Knowing Jesus

Genesis 49:28-5:21

Opening

Sometimes I expect the worst. It’s just kind of ingrained in me. Maybe it’s my engineering background. Engineers anticipate what could go wrong and prevent it. And they prevent it convincingly with a safety factor of 2 or 3. Or maybe I expect the worst because of my sales background. I used to always think about what bad thing the customer might be thinking and then try to combat it.

Even more likely, I try to anticipate the worst because I’m a father and husband. It’s what we do. We are responsible for the safety of the family. We think about all of the threats all the time.

But this is not really healthy when it comes to our spiritual lives. We must not expect the worst from Jesus.

One of my biggest fears as a pastor is that I will lead people to know about Jesus but not to actually know Jesus. That’s why our mission statement is “Make Jesus Known.” To make Jesus known is all about helping people actually know Jesus personally, Knowing about Jesus is not knowing Jesus. I know about Governor DeSantis but I have never met him. I have no personal relationship with him. There is no connection with him that would predict how he would react to me if I had a need. There is no reason to think he would treat me differently than anyone else. 

I know about a lot of people. But I actually know some people. There are a few people I know well enough to be confident that they would do just about anything to meet a need I had. I know their character. I know their hearts. We have history together. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if I knocked on their door they would invite me in, feed me, give me something to drink, and even let me stay in their guest bedroom. We know each other. 

Today we deal with a situation where brothers expect the worst because they don’t really know their brother.

Exegesis

Genesis 49:28–33 (ESV) 

28All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him. 

29Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 

30in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. 

31There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah— 

32the field and the cave that is in it were bought from the Hittites.”

33When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

Things are good in the land of Goshen. Joseph is taking great care of His family. By now the famine is over. Jacob senses that his life is coming to an end and there’s one more set of instructions he needs to give. It matters where he is buried. He has a family burial plot back in the land God had promised to give them. 

When my dad died suddenly at 67, my mother struggled with where to bury him. My parents had purchased plots in a family cemetery in Missouri. But at the time of his passing my parents were living in Kentucky five hours from that cemetery. And none of us kids lived near the cemetery in Missouri. We all talked about it and Mom wanted to keep dad’s wishes. Ultimately she decided to bury him near where she lived in Kentucky. She decided it was better to establish a memorial to dad in a place we would be able to visit easily.

For us, a burial plot is just that. It’s establishing a memorial place. But for Jacob and his family it was much more. His burial place was a strong symbol of the family’s commitment to the promise of God. Burying Jacob with Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah in the land of Canaan would serve as a constant reminder that God will accomplish what He promised. He will give the land, an incredible place to display God’s glory by being a blessed people who bless the world. Egypt was just a place of refuge until the time came for God to miraculously move His people into the land.

Genesis 50:1–14 (ESV) 

1Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him. 

2And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. 

3Forty days were required for it, for that is how many are required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days. 

4And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, 

5‘My father made me swear, saying, “I am about to die: in my tomb that I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there shall you bury me.” Now therefore, let me please go up and bury my father. Then I will return.’ ” 

6And Pharaoh answered, “Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear.” 

7So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 

8as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. 

9And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen. It was a very great company. 

10When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they lamented there with a very great and grievous lamentation, and he made a mourning for his father seven days. 

11When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning by the Egyptians.” Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim; it is beyond the Jordan. 

12Thus his sons did for him as he had commanded them, 

13for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. 

14After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

This is a world class funeral and time of mourning. Joseph mourned for his father and then he sought permission from Pharoah to keep his vow to his father to bury him in the land of Canaan. Then Jacob’s family and the leaders of Egypt made a journey to bury Jacob in the place Abraham had purchased. The procession and mourning was so stunning that even the locals were impressed. In fact, the 70 days of mourning was just 2 days short of the mourning period for a Pharoah.

What are we to make of this? Let’s review what has happened.

God called Abraham to the land He would show him. There God promised to bless him and to use Abraham to bless the world. Three generations later, God is doing just that. He has saved the world from a 7 year famine through Joseph the great grandson of Abraham. Now the world reveres Joseph so much that they mourn his father for almost as long as they would for a Pharoah. And Joseph was used in this way even though his brothers wanted him dead. Human evil could not stop God’s plan. 

Truly, God is able to do exactly what He promised and in spectacular fashion. 

Where does all this leave the 11 brothers of Joseph?

Genesis 50:15 (ESV) 

15When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.”

They cannot believe that Joseph has actually forgiven them of trying to kill him. They experienced Joseph’s greatness through the famine and beyond. The way the Egyptian people responded to Jacob’s death was a clear reflection of their respect and adoration of Joseph. How could such a powerful man forgive them? They believed their father may have been the only one keeping Joseph punishing them. 

They don’t really believe in Joseph’s character. They think Joseph is a version of Michael in the Godfather movie trilogy. Michael’s brother, Fredo, had betrayed him to assassins. When Michael finds out he tells Fredo, as long as our mother is alive you are safe. But after she dies…

So they try to get ahead of it.

Genesis 50:16–18 (ESV) 

16So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: 

17‘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.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 

18His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”

They invoke the name of their dead father. Jacob may have said this, but it seems unlikely. However, it seems likely that Jacob would have wanted Joseph to forgive them. But Jacob no doubt believed in Joseph’s character enough to know that such a thing didn’t need to be said.

They ask for forgiveness as Joseph’s brothers and as servants of the God of their father. It’s like saying, “hey we are all brothers here and we all serve the same God. Please forgive us and we will be your servants.”

