Yesterday, the first reading was the story of Jacob wrestling with the divine. In yesterday’s reflection, in part, we considered that some modern scholars interpret the episode as an inner struggle—a symbolic rendering of Jacob’s crisis of identity before again encountering Esau years after his betrayal of his brother. The wrestling match is a dramatization of Jacob’s internal turmoil: fear of Esau, guilt over past deceit, and a quest for blessing. Today’s first reading picks up some of those same themes.
Several chapters earlier in Genesis 37 we learned that Joseph, the youngest of Jacob’s sons, was sold into slavery by his older brothers: “When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his brothers, they hated him so much.” (Gen 37:4) While some wanted to kill Joseph, his brother Judah prevailed and convinced the others to sell Joseph for twenty pieces of silver to Midianite traders on their way to Egypt.
Our reading picks up the story when the world is in famine and all are coming to Egypt to buy grain. As noted, the brothers do not recognize their youngest sibling in his finery and royal position.
Joseph’s rise to power and his stewardship of Egypt’s resources are seen by scholars as a demonstration of divine providence working through human history. Joseph’s management of Egypt and his control of grain during famine are not simply political accomplishments but instruments of God’s saving plan. His authority foreshadows salvation not just for Egypt but for his family—and ultimately Israel. In this way, Joseph is seen as a type of Christ: the one who is rejected, suffers, and becomes the savior of many.
The story also plays out on a personal level as a story about reconciliation, setting the stage for a confrontation between past guilt and present mercy.
One of the key movements is Joseph’s seemingly harsh treatment of his brothers. The “youngest” of Jacob’s sons, Benjamin, had stayed at home with their father. Before any grain will be sold to the brothers, they must prove their honesty, and return with Benjamin. No doubt this reminds them of their treachery towards Joseph. Those remaining in Egypt were imprisoned for three days. Is it simply revenge? Is it a test to see if they have changed? Scholars remark that Joseph is testing whether his brothers will abandon one another again or act in solidarity. At the same time, imprisonment reverses fortunes and places the brothers in an experience of powerlessness.
In the cauldron of time and powerlessness, the brothers’ discussion among themselves reflects their conscience being stirred for the first time since selling Joseph into slavery. It is a pivotal moral moment. The brothers confess guilt, showing the beginning of transformation. The text subtly shifts the focus from famine to spiritual famine—the barrenness of broken relationships. It forms the beginning of reconciliation through truth-telling. Guilt, accountability, and truth-telling become the doorway to healing. Joseph’s weeping indicates the cost of reconciliation—not cheap forgiveness, but painful honesty.
Honesty and guilt over their past deeds become the start of the path to blessing.
It is a lesson we are all called to remember.
Image credit: Joseph pardons his Brothers | Bacchiacca (Francesco d’Ubertino), 1515 | Part of the series “Scenes from the Story of Joseph” | The National Gallery, London | PD-US