Trinity 4
Genesis 50:15-21 & Luke 6:36-42
Jesus said in our Gospel, “Be merciful.”
Easier said than done, right?
You wouldn’t blame Joseph in our first reading from Genesis today if he were resentful towards his brothers, would you? After all, Joseph’s brothers hated him when they were younger; they saw him as their father’s favorite. So, they stripped Joseph of the precious robe he received from their father. Threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery, telling their father he was killed in the fields by a wild beast. As time went on, Joseph would be locked behind the bars of an Egyptian prison because he wouldn’t sleep with another man’s wife.
In our minds, Joseph would have every right to be vengeful, full of anger, and resentment towards his brothers.
His brothers know this, too, which is why they send a message to Joseph after their father’s death, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’” And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” (Genesis 50:16-17a)
Did you notice how the brothers corresponded with Joseph in this instance? They “sent this message” to him. They used a messenger because they were afraid to approach Joseph and were filled with guilt.
You can relate to these brothers, can’t you? When you sin against one another, whether it’s caused by your actions or words, it creates a divide between you and a sibling, a family member, or a friend. There is a fear that fills your heart and keeps you from approaching them and seeking forgiveness, isn’t there?
But after everything Joseph went through—the turmoil, grief, and sadness that filled his family—our reading said, “Joseph wept when they spoke to him.” (Genesis 50:17b)
He says to his dear brothers,
“Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. (Genesis 50: 19b-21)
What a remarkable story and image of forgiveness and mercy.
But is it your story?
Jesus says, “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”
But you cannot be as merciful as your Father in Heaven. You think too highly of yourself. You’re right when everyone else is wrong. You are quick to defend yourself. You are jealous. You are angry. You are resentful. You think only of yourself.
And yet, you expect others to admit their wrongs. You want your family members to treat you with the kindness you’ve lacked, not hold grudges, consider your feelings, and look past your shortcomings.
This mirror isn’t pleasant to look into, is it?
It calls you to remove the log within your own eye rather than obsessing over the speck and dust of sin in your neighbor’s eye.
But how can you remove this log from your eye, a cause and reason for such a bitter darkness in your life?
You must repent and confess your sin–your jealousy, your dishonesty, your betrayal.
And the words from the rite of Private Confession and Absolution (found in the Lutheran Service Book) are incredibly helpful as we are invited to confess before our Father in heaven,
I have lived as if God did not matter and as if I mattered most.
My Lord’s name I have not honored as I should;
my worship and prayers have faltered.
I have not let His love have its way with me,
and so my love for others has failed.
There are those whom I have hurt, and those whom I have failed to help.
My thoughts and desires have been soiled with sin.
The confession ends with the individual admitting their sin, saying, “I am sorry for all of this and ask for grace. I want to do better.”
And we should all desire to do better, but that must begin with grace and mercy.
It begins with the grace and mercy of your heavenly Father, who sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, into our world to take on our poisoned flesh. He walks the battered path of life, endures insults, is stripped of His clothes, and is deserted by His brothers as He hangs upon the wood of the cross. He is then placed into the pit of the grave, only to rise again.
He does all this so that the plank in your eye and the sin within your heart may be removed on account of His death and resurrection - the mercy of His Father for you.
You see, too often, we find ourselves at odds with one another. When this occurs, we refuse to humble ourselves, to forgive one another, and to dwell in unity.
But St. Luke writes just a few verses before our Gospel today, “As you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. (Luke 6:31b)
If the shoe were on the other foot between Joseph and his brothers, do you think he’d earnestly desire their forgiveness and mercy?
Of course, “As you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. (Luke 6:31b)
As we journey through this life, we must remember we are not in the place of our God and Father in heaven. We do not stand in the position to judge our neighbors; we do not get to withhold forgiveness. No, instead, just as you come to this rail to receive the mercy of God in the flesh and blood of your Savior Jesus Christ, you are comforted as Jesus speaks kindly and tenderly with you, saying, “Take and eat…take and drink for the forgiveness of your sin.”
And then, just as Christ now dwells within you, you get to be a little Christ to your neighbor, speaking kindly and tenderly to them, forgiving them with the same grace and mercy you've received from your heavenly Father.
Think about that…you get to forgive your neighbors, to have unity and peace, to be merciful, all because your Father in heaven has had mercy on you. +INJ+
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
