Mark 1:9-25 You are My Son

 

Lent has begun, even though it feels as if Christmas and New Year’s is barely over. Lent is a seven-week period in the church year leading into Easter when the church focuses on repentance. Repentance is about making changes in how we live, refocusing on following Jesus and on how we live with others. The desire for change comes as we gain an awareness of how our sin separates us from God and what it cost God to be reconciled with us and that God’s grace to us comes at a huge cost to Jesus. During Lent, we will be moving through the Gospel of Mark. Mark is often described as the “Wow” gospel. His whole reason for writing his gospel is to get us to sit up and go “Wow” as we discover who Jesus really is.

Right from the get go, Mark tells us who Jesus is, “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” There’s no guessing about who Jesus is in Mark’s gospel; it’s clear right from the start, from beginning to end. Scott Hoeze and Carrie Steenwyk write, “All through the gospel of Mark people wonder who Jesus is. A few people hit on the right answer but are repeatedly told to keep it quiet. Only when Jesus dies on the cross is someone allowed to say publicly, “Surely, this was the Son of God!” Once Jesus has given the last full measure of his life, it’s safe to identify him.”

Mark begins his gospel by introducing us to John the Baptist whose role is to point the way to the coming Messiah, the coming Christ. As part of John’s preparing the way for the coming of Jesus, he focuses on calling the people to repentance for the forgiveness of sins; calling the people to turn back towards God and righteousness and right living. John sounds a lot like the Old Testament prophets who kept calling the people to turn their lives and hearts back to God and not rely on simply following religious practices and empty words of faith. John points to Jesus, “And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Only God can baptize with the Holy Spirit, that means God is coming!

In Luke’s gospel, we discovered that John and Jesus are cousins, but there’s no mention that they really knew each other, but when Jesus begins his ministry, the first thing he does is seek John out to be baptized by John. You may be asking, “Why would Jesus feel the need to be baptized since he has nothing to repent about, and especially since John’s baptism is with water while Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit?” By being baptized by John, it identifies Jesus with the people he’s come to save; we call this vicarious sin-bearing. We get an image of this in Isaiah 53, “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

John’s baptism is a baptism of repentance for forgiveness. With John’s baptism, we change to receive forgiveness, but John points ahead to Jesus’ baptism where we receive that forgiveness because Jesus takes on himself our punishment for sin to the cross so we can have peace with God. John’s baptism points to turning our lives back to God through Jesus. Jesus’ message is, “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Jesus calls us to change the direction of our lives and believe the good news that he is the Son of God, the promised Messiah; that he is the good news. Jesus is all about restoring people, offering them a new identity rooted in the kingdom of God. Right after baptizing Jesus, John’s put in jail. His role is over and Mark’s focus in now completely on Jesus.

During Jesus’ baptism, heaven’s torn open; the Jordan River has become a meeting place for heaven and earth. We hear echoes of Jacob’s dream of a ladder between heaven and earth where angels travel up and down on heaven’s business. As Jesus comes up out of the water, the Spirit comes down from heaven and descends on Jesus in the form of a dove and a voice from heaven declares, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” What a wonderful image of being baptized with the Holy Spirit! We see a picture here of the inter-connectedness of God with the Father declaring his love for the Son and the Spirit anointing the Son for the father’s business on earth. You don’t get one person of the Trinity without the others. It’s also important to remember that when God speaks, we listen. So often we talk expecting God to listen, but when God does speak, we need to listen.

No matter how other people in Mark’s gospel respond to Jesus, Mark clearly lets us know that Jesus is God’s Son. Those of us reading or hearing Mark’s story of Jesus’ life are never in doubt about who Jesus is. At Jesus’ death, after the temple curtain splits wide open and the Holy Spirit flows out into the world, using the same word as the heavens opening here with Jesus’ baptism, that we hear a Roman centurion confess, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” In Mark 3, Mark even records an evil spirit falling before Jesus and confessing, “You are the Son of God.” Both heaven and hell acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God; it’s those of us on earth that have the hardest time confessing Jesus as the Son of God. This is why there are so many off shoots of the Christian faith, most of them seeing Jesus as a good man, even as a demi-god, but having a hard time with the belief that Jesus is the Son of God, fully God. If we confess that Jesus is the Son of God, then we have no excuse for not following him and everything he taught.

