The Betrayal of Joseph 

They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him.  They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer.  Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits.  Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.”  But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.”  And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father.  So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore.  And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. (Genesis 37: 18 to 24) 

It's nothing new to have rivalry between siblings. Sometimes it could get out of hand, such as the rivalry between Cain and Abel. In this case, all of Joseph's siblings wanted him dead, except Reuben and later Judah. They still hated him but thought that they shouldn't take his life. So, in the end Joseph was sold by his brothers to Midianite merchants for twenty shekels. This unimaginable betrayal would break the heart and will of any young man. The question is why didn't his brothers suffer any consequence? 

The same thing happened to Jesus as the Bible described below. 

He went on from there and entered their synagogue.  And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?  Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”  Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other.  But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. (Matthew 12: 9 to 14) 

The Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus just because he performed a kindness out of their comprehension and practice. Not only that, but they also even blasphemed Jesus as described below. 

Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw.  And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?”  But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” (Matthew 12: 22 to 24) 

Jesus performed a miracle that was so amazing people thought that only the prominent Son of David could do. Yet, the Pharisees smeared it as a demonic act. Then Jesus responded as below. 

Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.  And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. (Matthew 12: 31 32) 

Jesus forgave the Pharisees for the sin and blasphemy they committed against him. Because he knew what they did was to prepare for his crucifixion. Not only that, but he also knew that he would be betrayed by one of his own disciples, the one chosen by him. When Jesus was crucified on the cross, he said as below. 

... “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” ... (Luke 23: 34) 

To fulfill God's will for salvation, Jesus knew that he needed to become the sacrifice to endure the punishment for our sin as said in prophecy. So, all the blasphemy and betrayal against him could be forgiven. Joseph needed to go through the same journey to save Israelites later. So, what his brother did was to fulfill God's will on Jesus. That's why Joseph's brothers were forgiven for what they did to Joseph.   

However, that doesn't mean we are not responsible for any of our wrong doings. If we blaspheme the Holy Spirit, then we will not be forgiven. That's because the Holy Spirit is how we could be convicted. Without it, we couldn't know our transgression and how it offended God's holiness. That's why Jesus performed all his miracles with the Holy Spirit. So, if we blasphemed the Holy Spirit then we blocked people from the chance to be truly convicted by the work of the Holy Spirit and repent to be saved. The Holy Spirit not only brought us to our salvation but also guides us to be godly daily. So, we could walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called. (Ephesians 4: 1).  Emmanuel. 

(To return, select <- on the toolbar)