Reading: Genesis 45.3-11,15
Schools are places of learning many things. Some things get passed on from teacher to child in the classroom. But a whole different set of things get passed on in the playground. For some children, what they learn in the playground is vastly more important than what is taught in the classroom!
The older ones among us can recall the saying – and practice – “A pinch and a punch for the first of the month, and you can’t pay me back till the end of the month.” 'Did you learn that in your school playground? How far distant from one another are the schools where it was learnt?
To the children – is that still said and done in the school playground today? Has it been faithfully passed on with little real change? Incredible, isn’t it? It has probably been more constant than what has been taught in Maths and English! Of course, each generation tries new ways of getting around the obligation not to pay back till the end of the month!
Interestingly, the saying embodies the strong belief in justice – even if it must be suspended for a while – where wrong or hurt has been done, we have a right to get even.
Listen to the principle of justice as it is set out in Lev. 24.19-21, “If anyone injures another person, whatever he has done shall be done to him. If he breaks a bone, one of his bones shall be broken; if he blinds him in one eye, one of his eyes shall be blinded; if he knocks out a tooth, one of his teeth shall be knocked out. Whatever injury he does to another person shall be done to him in return. Whoever kills an animal shall replace it, but whoever kills a man shall be put to death.”
Of course, we are quick to say that this is old-fashioned, cruel or barbaric. We quickly turn up the Sermon on the Mount and hear Jesus saying, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But now I tell you: do not take revenge on someone who wrongs you. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap you on your left cheek too...” (Mt. 5.38ff).
In a moment we shall come to the reason why Jesus said what he did about the old law. But in no sense does he say that it was unjust. It is no more cruel than what the person has done to the victim. It represents perfectly balanced justice. It actually presents a limit to the pay-back. We would want to punch back twice as hard, knock out two teeth for one of ours – we want to make sure he/she doesn’t do it again, we want to teach them a lesson. This is why justice can never be left to the person wronged. The traditional “pinch and punch” aren’t taken as seriously as that, but, at a more serious level, we have to admit that it is the stuff that starts feuds between gangs or wars between nations.
A year or two ago I suggested to you the difference between “justice”, “mercy” and “grace”. “Justice” is getting what we deserve. “Mercy” is not getting what we deserve. “Grace” is getting what we don’t deserve.
God is love. He is also the moral ruler. He truly cares for our well-being, our best interests. But sin and rebellion against God are not in our best interests. They always bring their penalty – death. God cannot turn a blind eye to them. That would be like saying there is no right and wrong, there are no standards of truth and goodness. No – God is just. The seriousness of sin cannot be ignored. God won’t pat us on the back and say, “There, there! It wasn’t really so bad after all!”
For you to forgive the person who gives you a bruise on the arm means that you are not going to pay them back for what they have done. You are accepting the pain and the bruise as yours and aren’t going to hold it against the other person ever again.
Some people think that to say that God is just and that he forgives sin is to be contradictory. But that isn’t true! Provided God himself accepts in full the penalty of human sin, he can be just and forgive our sins. The penalty of sin is... death! and Jesus the Son of God has died for our sins. So the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
And when we have experienced God’s love and forgiveness, we have to show love and forgiveness to others who wrong us. And forgiveness means that we are not to continue to feel resentment or bitterness towards the other person.
In his letter to the Roman Christians, Paul wrote that “We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him” (Rom. 8.28). There are bad things that happen to us that should never happen. Paul isn’t pretending that everything that happens is good. What he is saying is that God can bring good out of it.
Joseph’s brothers did some really bad things to him. They could easily have said that he provoked them. He had told tales about them to their father. He was father Jacob’s favourite. The gift of the long-sleeved coat implied that he didn't have to do all the hard work they did. That was bad enough. But Joseph’s reaction didn’t help any! He loved this special attention – really lapped it up! And then he had these dreams. Their sheaves bowed down to his sheaf. The sun, moon and eleven stars bowed down to him. We know that these things were fulfilled when he became ruler of Egypt. But he had a way of talking about it all that irritated them and even upset his father.
Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. There’s no way they should have done that! The only good thing we can say is that at least they didn’t kill him as they were plotting to do at one stage. Sold him into slavery and told lies to their father to cover up what they had done! There’s nothing good about that! Joseph passed out of their life. They seem to have assumed that he probably died under the harsh treatment.
But no! Joseph was still alive! And he was learning some important lessons about trusting God. Things were bad – and they got worse – and in it all Joseph had to trust that God was with him – until at last he interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and was made ruler of Egypt – supervising the storage of grain in the seven good years and organising its sale in the seven bad years.
And now, years later, Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt seeking grain. He knows them immediately, but they don’t recognise him. He was much older. They weren’t expecting to see him. He was clean-shaven. He was dressed in Egyptian clothes. He understood all that they said, but always spoke to them through an interpreter.
They don’t know it, but he has them in his power. If he wants to, he is really in a position to get his own back, to get even. But he doesn’t reveal himself to them straight away. He wants to be sure that there has been some genuine recognition that they are sorry for what they had done. He presses them hard and insists that they must bring their youngest brother back with them next time. Then he arranges that their money is returned into their sacks of grain.
Now they come back and bring Benjamin – against Jacob’s fearful protests. This time a pleasant reception and a meal. A cup is placed in Benjamin’s sack and they are brought back to answer for their actions. Again he presses them hard to see what has been happening to them since they had sold him as a slave.
But now at last he can’t hold back his feelings any more. “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” They were fearful of the attitude of this stern Egyptian ruler, but now they are terrified. Will Joseph pay us back for what we did to him all those years ago? He has every right to, but what is he up to now? He has us in his power! His dreams have come true! We are well and truly caught now!
“I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. Now do not be upset or blame yourselves because you sold me here. It was really God who sent me ahead of you to save people's lives... God sent me ahead of you to rescue you in this amazing way and to make sure that you and your descendants survive. So it was not really you who sent me here, but God. He made me the king’s highest official. I am in charge of his whole country; I am the ruler of Egypt” (Gen.45.4-8).
That is an amazing statement! Joseph has no bitterness! He has already forgiven his brothers. While he had tested them so that the forgiveness and reconciliation could be complete, he had already forgiven them in his heart. They had done wrong, but Joseph is overwhelmed by the awareness of the good that was God’s plan that he was bringing about through the awfully wrong situation in which Joseph had been placed.
Thinking about those three words I mentioned earlier, what attitude did Joseph show to his brothers – justice, mercy or grace? It wasn’t justice – he chose not to pay them back. He was merciful to them. But he went beyond that – he showed the generosity of grace. That’s how God wants to deal with us and its how he wants us to relate to others.
Our lesson notes comment, “Resisting evil without using evil means has always been a dilemma for Christians, God's way of mercy is one that we find very difficult to understand and trust. We live in a world where raw hatred and brutal violence are practised and preached by many as easy antidotes to the pain and confusion of our times. Learning to love those whom we perceive to be our enemies has never been more important than it is in our world today.”
© Peter J Blackburn, 19 February 1995, Buderim
Except where otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the Good News Bible, (c) American Bible Society, 1992.
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