Sunday, September 22, 2013

Joseph

As so often in myth and legend, the hero can achieve enlightenment only by taking an arduous path through the shadow of death. – Karen Armstrong, In the Beginning
Quick review…  Abraham sensed God calling him to leave his homeland to begin a new nation and, along with it, a new way of thinking and relating to God.  For the most part, Abraham gave a solid “Okay” to God’s invitations to step out in new directions.  One of those moments involved nearly sacrificing his only son, Isaac, which traumatized the kid for the rest of his life.  Isaac became the father of Esau and Jacob, but he made no efforts to hide the fact that he loved his hirsute son more than the future namesake of the nation of Israel.  Blind to the dynamics occurring before him, he mistakenly gave his blessing (read: estate) to his slightly younger son, Jacob,who deceived his dad to acquire a future much brighter than his brother deserved.  Jacob, harboring massive sibling rivalry issues, perpetuated his problems into his own family, creating a dysfunction that would be too much for even Dr. Phil.  He had two wives and twelve sons between them (and their maidservants), but he loved wife Rachel more than her sister Leah, and he loved Rachel’s boys more than all the rest.  The most beloved son was number 11 in the line up.  His name was Joseph.  You can read his story in Genesis’ chapters 37-50.  Grab a cup of coffee and take an hour to enjoy the story which led to a major Broadway hit, Joseph and the Amazing TechniColor Dreamcoat.

Joseph, from day one, was given the impression from his father that he was more special than his brothers.  He even had a fancy, expensive robe to prove it.  His ego was huge, which was evident in his approach to his brother on various occasions.  His holier-than-thou attitude caught up with him, though, and through his brothers’ malicious acts winded up a slave in Egypt.  He kept focused, however, and, through a crazy series of events, wound up being VP of Egypt!  Sort of.  Anyhoo, his riches to rags to riches story found him living pretty high on the hog (even though he was Jewish).  He got married, and had two sons, whose names indicated that his misery was over and done with – he had really, finally let go of the pain of his brothers’ mistreatment.
Joseph was a survivor who, unlike Noah and Lot, used his experience to find some measure of healing… But it is never safe to assume that we have wholly transcended past pain and resentment. – Karen Armstrong, In the Beginning
All that joy and peace got challenged one day when his brothers came to Egypt for help during the famine.  They, of course, did not recognize him.  But for Joseph, everything came rushing back.  And even though most tend to focus on some of his actions that gave the impression that he made amends and they all lived on as one big happy family, there are not-so-subtle words and actions that let us know Joseph hadn’t evolved as much as we would have hoped.  Like father, like son.

He gave God full credit for the entire saga – not even giving his brothers the benefit of having power enough to even do evil to Joseph. 

He used the “God’s will” card to excuse any of his own wrongdoing, too, so that he didn’t have to own any of his junk which certainly contributed to his perilous journey.

When Daddy Jacob was on his deathbed, the ten older brothers were terrified of what Joseph might do to them – does it sound like resolution happened?

After all of this, a strange twist comes at the end of the story of beginnings.  The future King of Israel – centuries from the date of Jacob’s death – would not come from Joseph’s favored lineage, but from another, surprising candidate: Judah.

Judah lived up to his family heritage.  He was not a good father, and was, indeed, a scoundrel.  His son died, leaving his daughter-in-law, Tamar, without any children (and thus without hope in her day).  According to custom, his brother was supposed to sire a child with her for his deceased brother.  But he refused.  Then he died.  Judah’s remaining son was not allowed to marry Tamar for fear that he might die as well, so Tamar was left out in the cold, so to speak.  Tamar was quite clever, however.  She put on the clothes of a prostitute and placed herself in Judah’s path, who was happy to oblige her invitation.  Unfortunately, he discovered too late that he left hi wallet at home, so he had to give her some other personal effects as collateral – a signet ring, a cord, and staff.  Jerk.

Three months later, Tamar is discovered to be with child, so naturally Judah called for her execution – what a whore!  But then Tamar produced the ring, cord and staff.  Judah could no longer deny his indiscretions.  She became Judah’s wife, and bore two sons.  This episode in Judah’s life, compounded by his role in Joseph’s trauma, radically transformed him.  The evidence of which came when he offered to give his life in exchange for Benjamin, to keep his father from experiencing the loss of a second son, which he knew all too well.  He finally had compassion for his father who probably never returned it.
Judah had been able to accept the painful truth that had torn siblings apart since the time of Cain: that love is unfair. Only when we accept this and make peace with past pain and rejection can we move positively into the future as whole human beings. Instead of allowing his own tragedies to sour and fester, Judah had used them imaginatively to heal past wounds. His own suffering enabled him to enter the inner world of the father who had wronged him. Judah had also learned from his experience with Tamar that it is only when we admit that we have been wrong that we can take full control of our lives and stop the ongoing cycle of violence, deception, and reprisal that holds us in thrall. – Karen Armstrong, In the Beginning
From Judah’s lineage with Tamar would come Perez, from whose line would eventually bring King David, and many moons later, Jesus.

Genesis is a messy story of the beginnings of the people and faith of Israel.  We are left to struggle with what we see about ourselves, and about God.  But at least in Judah’s case, the struggle yields benefits that reach far beyond our normal scope.  Sometimes it feels like we are struggling with God as an adversary.  But trusting that God has our best interests in mind, it’s more like God is struggling with us toward the same goal – shouldering some of the strain even though it may feel like God is the source.  Thanks, Anne Edmunds, for that interesting insight at our group last night.


So, how is your struggle going?

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