Our exclusive interview with Joseph bar Jacob continues with his shocking revelation of the reason for pretending not to recognize his brothers. If you were reading this on the internet, you would need to scroll through about forty ads, and then surrender your name, email address, and social security number before we would give you information that you already know. Fortunately for you, this is an old-fashioned newspaper where the news you seek is presented at the top of the story. We did, however, use double exclamation points and the word, “shocking.” We hope this got your attention.
Arrow: Joseph, the part of your story that I have always found amusing is the arrival of your brothers in Egypt. Can you tell us why you pretended to treat them as spies? Were you just toying with them for amusement? Were you trying to get even with them? It had been twenty years since you last saw them, and they were certainly in no position to harm you again. Why didn’t you reveal who you were right away?
Joseph: That is complicated, and I will admit to a certain amount of glee in watching them squirm. At first, I wanted to test them to see if they had changed. But it soon became apparent to me that they had a great deal of unfinished business to deal with, and I knew that my subterfuge could help them to face it.
Arrow: That’s very interesting. What did you observe, that brought you to that conclusion?
Joseph: There were many signs, first of all, they were still lying about what had happened to me. Remember that I could understand what they were saying when they thought they were speaking in a foreign language. Even after all those years, they still felt guilty, they were afraid of God’s retribution, and they were blaming each other. It wasn’t hard to see that selling me into slavery had a profound and negative impact on family dynamics.
Arrow: Wow! So maybe it isn’t true that time heals all wounds.
Joseph: No, we can delay dealing with the issues of our past, but they continue to darken our hearts and steal our joy until we deal with them.
Arrow: You sound like a psychologist. Where did you get this insight?
Joseph: Have you forgotten that I’m quite skilled at interpreting dreams? Perhaps what my generation called magicians and wise men; you now refer to as psychologists.
Arrow: And did your brothers deal with their unfinished business?
Joseph: I’m not sure that all of them did, but when Judah was willing to trade places with Benjamin, I knew for certain that he had changed. It was then that I knew it was time to reveal my identity. I’ve learned that there are three types of repentance. The first type I call “Busted.” That’s when you get caught and can’t deny it. The second is “Sorry,” or “I wish I hadn’t done that.” “True repentance” is when you recognize that you have been going the wrong way and turn around.”
Questions for Thought and Discussion
Genesis 42-44
- What unfinished business were Joseph’s brothers avoiding?
How did this affect them and their family?
2. How did Joseph force his brothers to deal with the issues?
What were the results?
3. What unfinished business might you need to face?
4. What insights from Genesis 42-44 can help you to deal with unfinished business from your past?