Revelation scenes are the jewels of great literature. Consider Odysseus’ encounter with his wife at the end of the Odyssey, or the moment in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment when the murderer Raskolnikov finally confesses his crime. Revelation of identity brings about tremendous catharsis. I would propose, though, that Joseph’s revelation to his brothers ranks among the most poignant in literature. Remarkably, though, the story offers us not simply a deeply moving encounter but an icon of God’s mercy. Let’s step into the scene.
Joseph and His Brothers
After years of suffering and imprisonment, Joseph has miraculously risen to the position of governor in Egypt. Famine strikes the land, and all the people come to Egypt to purchase from its surplus of grain—among them, the ten brothers of Joseph. Little do they realize that the great man before them is their own young brother Joseph, the very one they had cast away into slavery so many years ago.
After much suspense, he finally breaks the silence. He dismisses all his servants from the room, and only then, once alone with his brothers, he declares at last to them, “I am Joseph.” As they stand speechless before him, he bids them, “Come closer to me,” and attests again, “I am Joseph, your brother whom you sold into slavery.” Having revealed his name at last, like a man raised from the dead, Joseph gives way to sobs so loud that everyone in the house hears him.
The Weight of Sin
As readers we see the story through Joseph’s struggles, yet here I invite us to consider the encounter from his brothers’ perspective. What was it like for them to finally see Joseph again? What had life been like for them all these years? Consider that after committing the dark deed of selling him into slavery, they surely carried their crime with them every day for all these years. They were never the same after what they had done. Each man in his own way must have languished under the ugliness of his sin, the misery of knowing he had abandoned their brother to slavery and probable death. Joseph, the one they had envied so bitterly, was lost to them forever, and they knew they could never atone for what they had done. Their guilt would have gnawed at each of them like leprosy.
Consider, then, the shock they must have experienced when they beheld Joseph standing before them. Terror would have given way to joyous disbelief when they realized he was offering them forgiveness, a forgiveness they did not deserve. Was such a thing possible? They deserved death, and yet Joseph was pouring upon them not merely mercy, but a genuine fraternal love.
A Torrent of Love
This scene of reconciliation between the brothers mirrors the splendor of God’s own radical mercy towards each of us. To receive Joseph’s words of love and forgiveness must have taken their breath away. So too, God’s mercy rushes forth upon us like a torrent, a passionate onslaught of His love that feels like too much. Indeed, the Lord’s forgiveness is no mere handshake, but an ecstatic embrace. In a glance of the heart, all the wounds are washed away, and He desires simply to draw us close to him. We may consider the touching words which Joseph utters, “Come near to me,” as the Lord’s own tender words of intimacy to us even after we have sinned against Him.
Let us take to prayer this dramatic scene of forgiveness between Joseph and his brothers. Let us allow ourselves to experience that same overflowing gift of mercy from the God who rejoices in our coming to Him. Jesus lavishes great love upon us; may we always receive it with open arms!
[Readings: Genesis 44:18-21, 23b-29; 45:1-5; Matthew 10:7-15]
