The Butler and Baker's Dreams 

So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me, and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes.  Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand.”  Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days.  In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh's cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer.  Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house.  For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.” When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.”  And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days.  In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.” (Genesis 40: 9 to 19) 

Joseph was put into the prison falsely. However, God was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. So, he put Joseph in charge of everything like Joseph's old master.   

Then Joseph encountered two of Pharaoh's officers whom Pharaoh was wroth against and were put into the same prison as Joseph. One night, they both had a dream and couldn't understand. So, Joseph interpreted their dreams for them.  Usually, when we had something good to say, we would not hold back the details because we like to please people so that they may appreciate us. However, when we don't have something good to say, we might not say it, or at least not so explicitly, hence people won't get upset or offended by us. So, maybe one day they would return the favor when we needed it, like in Joseph's case. However, Joseph shared the good news to the butler as well as the bad news to the baker to the last detail. For the baker, not only would he die, but also be hung on the tree and the birds would eat his flesh. Joseph didn't hide anything to make the baker feel less miserable. Maybe that's why God chose Joseph. Because Joseph didn't use his own judgement to determine what's good or bad. He merely delivered the message like he said: "Do not interpretations belong to God?" 

Do not offend people even though it's the truth. That seems to be a common practice, the so-called political correctness nowadays.  o, everything is no longer black and white. Everything is just a different opinion. Everybody is entitled to his/her own opinion. If we don't step over each other's boundaries, then that's politically correct.   

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says as below. 

Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. (Matthew 5: 37) 

So, as a Christian, we should only speak of the truth. The question is how?  Jesus taught his disciples as below. 

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.  All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16: 13 to 15) 

Simply put, the Holy Spirit will guide us into the truth for things to come just like Joseph. Not only that, but the Holy Spirit will also glorify Jesus Christ and make what is his and declare it to us. That's why the truth guided by the Holy Spirit is so important for a born-again Christian. The world is trying to blur our vision from the truth so that we will ascertain things based on our own knowledge of good and evil. So, everything is relative to us including God. That's why we don't know what is coming to us. If we let the Holy Spirit guide us into the truth, then he will let us know what to come so that we will not be in the dark and lose faith. It's simple and it's a promise.  Emmanuel. 

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