Midweek Homily "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good"

The Sixth Wednesday and Thursday in Lent – Genesis 50:15-21

O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. 

In Book 6 of Homer’s Iliad, Hector returns briefly from the battlefield to his City of Troy and stands with his wife Andromache and infant son. Hector will shortly return to the battlefield with his brother Paris. Hector says, “Andromache, dear one, why so desperate? Why so much grief for me? No man will hurl me down to earth, against my fate. And fate? No one alive has ever escaped it, neither brave man nor coward, I tell you – its born with us the day that we are born.”

I begin our reflection on the Gospel promises in Genesis with this quote because Hector states a common belief, then and now, that we are all fated to a particular end and destiny. Fate cannot be changed, or so it is often believed. The Fates determined that Hector must die at the hands of Achilles. Fate determines that Achilles will die after Paris puts an arrow in his one vulnerable spot, the infamous heel. 

The Lord our God disagrees with the theology of fate. The book of Genesis presents us with a very different vision and interpretation of life. Humans are granted the ability to change the trajectory of human affairs through their choices. God reserves the privilege and freedom to intervene in human affairs to change the direction of our lives. 

We see this already in Genesis 3. Adam chose to turn away from God’s clear command to not eat of the fruit of that one tree in the Garden. When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, God chose to remove them from the ease and security of the Garden of Eden and at the same time He gave them a promise of a blessed intervention. The eternal Son of the eternal Father will crush the wily head of Satan.  The descendants of Adam and Eve are not fated to a particular dismal end. The reign of sin, death, and the devil is not inevitable nor everlasting. The Savior is coming. 

Until the Savior comes, we are given glimpses of the scope of God’s coming intervention. Throughout Genesis, God gives us promises of the coming Christ. We have already noted the promise of Genesis 3:15; Noah’s faith and the transformative power of water which points to baptism; the substitute Ram in place of Isaac’s sacrifice points us to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross; Jacob’s vision of the stairway to heaven points us to how Christ will come down to us and carry us to heaven. Now, in the tail end of Joseph’s episodic life, the mature Joseph, sees the larger picture of God’s intervention. God transforms the intention of betrayal to a greater good.

Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery. Upon becoming a trusted slave in Potifar’s house, Joseph is betrayed by Potifar’s wife. Yet, Joseph was not fated to either slavery nor a dismal death in a dank prison. Through the gift of interpretation of dreams, Joseph comes to the attention of Pharoah. Joseph is elevated from prisoner to second in command in all of Egypt. Joseph saves Egypt from ruin. When Joseph is presented with the opportunity to enact revenge upon his brothers, Joseph’s faith in the one true God, directs him to forgive his original betrayers, and provide sustenance and protection for his family. 

Once destined for an anonymous life as a slave through betrayal by his brothers, God’s intervention permits Joseph to save his family and provide a place for them to grow and prosper. Joseph said, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Thus, through this unexpected turn of events, the promise of God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob continues. This family, this people, their faith in the one true God, will be a blessing to all the world. 

Jesus, born of Mary, God incarnate, is that blessing. Jesus too suffered a brutal betrayal by one close to him. Judas, an apostle of Jesus, for his own sad and dark reasons, sought payment to betray Jesus. Judas received 30 pieces of silver. Joseph’s brothers received 20 pieces. 

Should Judas have sought forgiveness from the resurrected Jesus, Jesus would probably use words similar to Joseph’s, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good,…” Due to Judas’ way of dealing with his own remorse, he was unable to hear Jesus’ explanation. But, we can know this. In the preaching of the Apostles, we learn the truth of Psalm 118:22 - “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” The Messiah that was rejected, the one who was betrayed, the one that received such vile hatred and evil and violence, received it for our good. In Jesus’ suffering and death, he bore our sin. Jesus received the Father’s wrath for all of our sins. From the cross, he receives our sins, so that we may receive in exchange, his righteousness and his forgiveness. Jesus’ gift to us is that He takes our sins and we receive the fruit of his spilled blood. In faith we receive His gifts to us. 

Joseph used his elevated status to provide for his family. When Jesus was elevated on the cross, his shame became our salvation. When Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, Jesus continues his ministry to us and He intercedes for us   

People continue to us the word fate to describe a destiny about which no one can escape. We rejoice that God shows through his Word that He intends to destroy the lie of “fate” and pre-determined outcomes by his glorious grace and mercy. God is moved by love to offer salvation through his Son to the whole world. He desires that every person receive the gift of his salvation through faith. For his Gospel promises, we say “Thanks be to God.”     

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.