Faith is all about relationships, our relationship with Jesus and our relationships with each other. The main image is that of family; family is a key image in the Bible of our relationship with God. Here we have the God the Father and Jesus the Son shown in a close relationship filled with blessing and love. Through Jesus we are adopted as daughters and sons into God’s family where we experience God’s love and blessings. Families can be funny things, but they are held together by bonds of love and commitment to each other, by sacrificial love, wanting the best for each other and being there for each other. Cain and Abel are the first brothers in the Bible. Cain kills Abel in a fit of rage and God asks Cain where Abel is and Cain asks, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” God doesn’t reply because the answer is obvious, “Yes, you are supposed to care for, protect, and act in love towards your brother.” Jesus, our older brother, God our Father commit completely to us, they’re so committed to us that Jesus dies for us. Jesus tells us that people will know we belong to him by our love for each other, our commitment to us, an echo of Jesus’ commitment to us.

Right after Jesus’ baptism, Mark’s story takes a surprising turn, “At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels attended him.” Pastor Scott Hoeze writes, “When the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus and God expresses his love for him, the first order of business is a blunt, brutal engagement with evil. Why was Jesus baptized and, furthermore, anointed by God? It certainly wasn’t step 1 to a comfortable life of fame and glory. “He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.” The animals in question here aren’t squirrels and raccoons—they’re threats to life and to human flourishing: lions, jackals, and other predators. In the Bible the wilderness is shorthand for chaos, the precise opposite of the cosmos God created “in the beginning.” Israel saw the wilderness as a place to seek God and be shaped by God spiritually, learning trust and dependency on God. Jesus seeks out the Father to prepare for his ministry. We see God providing for Jesus, even in testing by being attended by angels.

Jesus comes as the Son of God to bring shalom. Shalom is peace, it’s blessing; living well with God and each other, looking to bless each other and be a blessing. Satan brought chaos into the world through sin and he continues to stir up chaos and brokenness. The Son of God has come to restore shalom: shalom between the Father and us, shalom into our world again. Jesus calls us and equips us, his brothers and sisters, with his Spirit to be shalom bringers and creators in our community. As we see the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit relate to each other in beauty and harmony, we turn and look into our own community here in Lacombe and ask ourselves, “How can we be agents of healing and shalom, where is God already working so we can join him, how can we bring beauty and harmony into Lacombe as followers of the Son of God?”

Genesis 45:1-18 Sent Ahead by God

 

We’re at the end of our series on Joseph, we’ve skipped a few chapters because of the start of Lent next week, but this morning’s story brings Joseph’s and Judah’s story full circle. Judah’s responsible for selling Joseph into slavery and now Joseph and Judah are face to face again, though Judah’s not aware of that at the moment. I encourage you to read through Joseph and Judah’s story again at home to get a feel for the power of the moment here in Joseph’s throne room. Joseph’s been in charge of Egypt for about nine years now, his dreams of ruling has come true, even his brothers have kneeled before him. Now they’re back again to buy more food, this time Benjamin’s with them, as Joseph had commanded them.

Joseph stuck his silver cup in Benjamin’s sack on the brothers’ way home and now they’re cowering in fear before this powerful ruler. Judah has just begged to take Benjamin’s place in slavery to spare Jacob more grief, Judah’s willing to sacrifice his life for Benjamin’s. Judah admits that this trouble is because of the sin they committed in selling their other brother into slavery. Judah’s changed over the years, just as Joseph has. Both have become mature leaders who take responsibility seriously. Judah’s developed a sacrificial heart as well along the way.

Hearing how Judah has changed, how sorrow for their father and regret for his past have shaped Judah’s heart, seeing his brothers take care of each other, Joseph breaks down; the emotion of seeing his brothers moves him to reveal to his brothers who he is. Joseph’s emotions and weeping are so powerful that all the Egyptians in the palace are able to hear him, even though they were all sent from the room beforehand. Joseph’s servants are concerned and let Pharaoh know what’s happening. Joseph turns to his brothers and now we see a powerful moment of forgiveness and grace, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?”

