Today, we finish the story of Joseph. We’ve witnessed his many trials and his extraordinary success. It’s a fantastic story. So good, in fact, that it overshadows another story. The story of the brothers. Did you pay attention to them? They are in trouble. The death of their father, Isaac, has them worried that Joseph will now retaliate. Genesis 50:15 says, “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” They were scared. They knew their guilt, and they deserved what they had coming to them.
Here’s what I don’t understand. Joseph forgave them. Fully and openly. Joseph has no animosity; he only has love. Joseph doesn’t want revenge on his brothers; he wants to reward them. In fact, he does reward them. Genesis 45:18 promises “I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land.” They are receiving the best of the best from Joseph. So why are they now afraid? Something inside of them keeps reverting back to who they were and remembering what they deserve.
Our response to Jesus is often the same. He came to save us. He came to give us life, abundantly (John 10:10). He came to be our provision. Jesus wants to reward us. For what? For nothing. That’s the problem. I still feel guilty for what I have done, and I still feel inadequate for what I haven’t done. Why would Jesus ever want to reward me? Because he loves us. He loves us ridiculously, unreasonably and unconditionally. There’s only one catch. We have to allow Him in.