Joseph's Restoration 

Then he washed his face and came out. And controlling himself he said, “Serve the food.”  They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.  And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement.  Portions were taken to them from Joseph's table, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.  (Genesis: 31 to 34) 

When Joseph saw his brothers bringing Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house to slaughter an animal and make ready, for they were to dine with him at noon. He then sat his brothers according to their pecking order. They looked amazed. What Joseph did was more than for their amazement, he was trying to restore the order in the family.   

There were some dark histories in the family. At first, Simeon and Levi took violent revenge for the defying of their sister Dinah by Shechem. They tricked the inhabitants of the city Shechem into circumcising themselves and slaughtered them when they were weakened. Then Reuben and Judah committed adultery. Don't even mention that they sold their own brother due to jealousy. It was really a dysfunctional family. Even Jacob didn't know what to do. So, what Joseph did was to restore the order in the family.   

Furthermore, in Joseph's dreams there were binding sheaves and stars. Binding sheaves means that each of his brothers would have their own domain and boundary. Stars means that each of them would have their own position and name in the Israel entity. This was just like how God created earth and heaven in an orderly manner out of the darkness and chaos; Joseph would restore the Israel family out of their darkness and chaos. In the end, portions were taken to them from Joseph's table, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as their brothers. 

This is just like what Jesus did to his church. At first, we are everyone. We like to do things according to our own knowledge of good and evil. The result was darkness and chaos. After we have been saved, the Holy Spirit is restoring us in an orderly manner as the body of Christ according to the will of God as described in the Bible below.   

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.  For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.  For the body does not consist of one member but of many.  If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.  And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?  But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.  If all were a single member, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. (First Corinthians 12: 12 to 20) 

So, because of Jesus, we no longer behave according to our own will but function as one body in an orderly manner. Also, the importance and value of each member is not judged by us but by God as the parable of laborers in the vineyard described by Jesus below. 

And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’  And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.  Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius.  And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’  But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you.  Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’  So the last will be first, and the first last.” (Matthew 20: 8 to 16) 

In our own flesh, we all wanted to be the first so that we could be valued more. However, as members of the body, only God could judge our values. Just like Benjamin, he was born the youngest in the family, yet his potion was five times as much as his brothers. If we humble ourselves to be the last, then the last will be first, and the first last. We will no longer be the last.  Emmanuel. 

(To return, select <- on the toolbar)