Heartbreak & Deconstruction

And in chapter 50, Joseph responds kind of to his brothers and to their worldview.

And he says, even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good in order to preserve a numerous people as he is doing today.

Joseph sees reality differently than his brothers do.

And he is interacting in a world in a way that is different.

And I think he has deconstructed from their worldview into a more expansive one.

And so I think the question for us is, how does Joseph become the kind of person Who has deconstructed to such an expansive view of reality in this story? I think there are themes in his life that can be instructive for us if we're open to it.

And so I want to kind of go back to the beginning, do a speed run through Joseph's life, and look at a few key moments that happened there.

We're going to start with Joseph's a dreamboat.

He's got an amazing Technicolor dream coat.

You know, he hears he gets dreams.

He's the favorite child of his father.

He's given this amazing clothing.

And in many ways, I resonate with this part of Joseph's story.

I'm an impeccable dresser.

I am very popular, at least in my own mind, which I think is also how Joseph was.

He's also a bit of a prick.

So he's like, I'm the best.

And I don't mind telling people that.

And he's already having dreams.

And so he goes one day to visit his brothers who are out tending the flocks.

And they decide, you know what? We've had enough of this guy.

We could kill him.

And let's just get rid of him.

And we get to this passage, and Judah, the oldest brother, says, brothers, what are we going to get out of killing our brother and concealing the evidence? Let's sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let's not kill him.

He is, after all, our brother, our own flesh and blood.