The brothers are horrified. The brother they thought was dead, the brother they sold into slavery is now the second most powerful man in the land with the power of life and death over them. Now we see just how wise in the ways of God Joseph has become, he sees his brothers’ fear and acknowledges their sin in selling him into slavery, but he also recognizes that this was part of God’s working out his plans to save his people, “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.” Joseph sees God’s hand at work, even in the hard times.

It’s easier to see God’s hand at work looking back. During hard times, we focus on getting through, we look for next steps forward or ways to escape; looking for what God is doing through the hard times often only comes later on. God was looking way ahead, putting in place a plan to create a safe place for his people to grow, to provide for his people. This is where the sermon first started, but as I looked more at Joseph’s story, the theme of forgiveness and reconciliation stood out more and more. This is a story of God at work, as Joseph recognizes, “But God sent me ahead of you to prepare for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” This is about God’s long-term plans; God’s thinking years and generations ahead, putting in place his plan of salvation.

Joseph’s story points us ahead to Jesus who came to save his people. Jesus saves us by a great deliverance whose beginnings were already set-in place right after Adam and Eve first sinned. This is where the switch in the sermon began this week. Joseph could have responded in so many negative ways; ways that used his power to punish his brothers. He could have chosen revenge over forgiveness, bitterness over grace, anger over love, power over humility, vengeance over reconciliation. Over the past few weeks, we have watched how God has been with Joseph, no matter the situation, how God was shaping him, not just to lead Egypt through the famine, but also to protect and provide for his family and to provide Joseph’s family with a place of plenty to live out the famine. This will help Joseph’s family to grow into a nation, a nation who will be a blessing to the other nations as promised to Abraham.

Joseph’s forgiveness is real and his desire for reconciliation is genuine. Joseph recognises that God took evil and turned it into good, used it to move forward his plan to save people, this insight gives him the ability to forgive his brothers and to seek reconciliation with them. Paul hits on this in Romans 8, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose… What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

We see how Joseph has matured in his faith and as a person. Joseph chooses forgiveness, grace, love, humility and reconciliation. He holds his brothers responsible for their past choices, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt,” but he also points to God’s hand in everything that has happened to save lives. Later on, after their father Jacob dies and the brothers are afraid Joseph will take revenge on them, Joseph reassures them, “Do not be afraid. You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, so that many people should be kept alive.” Forgiveness is hard work and it takes time. When you need to offer forgiveness because you can feel your heart becoming hard and bitter, or others see in you and are brave enough to confront you about it, it doesn’t happen overnight. Joseph misses his family; he wants to be part of the family again. Yet, as the brothers know, if you have power, you may feel you don’t need to forgive because you can take care of justice yourself. Forgiveness flows out of our relationship with Jesus.

Rev. James Howell writes that when Jesus said on the cross, “Father forgive them for they do not know not what they are doing,” Jesus could easily have said the same as Joseph, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, so that many people should be kept alive.” God saves, Jesus saves, not just so people don’t die, but so that we can be reconciled with God, but also to call us to reconciliation with others that we’ve broken relationships with. Reconciliation means taking an honest look in yourself and coming to a knowledge on how much we need God’s forgiveness and we’re humbled, moving us to extend forgiveness to others in a desire for reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5 is the reconciliation chapter in the Bible. Reconciliation is about healing, renewal, new life, confession, repentance and life change, “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

God reconciled us to himself through Jesus and calls us to be ministers of reconciliation in the world. As a sign of what God has done for us through Jesus, we practice gracious reconciliation shaped by sincere confession and a determined repentance with each other. What an amazing calling! Rev. Howell recognizes that “Reconciliation takes time, a long time. Reconciliation isn’t forgive and forget; it’s genuine healing for everybody involved. Joseph needed the healing as much as the brothers and their father did. The beneficiaries of this reconciliation? Not just this family, but people who had never known them!”

Reconciliation is costly, it cost Jesus deeply, he was separated from the Father and Holy Spirit for the first time ever on the cross. Think about that! At the heart of reconciliation is love and compassion for others; the same love and compassion God has for us; that led Jesus to the cross, that saves us from the chains of slavery to anger, hatred, vengeance and bitterness. Reconciliation is healing of wounds, healing of relationships, healing of the soul. It begins with God and is then lived out here among each other. Is there anyone you need to work towards reconciliation with? Is there confession, repentance and healing needed with others? As your pastor, I would be honoured to walk that journey with you as you seek reconciliation and healing.

