Distorted realities – to follow them or not?
One of the most fascinating self-disclosures in the Bible for me, is found in Genesis 45 when Joseph says to his brothers: “it was not you who sent me here, but God”. Let’s get the facts straight.
- His brothers wanted to kill him, but then sold him off as a slave,
- His brothers lied to his father that he was dead,
- While serving his master in Egypt, Potiphar’s wife had other plans and he landed in prison.
- The butler in prison conveniently forgot about him for very long.
Using logical thinking, one could question Josephs interpretation. How on earth can he look back over many years of pain and make such a statement? It does not sound good. However, Joseph had something which logical minds by itself do not have. He had a filter/a screen/a set of glasses which aided him in making statements like this. For him, every bit of his personal experience is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle that fits into a bigger puzzle. He could make this interpretation. Despite him at the time all these things happening to him, could not see how the picture in the puzzle would look. He knew he could engage; he knew he could carry on and make the best of his circumstances.
On disclosing himself to his brothers, and then assuring them afterwards he could see things in a different perspective. Let’s look at the differences:
| The brothers | Joseph |
| They sold him | God sent me |
| They hated Joseph | God did it out of love |
| They fear when he disclosed him | Joseph cries because of love |
Same actions, but different understandings. Through a process of years Joseph developed this insight. It was suffering, it was painful, but his realties changed. He saw things different.
Luckily there are other examples of this as well. Look at Jesus. When uncertain in the garden of Gethsemane, when people rejected him shouting “crucify him!”, he continued, and ascended to heaven. Via the cross he received His crown. Look at Paul and his endurances. He suffered but could hold onto a bigger reality which makes him write his victory in Romans 8.
How do you look at the word? Logically? What type of filters do you use?