On Mercy – What Does This Mean?

Dear Saints, today we hear about God’s mercy. And we hear it framed at the end of the Joseph Narratives in Genesis. Joseph is the 11th of 12 brothers. He is his father’s favorite. He is given a special robe. He is given dreams, and these dreams make his brothers jealous and angry. He tattles on his brothers, telling his father what they’ve done wrong. In short, his brothers hate him. And I suppose we can understand why.

One day, Jacob sends his son Joseph into the fields to give him a report on his brothers. When they see him coming, they conspire against him. They say to themselves something like, “Here comes that dreamer. Let us kill him.“ But the oldest, Reuben, prevents this evil from happening. Instead, he convinces them to throw him into a cistern. He expects to come back later and pull his brother out. But while he is away, some slave traders come by and the brothers sell Joseph into slavery.

Joseph is taken to Egypt where he is again sold, this time to a man named Potiphar. Potiphar and his house are blessed because of Joseph. Joseph is made second in charge of the household. But again, evil happens to Joseph. Potiphar’s wife desires Joseph and repeatedly tries to get him to sleep with her. He refuses, and one day when he is alone in the house with her, she again makes an advance, He runs away from her leaving his tunic in her hands. She accuses Joseph of assault, and he is thrown into prison.

While he sits in the pit that is the prison of Egypt, he again is blessed. He Is put in charge of all the prisoners. All that he did, like in Potiphar’s house, succeeded. And then, two of Pharaoh’s servants, his chief cupbearer and the chief baker, are thrown into prison. They have dreams while they are there, and Joseph interprets them. They come true, and when the cupbearer is restored Joseph asked him to remember him.

But the cupbearer forgets Joseph. Two years later, Pharaoh has some dreams. His wise men and magicians cannot figure out what they mean. And then, the cupbearer remembers Joseph. He tells Pharaoh of a man in prison who interpreted his dream. So, Joseph is sent for and stood before Pharaoh.

Joseph interprets the dreams of Pharaoh. He tells him there will be 7 years of abundance followed by 7 years of great famine. He tells Pharaoh that he should appoint someone to manage the affairs of Egypt in these abundant times so that they would be fed during the lean. And Pharaoh appoints Joseph for the task. The years of abundance come and go. And now during the famine, Joseph’s family is out of food. They are hungry. And they hear that Egypt has food for sale. Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to buy food. And when they arrive, they stand before Joseph. Joseph recognizes them, but they do not recognize their brother.

Joseph orchestrates a family reunion. He provides for his family and doesn’t even take their money. In the course of time, Joseph’s family stands before him. They are reunited. Pharaoh hears of what has happened and he gives them the choice land of Egypt to live in: Goshen.

Finally, Jacob dies. And when he does, his sons who sold Joseph into slavery fear. They think that because their father has died Joseph will take revenge on them. They think he will deal with their evil by returning it. And so, they come up with a story. They say that their father, before he died, gave them a message for Joseph. “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin because they did evil to you. And now please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father. “

When he heard this, Joseph wept. He wept not because he couldn’t execute revenge and retribution, but because his brothers thought it was necessary to come up with this story. Yes, they did great evil to him. Yes, Joseph suffered greatly in his life because of this evil. But Joseph isn’t interested in revenge. Joseph realizes that everything that happened to him was to fulfill God’s purpose. It was so God would keep his promise to Adam and Eve that he made to them in the garden. Joseph suffered that the promised Messiah would come.

In our text, Joseph is a type and a shadow of Christ. He is hated by his brothers. He is betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery for silver. Joseph is metaphorically killed and buried by being thrown not only into a cistern but into a prison. And Joseph is raised out of that prison and made to oversee Egypt. At the end of the Joseph Narrative, we read that Joseph comforted and spoke kindly to his brothers. He did not desire revenge; He desired to provide peace.

See how this is a shadow of our Lord. Our Lord comes, he takes on our flesh, and his hated by his kindred. He proclaims the coming of the Kingdom of God, and he is rejected. He is betrayed for silver and he is murdered, crucified on the cross. He is put into a grave. And on the third day, he rises again.

It would only be natural for those who see him after the resurrection to expect revenge and retribution from Jesus. It is, after all, what they deserve for killing the very Son of God. It would be expected for a supposedly devoted disciple who runs away scared and locks themselves away in an upper room.

But Jesus does not come for revenge. He comes to give peace. He comes to grant forgiveness. He comes to reconcile all to his Father. Jesus comes to show the mercy of God.

The scribes and Pharisees of the first century rallied the people so Pilate was compelled crucify the Christ. The people clamored for a murderer and insurrectionist released instead of our Lord. Their evil words and desires put Jesus on the tree. Because of their murderous thoughts and desires, our Lord was crucified.

When Jesus appears to his disciples, they also fear what he will do. But he does not have words of judgment for them. Instead, he brings to them peace and mercy. He forgives them for abandoning him. He forgives them for all the sin they have committed. Because, even though what he suffered was meant for evil, God…Jesus meant it for good.

You and I were not in Jerusalem on that day so many centuries ago. Our voices didn’t join in the chorus of, “Crucify Him!” We didn’t run away and lock ourselves away. But we do know the evil in our hearts. We know the hateful, i.e., murderous, thoughts we’ve had in our own hearts. We know that it is our sin that was carried by Jesus to the cross. We know that it is because of our sin that he took on flesh, was hated, was betrayed, and was crucified. It was for you that he suffered.

Our sin deserves punishment. We deserve retribution. We deserve no mercy. And yet, this is precisely what Jesus has come to give you. We come to him and we ask for his pardon. We confess our transgressions and evil committed against one another and against him. We beg for mercy.

Our Lord does not weep when he hears this. Jesus opens his arms in blessing. He says, “Do not fear, for I am your God. You have done evil against me. You have caused me great harm. But your Father has meant it for your eternal good. He has brought about what happened to me so that the many should be made alive. Do not fear, only believe.”

Lest I forget, I should mention one way that Jesus is different than Joseph. Joseph goes and reports on his brothers. He tells on them when they’ve done wrong. Jesus does not tattle. He pleads on our behalf. Instead of reporting what we have done, Jesus advocates and intercedes for us before the Father. He shows his nail scarred hand and feet, his pierced side, and brings to remembrance that he has already suffered. He would have us receive mercy.

Our Heavenly Father shows us his mercy in the same way he shows us his love. He sent his Son to die in our place. In joyful response, we in turn show mercy to our fellow man. We are patient when evil is done for us. We do not judge or condemn them. Their actions, yes, but not them. We call them to repent and forgive. But we do this in humility, realizing we are often guilty of the same things that are done to us. We forgive because we have been forgiven. May we rejoice in this great mercy our Heavenly Father continually bestows upon us. Amen.

Rev. Brent Keller
Peace Lutheran Church
Alcester, SD