Genesis 41:1-40 From Prison to Ruler

 

Dreams, dreams, and more dreams. There is no one’s life more impacted by dreams in the Bible than Joseph’s. It began with Joseph’s dreams about ruling over his brothers, then the next two dreams that impact Joseph’s life come while he’s in prison and the Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker each have a dream that Joseph interprets with God’s help. Now we hear about more dreams that end up impacting Joseph and these are given to Pharaoh, the most powerful person in Egypt, the man whose prison Joseph is running.

Two years after Pharaoh’s cupbearer is reinstated to his position and forgets about Joseph, Pharaoh goes to bed one night and has two dreams. These two dreams are both really similar to each other: they’re dreams of opposites, dreams of change, dreams that start off wonderful and quickly turn into nightmares. The first dream is of seven wonderful fat sleek cows. These are the kinds of cows every farmer dreams about. Then comes a horrifying change, the seven fat sleek cows are swallowed up by seven ugly, gaunt cows, but they stay ugly and skinny. In the second dream, Pharaoh sees seven healthy full heads of grain, the kind of grain every farmer is praying to grow every spring. Then comes the horrifying change, these seven beautiful heads of grain are swallowed up by seven thin, scorched heads of grain, but they stay ugly and thin.  Pharaoh doesn’t understand these dreams, and it bothers him because he senses there’s a message in them.

Pharaoh calls his magicians and wisemen to the throne room and tells them his dreams, but not a single one of them has any clue what they mean. Now a light goes off in the cupbearer’s head and he remembers his own dream and who interpreted the meaning of it for him. He turns to Pharaoh and tells him, “I know someone who can interpret your dream for you. He’s a Hebrew prisoner, but he’s good at this kind of thing. He helped me understand my dream when I was in prison and things turned out exactly as he said they would.” So, Pharaoh sends for Joseph, and Joseph’s quickly brought up out of the prison, cleaned and washed, because you don’t go in front of the Pharaoh smelling of prison. Joseph is now in the presence of the most powerful person in Egypt; what is God’s plan here; we sense that this has to be a God moment.

Pharaoh says to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Once again, Joseph points straight to God, giving God the credit for being able to interpret dreams. Joseph tells Pharaoh, “I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” Joseph is confident that God has placed him here to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, he hasn’t lost his faith and trust in God and keeps turning to him, no matter what’s going on. Joseph remains humble, telling Pharaoh that God is the source of his wisdom.

Pharaoh describes his dreams to Joseph and tells Joseph that none of the magicians could interpret them. Joseph tells Pharaoh that the two dreams point to the same thing and that God has given him two dreams to show him what God is about to do. Seven years of prosperity and great abundance are coming, it’s going to be an amazing seven years, but they’re going to be followed right away by seven really hard years of famine that’s going to wipe all the prosperity away. The famine will be so severe that no one’s even going to remember the seven wonderful years. Sounds a bit like Alberta’s economy. Joseph tells Pharaoh that God gave him two similar dreams to show Pharaoh that there’s no changing God’s plan and it’s going to happen soon. This is not a good interpretation, especially since there’s no changing God’s mind on it. Hard times are coming.

Joseph then takes a really bold step of faith, he tells Pharaoh, “Now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of the Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.” Remember, Joseph is an administrator, someone trained to organize people and systems so that the organization or business runs efficiently and their goals are met. He sees that if Pharaoh’s not proactive in responding to the upcoming famine, then Egypt and the countries and people around Egypt are going to suffer greatly.

Think about this for a moment. Joseph’s a Hebrew slave offering the most powerful person in Egypt advice on how to do his job and run his country. Why should Pharaoh listen to a slave? He has plenty of capable administrators in his own country, people that understand the culture and values of Egypt and able to figure out a way forward. There’s no need to listen to a foreigner. Just because Joseph can run a prison and a household, that doesn’t mean he knows anything about running a country.

