What are you waiting for?

Isn’t life on Earth a drudgery?  Job thinks so. (Job 7:1)
 
The author of Ecclesiastes agrees:
“All things are wearisome.” (Eccl. 1:8)
 
But do we have it so hard? 
 
Compare your trials with those of the brother of Joseph in the Old Testament. While testing his brothers, Joseph sent all his brothers back to Canaan to bring Benjamin, the beloved son of their Father, to him. But one of the brothers was imprisoned.  He had to sit in a jail cell as ransom so that the other brothers, accused of being spies, would have a reason to return.
 
Imagine you are that brother.  You are sitting  and waiting.
 
Your brothers will come back, right?  
 
They wouldn’t leave you for dead, right?
 
Except you know they did that once before to Joseph.
 
Can you trust your brothers?
 
Of course, they’ll come back! There’s a famine in Canaan. If they don’t come back, all the tribes of Israel will die!
 
Eventually, they did come back, and the brother who was waiting in prison was set free.
 
Then he learned that it was his brother who put him there to begin with.
 
If only he had known that, he could have waited with much more patience and much more peace.
 
If I were to rewrite this story, it might sound a bit like this:
 
Joseph’s brother was told that he would not be let out of prison until he saw the favored son.
Then, when the favored son was brought in, this brother of Joseph might have said, “Now, let your servant depart in peace, according to your word, for now I know that all of Israel will be saved!”
 
Does that sound familiar? Because that’s exactly what happened at the Presentation of the Temple.
 
The Prophet Simeon was told that he would not see death until he saw the anointed one.
Then, when he saw Jesus, he said, “Now, LORD, you may let your servant depart, according to your word, for my eyes have seen the salvation of all of Israel.”
 
And what was that name of Joseph’s brother who had to sit in prison all that time? It was Simeon!
 
This just shows how much the Prophecy of Simeon, and all of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, point back to Joseph who was a man who experienced the “fall and the rise” of fortune, and who saved all of Israel by safeguarding the bread of abundance from seven years of plenty to last during seven years of famine.
 
What does this mean for US?
 
Well, what are we waiting for? 
 
We are in a prison, but it’s Earth, and it’s beautiful and abundant, and gives us more than we could ever have dreamed of.
 
We’ve been put in this place of waiting by Jesus, our brother.
 
We’re in this place of waiting as a test— to see if we love Him, or if we’ll betray Him again as we have done once before. (see the note below on Mt 25).
 
When we see Him, we will be changed. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
 
And when we “depart in peace,” we will see that we never had anything to worry about in the first place.
 
So if you’re waiting for recovery from physical pain, or a reunion after a separation, or restoration of financial stability, let the image of Simeon be a source of encouragement.
 
Instead, let us recall the words of the Psalmist:
 
“Wait for the LORD with courage —
Be stouthearted and wait for the LORD!”
Psalm 27

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Here are some of the parallels in these two stories:
-“would not see death before”/ “shall not see my face unless” (Lk 2:26, Gen 43:3)
-“parents brought the child (to the house of the LORD)” / “brought to Joseph’s house” (Lk 2:27, Gen 43:17, 18, 24, 26)
-“Lord, let your servant…”/ “Lord, let your servant…” (Lk 2:29, Gen 44:33)
-“according to your word”/ “let your servant speak a word” (Lk 2:29, Gen 44:18)
-“my eye have seen your salvation”/ “set my eyes on him” (Lk 2:30, Gen 44:21)
 
Now take a deep breath and consider more parallels between Joseph and Jesus:
-Both went down to Egypt (Gen 37:28/ Mt 2:15)
-Both parents kept events of childhood “in mind”/ “at hear” (Gen. 37:11/ Lk 2:19, 2:51)


-Both began ministry at age 30 (Gen 41:46/ Lk 3:23)

-Both were betrayed/sold for coins (Gen 37:28/ Mt 26:14)

-Both became slaves (Gen 39:1/ Phil 2:7)

-Both went to prison (Gen 39:20/ 1 Pet 3:19)

-Both conversed w/ 2 others who were condemned (Gen 40:4/ Lk 23:33)
-
[and one found redemption while the other suffered loss]

-"On the third day" (Gen 40:20/ Mt 16:21)
-When they began their ministry, others recommended them to “do whatever he tells you” (Gen. 41:55/ Jn 2:5)

-They were both unrecognized by those closest to him (Gen 42/ Luke 24:16)

-They were both reunited with ten (all but 1) (Gen 42:4/ Jn 20:19)

-They were both reunited with eleven (all) (Gen 43/ Jn 20:26)

-They were both reunited with their Father (Gen 46:29/ Lk 24:51)

-Both gave the world bread (Gen 41:57/ Jn 6:51)
 
Furthermore, Joseph has a moral code. He judged the “tribes” of Israel (inasmuch as his brothers were literally the tribes of Israel), by how they treated Benjamin, the least of his brothers. Similarly, Jesus' moral code is that He will judge all the nations (Mt 25:32) by how they treat the least of his brothers. (Mt 25:40)
 
Jesus says that, "Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friend." (John 15:13) And that is how Joseph knew that Judah had repented.  He offered his life for the life of Benjamin. (Gen 44:33)

Copyright © 2024 Carl Brown