Introduction: Think back over what happened yesterday.  When all hung in the balance, Judah put himself forward and pleaded for the life of Benjamin.  Not for his own sake, or even for his brother’s sake, but for the sake of his father: “How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father.”

Let’s take a moment and think about what we just saw.

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A Homiletical Interlude (Part 1)

At this point, what everyone knew was laid on the table for all to see.  Even the reader’s information had been incomplete: though we knew more than the characters did, we never knew their motivations, nor did we know how they would respond when the truth came out.  That mystery makes a good story great.  

So let’s review what everyone now knows:

- Judah really was a transformed creature, going all the way back to the Tamar story.  He had been humbled, and turned that passive experience into active humility.    

- For whatever reasons Joseph began these trials of his brothers, the result is now a joyful reunion: Joseph welcomes them, years after they rejected him. 

- Joseph knew his brothers had changed (or at least that Judah had, and everyone seemed to follow him).  Since their final test was how they would respond to Joseph’s reappearance, you now know they’ve changed too.  

- But let’s not get carried away: the brothers really do need to suck up to Joseph, because he’s firmly in charge of all situations now.  Joseph could still exact revenge in myriad ways – not least of which is telling Jacob what really happened to him twenty years ago.  The brothers have reason to fear him – and to make nice.  

- So what Joseph does is incredibly magnanimous: now that he has the upper hand, he forgives, restores, and welcomes.

Tomorrow we look at the implications of all this.  And, of course, Jesus will come up.

Have a great trip!

 Daddio