Now we see God’s hand directly at work in raising Joseph up out of prison and into a place of influence. Pharaoh turns to his advisors and asks, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?” Now Pharaoh’s not expecting anyone to disagree with him, that just doesn’t happen, and now comes one of the greatest life changing moments in history, “Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.” In Acts 7, as Steven, the first martyr, testifies about God’s faithfulness and plans, he remembers Joseph, “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So, Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.”

This is more amazing than we first realize. Pharaoh has just acknowledged the power of Joseph’s God here in Egypt; raising up Joseph, God’s man, to a place of extraordinary power, a foreigner who answers only to Pharaoh. Pharaoh has also raised Joseph’s God to a prominent place in the pantheon of Egypt’s gods. Pharaoh sees that Joseph’s God, unlike other gods, is not limited by geography. The most powerful person in the land acknowledges God’s power and that what’s coming cannot be stopped by Egypt’s gods. We hear an echo here to 400 years into the future when God once again will show his power over Egypt’s gods when he leads his people back to the Promised Land. That fills us with hope still today as we know that God is God of gods. We see God’s power when Jesus comes to earth, fully human and fully God to raise us up out of our prisons and slavery to sin to set us free to love and serve him by defeating sin, Satan and death on the cross.

While God’s working in the background of Joseph’s life, Joseph remains faithful in all the lesser roles God places him in to prepare him for this moment. Joseph’s life reminds us that our gifts and talents are given to us in order to serve the Lord by serving others. Over and over again, Moses reminds us that no matter where Joseph is serving, God’s with him, giving him success. Pete Wilcox writes, “the proper response to the revelation of God’s good will and purpose, for Joseph as well as Pharaoh, is not resignation and the abrogation of responsibility, but faithful action.” Joseph is put in Egypt for just such a time as this, just as Esther was in Babylon for such a time as she was in, just as Bethel has been placed here in Lacombe for just such a time as this to reveal the Gospel news, to make new disciples, to use our gifts to reveal a glimpse of God’s already and not yet kingdom that the Holy Spirit is building right here.

Faithful action that flows out of following Jesus, loving each other, serving our community and sharing our faith because our hearts are filled with the desire for all our neighbours, friends, co-workers, fellow students and others to know Jesus’ amazing love and grace and power. May we always be asking God, “What now, where do you want me to serve you and others; help us see where you are already at work so we can join you.” May the Lord give us the eyes to see, the ears to hear, and the hearts to respond to his kingdom call on our lives.

Genesis 40 Prison Dreams

 

We’re back into the story of Joseph and his family. Joseph is in prison after being falsely accused of trying to sleep with Potiphar’s wife. He’s in a prison that’s run by Potiphar as captain of Pharaoh's prisons, and because Potiphar knows just how talented Joseph’s administration skills are, Joseph’s put in charge of all that goes on in the prison by the warden. No matter where Joseph ends up, his skill and training keep putting him in positions of responsibility, even if it’s only in prison. Moses, writing Joseph’s story, reminds us that the Lord is with Joseph and giving him success in whatever he does.

This explains why Joseph is trusted with serving two very important political prisoners: Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer and chief baker. To be a chief cupbearer or baker meant that you had Pharaoh’s ear and trust and were often asked to give your thoughts and advice to the most powerful and important person in Egypt. We get a glimpse of what these relationships looked like in Nehemiah, “In the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Because of the trust these positions carried, close relationships often grew between the king or Pharaoh and those who prepared the food they ate, trusting them with their lives. This is why the cupbearer and chief baker are still given respect in prison. Because Joseph’s gifted in making sure things get done well, he’s assigned to attend to the cupbearer and baker, to take care of their needs. Joseph’s now a servant of other prisoners. He’s now so far away from his dreams of ruling, that he must have given up on them.

Time passes and we start to wonder where Joseph’s story is heading. It’s been all downhill so far. Then a glimmer of hope appears. Moses writes, “After they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.” Dreams re-enter Joseph’s life and we know this isn’t coincidence, God’s at work, but how? Are these dreams somehow connected to Joseph’s dreams? Moses then reveals that both dreams have meaning and, as part of Joseph’s story, we listen in because we know they’ll impact Joseph’s life, as his original dreams have.

