Radical Forgiveness Over Revenge

BEING SALT AND LIGHT

 Radical love, radical kindness and radical forgiveness. These are all in the Bible and many of the stories in scripture show us what it looks like. For a few moments today, I want to explore one story that we will read in worship tomorrow, that has a great example of radical forgiveness. 

The Bible does not pull punches. It shows the best and the worst of human behavior. One of the cruelest stories is about Joseph and his jealous brothers.  I think we need to look at the word jealous for a moment and recognize this is not one of the emotions that puts a smile on God's face. It is also true that we all have experienced jealousy, been jealous and hopefully tried to avoid jealousy. 

Joseph has eleven brothers by several mothers. (that is another story) Joseph is the youngest and seemingly the favorite of his father Jacob. He gets a really cool coat from his father. This makes his brothers very jealous. They decide to kill him, but then they change their minds and throw him down a well and then change their minds again and sell him off as a slave. After that he ends up in Egypt in charge of all the food and farming in Egypt and manges to save Egypt from starvation...to make a long story short. 

Some time later, all his brothers come to Egypt because they, their father, their children and animals are all starving. They heard there was food in Egypt. Guess who is in charge of the food? Joseph.  This is the perfect opportunity for revenge. We know that people love to, need to and often are revengeful. If anyone had a right to be revengeful it was Joseph. BUT GOD!  There it is.  The one thing that changes everything.  Those who walk with God do not practice revenge. They practice forgiveness. 

And to make a long story short again, Joseph lovelingly welcomes his brothers, his father, their families and livestock. He feeds them and cares for them and Joseph is thankful, through all his difficulties he is now able, by the grace of God, to help not only Egypt, but the brothers who had treated him so badly.  Radical forgiveness is far greater than cruel revenge. Spiritual, true followers of God and those who listen to the spiritual words of Jesus practice radical forgiveness.

Along the way,

PN