One obvious reality that I have become aware of in my brief
time as a pastor is the need for basic Biblical literacy. The average believer
sitting in the pews will not be able to quickly answer whether it was Daniel or
David who was thrown in to the lion’s den. Often these illiterate faithful are
very pious and devout. However without a comprehension of the basic stories of
scripture they are missing out on opportunities to deepen their faith. For
example, Isaiah 53 (song of suffering servant) will be read in nearly all
Christian traditions that observe good Friday liturgy. Yet how many of the
participants will make the connection between the prophecy of Isaiah and Christ
crucified? This predicament is compounded by the inability of a preacher to
address all of the scriptural allusions in a ten to fifteen minute homily.
If
faithful can remain devout, why is basic Biblical literacy important? It is
because of these words of our Lord Jesus Christ: “You study the Scriptures
diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the
very Scriptures that testify about me” (John 5:39). If the scriptures
testify of Christ, then a greater understanding of those very scriptures will
deepen our intimacy with Christ. In order for me to inculcate the faithful in
parish with basic Biblical literacy I have decided to preach a series of
homilies concerning Christ based on the first five books of Moses. These
homilies will be delivered between the Sundays between feast of Resurrection
and feast of Pentecost. The scripture portion selected for the homily will be
the portion found in the lectionary for the given Sunday.
The portion
of Torah that is read for Bright Sunday (first Sunday after Easter) is Genesis
41:41-46. In this portion we hear the
story of how Joseph is set over the Kingdom of Egypt by Pharaoh. While I am not
exactly sure whether this section was found in the early versions of the
lectionary or is part of revision to the lectionary in the late 20th
century, we can clearly see the connections between Joseph’s exaltation by
Pharaoh and Christ’s exaltation by God the Father. (I will leave the question
of whether the lectionary revisions were a good thing for a later post.)
The
book of Genesis is part of a collection that the Jewish people refer to as the
Torah (law). According to Jewish understanding, the Old Testament books are
divided into three collections, namely Torah (law), Nebi’im (Prophets) and
Kethubim (Writings) and are together referred to as the ‘TaNaK’. The book of
Genesis is called as “Beresit” which are the opening words of the book and
translate to “In the beginning”. As that
title implies, the book of Genesis focuses on the beginnings and the source of
the beginnings. As such the first eleven chapters narrate the beginning of the
world by God and chapters twelve to fifty narrate the beginning of God’s
special community. This second section can be further divided into God’s
special relationship with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (collectively known as the
Patriarchs) and Jacob’s twelve children (specifically to Joseph).
The
short reading set apart for this Sunday’s reading concerning the exaltation of
Joseph as second in command in the kingdom of Egypt serves as a type of the
exaltation of Christ by God the Father.
First
Pharaoh sets Joseph over the Kingdom. “Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘See, I
have set you over all the land of Egypt’”(Genesis 41:41). The words of Pharaoh
to Joseph must be read together with Psalm 2:6 – "I have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain." Psalm 2 is a messianic Psalm that prophesies
the messianic reign over the kingdom of God (Rev. 21, Rev. 22, Matt 28:18,
Ephesians 1:22, Philippians 2:9-11, Hebrews 12:22). In fact there are several
parallels between exaltation of Joseph and exaltation of Christ. Prior to the
exaltation Joseph was in prison and Christ also was in the prison of Hades just
prior to his exaltation. As we read in St Peter, “After being made alive, he
went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits” (1 Peter 3:19). Pharaoh
puts Joseph in charge of his house and so also God the Father sets Christ as
head of his house the church.
Second Joseph is entrusted with
Pharaoh’s ring. Pharaohs usually possessed a signet ring which when pressed
will leave an impression. The impression is the authoritative image of Pharaoh
himself. Similarly Christ is the image of God the Father. For we read in
Colossians 1:15 that “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn
over all creation.”
Third the entire nation bows their
knee as Joseph rides on Pharaoh’s second chariot. The veneration given to
Joseph alludes to the worship that Christ receives from his followers. As St
Paul teaches the Philippians, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Philippians
2:9-10 ).
Fourth Pharaoh grants Joseph with
power over life and death. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without
your consent no man will lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt”
(Gen 41:44). We know that the victory of resurrection is that Christ triumphs
over death.
In addition to these direct
parallels from the unit we can also garner the inspiration that God works out
his purpose in the life of Joseph, using the trials and falls as steps in
larger picture of Israel’s redemption. Joseph’s suffering became a means of
redemption of the nation of Israel (as Joseph himself tells his family in
Genesis 50:20). God similarly used the passion of Christ to bring about
redemption to all of creation. The story of Joseph teaches us that God’s
providential power is always active in our lives. Even when others betray us (as
Joseph’s brothers did to him) or when others malign our reputation with false
accusations (as Potiphar’s wife did to Joseph) or forget us (as the chief cupbearer
did to Joseph), God is able use those tragedies as part of his overall plan for
our salvation and for those around us. It is for this reason that when we
reflect on the parallels between Joseph and Christ we can find encouragement in
the following words of St Paul : “And we know that in all things God works for
the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his
purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
