Living on Mission with Joseph, Choosing Mercy

Living on Mission with Joseph, Choosing Mercy

“Hey Losers! Remember that time I had a dream that you would bow down to me? Remember how it made you so mad that you wanted to kill me?  Remember how you chose to sell me as a slave instead?  Remember how you told dear old dad that I was dead? Who’s laughin’ now, suckers?!?!?” (My version of what Joseph COULD have said, but didn’t.)

Can you imagine how Joseph felt when he saw his brothers come in to buy food? The last time he saw them he was looking up at them from the bottom of a pit. We know that he said God had blessed him and caused him to forget his former troubles, but this passage makes me think that all of those memories came flooding back when he saw his brothers again.  At one point he was so overcome with emotion that he had to turn away and weep.

Here’s the thing.  Joseph had every right pass judgment and to throw his brothers in prison forever or even have them executed. You can bet that Pharaoh would have backed that decision. But, Joseph chose mercy instead of passing an instant/impulse judgment.

What would I have done? What would you have done?

I know what I’ve done in the past and it’s not something I’m proud of. Yes, I had been wronged but I showed no mercy. Not only were my words harsh, but I handed down immediate judgment out of hurt, anger, and fear – leaving nothing but a shattered relationship.

Thank God, Joseph took a different path! He chose the path of mercy, which led to eventual restoration. That, my friends, is exactly what we are called to do. Restore. Redeem. Act justly. Love mercy. We’ll never get to restoration if we don’t choose mercy over judgment.

Let’s practice Living on Mission, and learn to choose mercy instead of judgment.

Pastor Angela