins that were supposed to be their payment. This is a
great example of showing grace – bestowing upon his brothers a gift they did
not deserve. After everything that Joseph went through, I am sure that it would
have been easy for him to just be bitter and use his position to take revenge,
but no, he chose to show love to a family that betrayed him. It is an amazing
story of grace, forgiveness, and reconciliation even in the midst of all the
circumstances that brought Joseph to where he was. His unwavering faith in God,
his belief that God was at work and everything will turn out for the best
because all that was happening was part
of God’s plan, made it possible for him to respond the way he did. Sometimes,
when others have wronged me, I tend to react and not respond. As the saying
goes “hurting people hurt other people”. There are times when I don’t think
through my actions and words, I just react, and make an even bigger damage in
the relationship. I realized that while it is very hard to respond in the way
God wants me to, it is possible through God’s help. I cannot do it on my own,
my impulse will always be to take revenge, tit for tat, but I learned also that
holding back honors God. I am inspired by how Joseph treated his brothers after
all that they had done to him – I pray I can be like him, especially towards my
siblings.
