I spent most of my January in Genesis and Exodus.
This time around I noticed something in the story of Joseph that I had missed for many years.
Joseph brothers.
The betrayal of Joseph brothers is legendary. They caught their brother, tied him and sold him, after deciding not to kill him.
Nearly everyone who hears this story is aghast at their attitude. We are angry. We can’t believe it. We can’t imagine it even.
The story continues that Joseph is sold to Potiphar, Pharoah’s client. He prospers in Potiphar’s house. He prospers in Prison. And soon, he becomes Prime Minister.
There was famine, and his brothers return to him, bowing down, just as he has dreamed it would happen!
This is the point where I missed. Joseph brother’s return and this time around, Joseph put them to a test. He tried to get them to betray one of their brothers again, Benjamin. He tried to frame him up so at least they can do the same thing they did to him. But you know what? His brothers passed the test. They refused to betray Benjamin.
They refused to allow Benjamin Suffer. In fact, they insisted that he would rather kill them than have Benjamin. They were not joking. They meant it.
The same men who had sold Joseph at 17, were refusing to do the same some 2 decades later. What happened? They changed. They grew. They became better. They were not the same gullible people they were. They were not the same bitter people they were. They have become better men.
In our remembering of Joseph story, we often remember their selling of him, we don’t remember the stance they made for Benjamin. We don’t remember their redemption. It is because redemption stories do not sell. We live in an unforgiving world. We live in a world where one mistake can hardly be forgotten. We live in a world where people get counselled and no one cares if they grew or changed.
But to be honest, don’t we all need a second chance?
The great thing about Joseph was that he gave them a second chance!
Give people a second chance. Give people another try. People change. People grow. People become better. Don’t ever forget that.