Nose to Tail

Scripture: Genesis 49:29-50:26

Video Link: https://youtu.be/hqiV5tY437E

Structure:

• Introduction
• Joseph’s forgiveness
• Joseph’s death
• Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Some of you may have heard of ‘nose to tail’ cooking. ‘Nose to tail’ is about ensuring every edible part of the animal is prepared and eaten, as opposed to using only the high value cuts.

Cousins to the ‘nose to tail’ approach are ‘fin to gill’ (using every part of the fish) and ‘root to shoot’ for fruit and veges. ‘Nose to tail’ cooking utilizes the whole beast, reducing waste and providing greater nutritional value for the eater.

Today, after six months, we conclude our ‘nose to tail’ sermon series in the life of Joseph. Perhaps the key take-away from the Joseph story is that God, in his grace, is able to make something good out of the offal and gristle of human behaviour, as well as the rump and eye fillets.

The Lord uses all of Joseph’s family to bring about his purpose of salvation. God does not waste anything.

Our message is in two parts this morning. The first part deals with Joseph’s forgiveness of his brothers. And the second part tells us about Joseph’s death. From Genesis 50, verse 15, we read… 

¹⁵ When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?”  ¹⁶ So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: ¹⁷ ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept. ¹⁸ His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said. ¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?  ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. ²¹ So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Joseph’s forgiveness:

In his book “The Peacemaker”, Ken Sande recalls a joke he once heard.

A woman went to her pastor for advice on improving her marriage and when the pastor asked what her greatest complaint was, she replied, “Every time we get into a fight, my husband gets historical.”

When her pastor said, “Don’t you mean hysterical,” she responded,

“I mean exactly what I said; he keeps a mental record of everything I’ve done wrong, and whenever he’s mad, I get a history lesson.”

Clearly the husband has not forgiven his wife. By continually reminding his wife of the things she has done wrong, he is punishing her and trying to hold her captive to guilt. He is using the past against her.  

Forgiveness is about letting go of past hurts and grievances. With forgiveness we don’t necessarily forget the bad stuff. Rather we make a conscious choice not to hold people’s mistakes against them. We give away our right to get even.

Refusing to forgive someone is like handcuffing yourself to that person. It keeps you both captive. Forgiveness unlocks the handcuffs. Forgiveness breaks the shackles of bitterness, setting you free.

In the passage we just read from Genesis chapter 50, Jacob has recently died and now the brothers are afraid that, without their father around, Joseph will want to make them pay for all the wrong they did to him.

By this stage it had been nearly 40 years since they sold Joseph into slavery. And, for the past 17 years they have been living in Egypt near their brother. But even after all this time they are still afraid of Joseph.

Fear has messed with their perception and caused things to appear other than they really are. Joseph has forgiven his brothers. More than this, he has tested them to re-establish trust. Joseph is ready to move forward, but the brothers are stuck in the past. It seems they haven’t been able to forgive themselves.

If you touch a live wire on an electric fence with the palm of your hand, the current running through the wire causes your hand to clench into a fist automatically, so you can’t let go no matter how hard you try.

Forgiving ourselves can be like trying to let go of an electric fence. We want to find release, but we just don’t seem to be able to achieve it on our own. We need someone to turn the power off.

The disciple Peter found it difficult to forgive himself. Peter denied Jesus three times, the night of his trial. Oh, the torment Peter suffered for that. But later, after his death and resurrection, Jesus restored Peter saying, ‘Feed my lambs’.

There was no reprisal or recrimination from Jesus. To the contrary Jesus turned Peter’s fear off. Jesus reassured Peter with an act of trust.

Joseph points to Jesus. Joseph turns the brothers’ fear off by reassuring them and speaking kindly to them. Joseph wants a right relationship with his brothers, one that is based on love, not fear.

In verses 16 and 17 we read how the brothers tried to deceive Joseph by saying, ‘Our father Jacob gave instructions for you to forgive us’.

Joseph’s response is to weep.

Perhaps Joseph is sad because his brothers have thought the worst of him. They have misunderstood him. It hurts to be judged wrongly, especially by those close to us.

Perhaps also Joseph’s tears are an expression of compassion for his brothers. The sons of Israel have been bullied by guilt and fear for nearly 40 years. They have suffered their own silent torment.

In verse 18, Joseph’s brothers come to him, throw themselves at his feet and offer themselves as his slaves. Joseph’s dream of his brothers bowing to him (all those years ago) is fulfilled again, only now the meaning is clearer.  

