November 23, 2025
We’re in our sermon series about Joseph, from the Old Testament. We’re talking about how in life, sometimes people are mean to you. Sometimes you have the opportunity to be mean back. But there’s a superpower we all have, the power of our response. Rather than respond in fear, anger or greed, we have a choice. We can just react and do the same or equal things back to them. That doesn’t make things better. It just makes us more like that person. Or we can respond. We can take a moment, check in with God, and ask, what is a thoughtful, calm response? It’s not natural to respond that way, but it can change things for the better. Jesus calls us to forgive more times than seem possible. He calls us to pray for our enemies. Jesus forgave everyone who took part in his crucifixion. He said, “Forgive them Father, for they don’t know what they are doing.” That’s difficult, but life changing! And that’s what we’re invited to do.
When Joseph is 17 years old he goes to check on his 10 older brothers working in the fields. He’s their father’s favorite and told them he had a dream that they would one day bow down to him. His older brothers hate him and decide to kill him. But, his brother, Reuben, tries to save him. He says just throw Joseph in the well. They do. Then they sell him to traders. Joseph becomes a slave in Egypt.
While a slave in Potiphar’s house. Joseph responds as if God is with him, even when it looks like God has abandoned him. Things go well for him as a slave, until Joseph is falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, and ends up in a dungeon. Still, Joseph trusts God, even in prison. God is with him, and the prison warden trusts him, putting him in charge of those in prison.
One day, two new prisoners arrive: the cupbearer and the baker for Pharoah, king of Egypt. Pharoah got mad at them and sent them to jail. One day, the two have dreams, but don’t know what they mean. God helps Joseph interpret dreams, so he says, “Give me a try.” They do. Joseph says to the cupbearer, Your dream means in three days, you’ll become Pharoah’s cupbearer again. He tells the cupbearer; you owe me a favor! Tell Pharoah about me and get me out of this prison! Next, Joseph tells the baker, your dream means that in three days, you’ll be executed. And Joseph’s interpretation of their dreams is exactly what happens! But the cupbearer forgets to tell Pharoah about Joseph, so he sits in prison two more years! Still, God is with Joseph.
Then, when Joseph is 30, Pharoah has a dream, and it troubles him. No one in Egypt can interpret it. The cupbearer finally remembers Joseph and tells Pharoah about him and how amazing he is at interpreting dreams. Pharoah orders Joseph to be brought to him. Joseph, because God is with him, interprets Pharoah’s dream: Egypt will have 7 years of amazing harvests! Then there will be 7 years of famine. And then he gives Pharoah advice: you need to appoint someone to store part of the harvest in the 7 good years, so you have grain for everyone during the 7 years of famine to come. And God is with Joseph! Pharoah decides Joseph is the wise person to oversee all this! So, Joseph becomes second in charge of Egypt overseeing collecting and later selling the grain. Joseph is no longer living a life of tragedy and misfortune. Now he is living life on top! But does he even need God now?
After seven years of plenty the seven years of famine come, and Joseph is in charge of selling the grain. Other nations experience the famine, so he sells grain to them as well. One day, his 10 older brothers show up to buy grain! They don’t recognize Joseph because he…walks like an Egyptian, and he…talks like and Egyptian! He was 17 when they last saw him, now Joseph is 40, and wearing Egyptian clothes, and speaking to them through an interpreter. They don’t recognize him. But he recognizes his brothers. How does Joseph feel? He’s gotta feel angry and hurt. They were going to kill him! They sold him into slavery! Because of them for 13 years he has lived as either a slave or a prisoner, never seeing his father or younger brother. Now Joseph has the power to get back at them. He could react. This is the ultimate test of Joseph.
At first, he pretends he doesn’t know them. He speaks harshly to them, accusing his brothers of being spies! He says, you came to spy out our land! No, they say. We’re all brothers! We came to buy food! We have a younger brother at home with our father. There was another brother, but he died.
Joseph says, “You are spies!” He throws them in jail for 3 days. Then he lets them out, except he keeps Simeon in jail and tells them they need to bring their youngest brother to him, or he won’t let Simeon go. Joseph sells them grain and they go home, but Jacob, their father, refuses to let them take Benjamin back to Egypt! I’ve already lost Joseph. Now I’ve lost Simeon. I don’t want to lose Benjamin.
But the famine continues, and over time they eat all the grain they have bought. Their father, Jacob, finally lets them take Benjamin to Egypt and ask to buy more grain. When they arrive, they are taken to Joseph’s house, which scares them. Joseph asks if their father is still alive. Yes. He looks at Benjamin and asks, “Is this your youngest brother?” “Yes.” Joseph leaves to go weep. He comes back and they eat dinner.
Joseph secretly tells his steward, “Fill each brother’s sack with grain, and put my silver cup in Benjamin’s sack.” So, he does. The brothers leave for home
The next day, Joseph sends his steward to tell them, “You stole my master’s cup!” He looks through each brother’s sack and discovers Joseph’s cup in Benjamin’s sac. Benjamin says, “I didn’t take it!” They all go back to Egypt to try to work things out. Joseph pretends to be outraged. He says, all of you can go back, except the youngest, who will become my slave.
Judah says “We have an aged father, and this is his youngest son. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left. Our father loves him! If we don’t bring this son home, our father will die!” Judah says, “Please let me remain here as a slave in his place.”
Joseph has been giving his brothers a hard time, testing them to see their hearts. He is glad to see that Judah, who years ago wanted to kill him, is now willing to sacrifice his own freedom for his brother.
Joseph clears the room of Egyptians. He weeps, then he says to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” His brothers are thinking, if he’s Joseph, we are dead! They are terrified and can’t say anything!
Lucky for them, Joseph isn’t a cruel, vengeful person, instead he trusts God in bad times and good times. He doesn’t become like they were. He doesn’t join their dysfunction. He doesn’t become a reflection of what happened to him. Joseph decided long ago he could trust God. He responds seeking God’s way, even when he has all the power and can do whatever he wants to his brothers.
He calls his brothers closer and says, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt. And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you…So it wasn’t you who sent me here, but God.” Wow! Have you ever met someone like that, who believes God can work even through difficulties and heartache? Who trusts God enough to never react? Who instead responds in an unexpected way?
I’ve had the privilege to have known people like that, who trust God even when they have so many tragedies. And I’ve known people who have the opportunity to get back at someone who wronged them: but they don’t! They are certain God is working for good, even when no one else sees it. That kind of faith is available to you and me!
Joseph’s story continues. When his father Jacob dies, his brothers are afraid that now Joseph will kill them! They figure it’s what they would do if they were Joseph! But he tells them, “Don’t be afraid! Am I in the place of God?” Joseph has so much power and so much wealth, to his brothers he looks like someone who is in the place of God. But Joseph says, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” Joseph refuses to play God when he’s rich and powerful.
My challenge for you is to ask yourself, what does it mean for me to respond as if God is with me?
Joseph spends 13 years of his life a slave or in prison. He spent 13 years holding great power and wealth. But he stays the same through it all, just a servant of God, trusting God, seeing the world through God’s eyes. And God is with him. Joseph doesn’t become a cruel, vengeful person! Instead, he trusts that in bad times and good times, God is always with him, working for good. Amen.
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