GOSPEL DELTA

Joseph and Jesus

// February 12th, 2010 // Affection

My heart is moved when I read the story of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis 37-50. What a beautiful picture of Christ. Like Joseph’s brothers, we all have done wrong against our “Brother” Jesus. It was our sin that took him to the Cross, and held him there in agony. It was our jealousy of his status that caused us to rebel against him. And yet… he loves us, he saves us from spiritual famine, he reconciles us to himself, he mediates blessing upon blessing to us, his ill-deserving brothers. Not only that, He instills in our consciences a sense of guilt and shame for our wrong-doing, and in ways we sometimes don’t understand, he brings us through a spiritual desert and surprises us with a feast at his own table. There he washes our feet, restores our spirits, and weeps over us in joy. This is our Jesus. What a good Brother we have.

Like Jesus’ grace to wretched sinners, Joseph offers full forgiveness to his brothers in spite of their transgressions. And lest we imagine that Jesus’ acquittal of us has the attitude of a stoic, reserved judge, here we see Joseph weeping as he speaks words of comfort, kindness and unconditional reconciliation to his family. Who are we to receive this scandalous grace?