The brothers are trying to make amends. They had sold Joseph into slavery and now they are saying they will repay their wrongdoing by becoming Joseph’s slaves. This shows their desperation. They have been slaves to guilt and fear for so long. They see Joseph as a kinder master.

The brothers (collectively) remind us of the prodigal son, in Jesus’ parable. After hitting rock bottom, he came to his senses and decided to return home and beg to work as a hired hand for his father.

He had his speech all planned. ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son…’ But before he could ask for a job, his father welcomes him with generosity and joy. The father does not need another hired hand. The father wants his son back.

Joseph does the same for his brothers. Joseph does not need any more slaves. He wants his brothers back.

The first thing Joseph says to his brothers (in verse 19) is, “Don’t be afraid”. He says it twice actually. By accurately naming their fear, Joseph shows his brothers that he understands them, and fear begins to lose its power.

The second thing Joseph says here is, “Am I in the place of God?”

The brothers were afraid that Joseph would exact his revenge. But to Joseph’s mind, judgement and revenge are God’s business.

It’s like Joseph is saying, ‘I am not your judge. I am just a man, like you. Far be it from me to condemn you. God is your judge and mine, and he is more merciful and gracious than you think’.

In verse 20 Joseph says, “You intended to harm me…” Joseph does not deny what his brothers did. Joseph acknowledges the truth that they meant him harm.He doesn’t do this to make them suffer more. He does this to help them feel better.

It’s a paradox you see. Pretending something didn’t happen doesn’t make anyone feel better about it. In fact, it usually makes people feel worse. It becomes an infected wound, breeding mistrust and doubt.

But when we acknowledge honestly what happened, in the context in which it happened (that is, with the people concerned), trust is restored and healing is able to take place.

Although Joseph’s brothers intended to harm him, God intended it for good, to save many lives. This is the main point of the Joseph story.

Joseph is highlighting the amazing grace of God. The Lord used the brothers’ decision, of selling Joseph into slavery, as a means of salvation. By placing Joseph in Egypt, God saved many lives from starvation.

It’s not that God needed the brothers to betray Joseph. If the brothers had been kind to Joseph, then God would have found another way. The point is, God (in his grace and providence) transformed evil intentions into a good outcome.

We are reminded of Paul’s words in his letter to the Romans…

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, whohave been called according to his purpose.

This is ‘nose to tail’ salvation. This is the Lord not wasting anything.

This is God working all things for good. Was God pleased when Joseph’s brothers plotted against him? No, I don’t expect he was. But the Lord saw a way to redeem it.

The brothers had offered themselves to Joseph as slaves, but Joseph wouldn’t have a bar of it. Joseph says he will provide for his brothers and their children. Joseph’s intention is not to get even. His intention is to provide and protect. Jacob made Joseph leader of the family and that is what a leader does. They provide and protect.

Verse 21 of Genesis 50 says that Joseph reassured his brothers and spoke kindly to them. The English translation here disguises the original Hebrew which literally reads… And he spoke to their heart.

Meaning he spoke tenderly and intimately with them. He addressed the deeper things for them. Conveying forgiveness is not just about trying to find the right words. It’s also about using a tender manner. It’s about communicating in a winsome way, with kindness and warmth. Heart speaks to heart.

Martin Luther King said, “Forgiveness is not just an occasional act – it’s an attitude”. As human beings, made in the image of God, forgiveness is meant to be our default setting.

Sometimes we can be lulled into the false idea that forgiveness is something we only need to do once and then everything will be sweet. But the reality with deeper hurts, like the ones suffered by Joseph, is that forgiveness is an on-going decision.

Forgiveness is like giving up an addiction. Not only do we have to decide to give up our revenge once, but we must go on giving up our revenge every moment of everyday. Sometimes the temptation is intense and all we can do is call out to God for grace and strength. ‘Lord, help me to let this go.’ 

Rather than re-playing his brothers’ wrong-doing over and over in his mind, I believe Joseph chose to replay the outcome achieved by God and this became his shield against bitterness.  

The 2010 film, 127 hours, tells the true story of mountaineer, Aron Ralston. Aron goes hiking in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park. Unfortunately, he doesn’t tell anyone where he is going.

While climbing through a slot canyon, a boulder comes loose and traps his right arm against a wall. There is no way for him to move the boulder and he can’t wriggle out of it.

Over the next five days he rations his food and water. Eventually he has to drink his own urine to survive. When it becomes apparent that no one is coming to his rescue, and that he will die if he does nothing, Aron uses his pocketknife to cut off his arm and free himself.