Joseph responds the same way he responded when his brothers first appeared seeking to buy grain. He wept. This time he is weeping because they have misjudged his character and have been fearful without cause. 

It reminds us of Jesus weeping over the city of Jerusalem.

Luke 19:41–42 (ESV) 

41And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, 

42saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

Joseph, like Jesus, never wanted those he loved to experience fear and a lack of peace when there was no need to.

Joseph responds:

Genesis 50:19 (ESV) 

19But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God?

Joseph corrects their perception of who he is. They are acting like he is God, like he is the one who determines who gets forgiven and who does not. We can understand this because they have just witnessed an outpouring of honor for Joseph and his family during the funeral of their father. It would be easy for them to think, “hey everyone else seems to think Joseph is god-like, maybe he thinks he is as well.”

But Joseph doesn’t see himself as God at. He sees himself as someone God has chosen to use for His good purpose.

Genesis 50:20-21 (ESV) 

20As 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. 

21So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

While those who commit evil are still guilty and must repent, human evil can never thwart God’s purpose and is often used by God to accomplish His purpose. 

Never think for one instant that it’s a good idea to do evil so God’s purpose can be accomplished. Anyone who does, is acting as an enemy of God and in cooperation with the devil. You are trying to put Jesus back on the cross and drive nails into His hands and feet.

Joseph knows that God used the evil act of the brothers of selling him into slavery to position him to save Egypt, the land of Canaan, and his family. The evil of the brothers was used by God to place Joseph in position to save and to rule.

Instead of accepting their offer to be his servants, Joseph committed to continue to take care of them and their families.

Applications

Do you know Jesus? Or do you have doubts about how He would respond to you? Is there a question in your mind about whether He will actually forgive you on that day when you stand before Him?

Joseph’s brothers knew about Joseph but they could not have actually known Joseph and His character. There are some likely reasons why they didn’t know their brother. Here are four reasons  we know about Jesus but don’t really know Jesus.

Four reasons we know about Jesus but don’t know Jesus

1.     Minimal Time Spent Together

Joseph’s brothers had not spent much time with him. They had lived completely apart for 20+ years when Joseph was sold into Egypt. But even after the family was reunited, the 11 brothers were up in the land of Goshen while Joseph was bury leading Egypt. Perhaps the most revealing thing about their distant relationship is that when they wanted to communicate, they sent a message rather than speaking directly to him.

It's hard to know someone without spending time with them. You can know a lot about them, but you cannot really know them

Four reasons we know about Jesus but don’t know Jesus

2.     Vastly Different Character

They assumed Joseph’s character was the same as theirs. They assumed he thought like them and that he would be vengeful just like them. We often find that the way people treat you tells you more about them than it does about you.

But Joseph, like Jesus, had a much different character than they did. He trusted in God.

We must understand that Jesus does not think like us. His character is much different than ours.

Isaiah 55:8–9 (ESV) 

8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 

9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Knowing Jesus means knowing His character and knowing His character is much different than yours.

Four reasons we know about Jesus but don’t know Jesus

3.     Incomplete Repentance

Among the brothers there were at least some who never seem to repent. At least three never showed any signs of repentance before now.

There was still a problem between them and Joseph. When there is unconfessed sin between brothers or sisters, a deep relationship cannot develop. There is always suspicion, especially on the part of the one who is in the wrong.

Jesus paid the price to make repentance possible. He literally paid for a bridge from guilt to innocence. When we refuse to admit we need such a bridge we remain distant from Jesus.

You say, “Steve, you talk about this every week”. And you are correct. I am passionate about everyone benefitting from the bridge Jesus paid for. As a follower of Jesus you should be living a repentant life. If you have yet to receive His gift, I urge you to cross that bridge of repentance while it still exists.

Repentance allows you to know Jesus instead of merely knowing about Jesus.

Four reasons we know about Jesus but don’t know Jesus

4.     Lack of Trust

Joseph’s forgiveness for his brothers was just too good to be true. They couldn’t believe one who had every right to hate them and to destroy them would do neither. They just couldn’t believe it. 

This is a frequent problem among God’s people. When the children of Israel were making their way across the wilderness they ran out of water. God had already demonstrated His power when He rescued them from Egypt plundering them on the way, He destroyed the Egyptian army in the Red Sea. But when they ran out of water they complained and failed to trust Him. The Psalmist writes:

Psalm 95:8–9 (ESV) 

8do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, 

9when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

The disciples had the same problem when they found themselves in a storm right after Jesus had fed the multitudes. He was sleeping in the stern when they came and awoke him.

Mark 4:38–41 (ESV) 

38But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 

39And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 

40He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 

41And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Jesus has a record you can trust. You cannot know Him if you do not trust Him. You can only know about Him.

How do I get to know Jesus?

⁃       Spend time with Him.

⁃       Learn His character.

⁃       Repent completely.

⁃       Trust what Jesus has said because of what He has done

⁃       Stop expecting the worst and start trusting Him for the best

Close

It’s so much easier to trust in other things than to trust in Jesus. It’s easier to trust in your reputation and your record of right living. It’s easier to trust in your wealth and comfortable lifestyle, to believe that this indicates God’s approval and favor.

Do you believe God has a good future for you?

Is Jesus, His character and His work enough for you?

Or, are you always thinking he is about to abandon you?

Trust in what Jesus has done. He has paid for what you have done.

Jesus has made a way for you to know Him. 

Get to know Jesus. 

Stop settling for knowing about Jesus. 

Stop expecting the worst and start anticipating the best.