Joseph comes in the next morning and notices that the two men are looking a little dejected. He asks them, “Why do you look so sad today?” Joseph has learned compassion and empathy for others, so unlike when he was younger. Joseph’s able to see past his own wants and needs and see the needs and hurts of others. He’s grown in compassion. When you stop to think about this, this is pretty amazing. Joseph’s been sold into slavery by his brothers, he’s been lied about and thrown into prison, and now he’s the main servant of other prisoners. Most people would be moaning about how unfair life is, and how they never get a break and deserve so much better, but Joseph has matured in his walk with God, and learned to serve wherever he is, and to care about others. Lessons so many of us need to be reminded of at times. These lessons, looking ahead in Joseph’s story, are going to be really important in his closest relationships later on.

The cupbearer and baker decide to share their dreams with Joseph, even though they believe “there’s no one to interpret them.” Joseph responds in a way that kind of surprises us, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” Joseph has developed humility, turning to God for the wisdom to interpret their dreams. Moses never tells us if Joseph went to God to interpret his own dreams, but Joseph turns to God now for wisdom and insight. This is Joseph’s second confession of faith in God; his first confession of God was when he told Potiphar’s wife that he wouldn’t sleep with her because “it was a wicked thing and a sin against God.” We see Joseph’s growing relationship and dependence in God even though his life is more down than up, more sad than happy, more negative than positive.

I’ve discovered in life and through the Bible, that the closer our walk with Jesus is, the more our faith grows, but also the bigger the challenges we’re given, and often the more suffering that we go through. When Joseph was young, there was no suffering, then in Potiphar’s house, while it wasn’t ideal, life wasn’t so bad and the suffering was easier, but as Joseph grows in his faithfulness to God, he unfairly finds himself in prison serving other prisoners. Jesus constantly challenges our loves, our assumptions, our true values and beliefs, and then calls us to give him control over our entire life, our entire heart, soul and mind and follow him into deep committed servanthood and service. Jesus asks for both our identity and life style.

When suffering and injustice come, we can turn to our Lord who understands injustice. Jesus was sentenced unjustly to death on a cross, but that injustice provided for the forgiveness of our sin. Jesus humbled himself to the injustice, turning to his Father in prayer for another way in the Garden of Gethsemane, but accepting his Father’s plan. Through Jesus’ obedience, we receive forgiveness of our sin. John Calvin tells us to do something similar in his discussion on unjust government in his Institutes, calling the people to obedience rather than rebellion in times of injustice, to examining our own sins to gain humility, and to pray for our ruler and the peace of the city.

We hear Joseph’s suffering as he interprets the dream of the cupbearer. The cupbearer’s dream is of a vine with three branches of grapes. He makes wine out of the grapes and serves it to the Pharaoh. Joseph tells the cupbearer that in three days he will once again serve the Pharaoh, but then we hear the cry of his heart, “But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.” Joseph’s faith in God may be growing, but he still dreams of being free again one day as he cries out against the unfairness of what’s happened to him.

The baker hears Joseph’s interpretation of the cupbearer’s dream and he eagerly shares his dream of three baskets of bread, but the birds come and eat the bread. He’s got to be thinking, “I like this guy, hopefully he gives me a good interpretation too.” Obviously, he didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to Joseph’s warning that interpretations come from God, not from him. Joseph’s interpretation isn’t so great for the baker. “This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh.” Definitely not what the baker was looking for! Sure enough, after three days the cupbearer is given his old position back and the baker is executed.

I wonder if Joseph’s hopes were raised when the cupbearer was raised up to his old position, but considering the way Joseph’s life has already gone, a life filled with injustice against him, Joseph should have known the cupbearer would forget. That’s what happens, once he’s free, the cupbearer forgets Joseph. Paul’s words of reassurance to the Roman church comes to mind, “But we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

I will freely admit that I never look forward to suffering, but I have also learned that those are the times I grow most in my faith; in patience, perseverance, character and hope. As we rest here in Joseph’s story until next Sunday as he remains a servant in prison, we wonder what and who God is shaping Joseph into, what God’s plans for Joseph are. At the same time, in our own times of suffering, stress and experiences of injustice and unfairness, we know that God is always in control and that he will use these times to grow us. We know that Jesus knows suffering and will give us what we need when we ask him. Don’t fear suffering, know that God is with us through it all and he has a plan we can trust.