Cutting off his arm, like he did, took real grit, real willpower. Aron’s motivation to do this came from a vision he had of one day becoming a father. Aron imagined his yet unborn son. He focused on the outcome.

If Aron did nothing, he would die. He would lose his whole body and never get to live his life or have children. But if Aron sacrificed his right arm, he would save the rest of his body and have a future.

Forgiveness is essentially about release. It can be tempting to think that forgiveness is achieved with time. That simply by waiting, our feelings of bitterness will eventually go away. This is a myth. Time can help, but by itself it is not enough.

Forgiveness is not a passive thing. Nor is it an involuntary feeling. Forgiveness can be painful. It involves an intentional act of the will.

A decision to cut off your desire to get even, in order to free your mind and soul.    

I imagine for Joseph, the decision to forgive his brothers took real grit, real resolve, like cutting off his arm (metaphorically speaking). But what option did he have? If he held onto the bitterness and hurt, he would die between a rock and a hard place.

Joseph chose to think about the outcome God had created. Joseph magnified God’s grace and imagined a future in which he enjoyed a better relationship with his family. Would Joseph have been able to forgive his brothers if God had not provided a good outcome for everyone? I’m not sure.

Now most things you are required to forgive in this life are not as big as cutting your arm off. Most people are not sold into slavery by their family. More often, forgiveness is smaller, like removing a stone from your shoe so you can walk without hurting yourself.

Forgiveness is usually about little things, like when others leave you in the lurch or snap at you because they’re having a bad day, or you find someone has keyed your car. That sort of thing. Whether it is a big thing or a small thing though, we need God’s grace to forgive others and to forgive ourselves.

Joseph’s death:

Joseph was probably in his mid-fifties when his father died and his brothers asked for forgiveness. Another fifty odd years pass between Jacob’s death and Joseph’s passing. From Genesis 50, verse 22 we conclude the Joseph story…

²² Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father’s family. He lived a hundred and ten years ²³ and saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children. Also, the children of Makir son of Manasseh, were placed at birth on Joseph’s knees. ²⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” ²⁵ And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.” ²⁶ So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

These closing verses of Genesis tell us that Joseph lived a long and full life. After having been told a lot about the first half of Joseph’s life, we are not told anything about the last half of his life, except that he stayed in Egypt and got to see his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

In a way, that points to the reality for all of us. We are each like Joseph in a way. We have a public life that people see and a private life that no one really sees (like the dark side of the moon). No one that is but God.

We do well to remember this. None of us knows the whole story of another person’s life and so we should reserve judgement. We don’t know half of what others endure.

In echo of his father Jacob, Joseph’s last words are words of hope, binding the family to God’s promise. Twice Joseph says, ‘God will surely come to your aid’.  Joseph foresees a time when God will lead the people of Israel out of Egypt and back to Canaan, the land of promise.

Do you feel like you are trapped in Egypt at the moment? Could this be a word for you? Can you believe that God will surely come to your aid.

Joseph asks his descendants to take his bones back to Canaan when they go. Joseph’s coffin (a symbol of death) becomes a sign pointing future generations to the hope of returning to their homeland.

Joseph points to Jesus. The cross of Christ (once a symbol of torture and death) has now become a sign of forgiveness and hope for those who believe. A reminder that Jesus will return in glory one day to reveal God’s kingdom in its fullness.  

Conclusion:

The book of Genesis starts with creation and the fall, and it ends with forgiveness and hope. Forgiveness is about letting go of our hurt and hope is about holding on to God’s promises for the future.

Forgiveness puts an end to fear and guilt. It puts the past to rest and in so doing creates a new beginning and new hope. Jesus is the one who makes forgiveness and hope possible. Jesus is the alpha and omega.

He is the beginning and the end and his grace sustains us in between.

May God help us to see the good outcome he is working in this world. Amen.    

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1. What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
2. What is forgiveness? What does it mean to forgive someone? Why is it important to forgive?
3. How might we ask for forgiveness? How might we forgive ourselves?
4. Discuss / reflect on Joseph’s response to his brothers in Genesis 50:19-21. Why does Joseph say what he says? What might you say (or do) if someone came to you for forgiveness?
5. Why does Joseph focus on the outcome God has created? What good outcome(s) has God worked in the circumstances of your life? Take some time to thank him for these.
6. Do you feel like you are trapped in Egypt at the moment? Have you ever felt like this? Are you able to believe that God will surely come to your aid?   
7. In what ways does Joseph point to Jesus?