Genesis 37: 3-4, 12-13, 17-28
Today’s passage is pretty well known. We’ve heard of Joseph and his multi color coat and how this young man was loved by his father. We have heard of his dreams and ability to interpret the visions and you know that all this attention was not making him really popular with his big brothers. So, he ends up sold and on his way to Egypt. But at least he escaped death. There’s the silver lining.
As I heard this proclaimed in Mass this morning, I had a strange take on it. I mean, I’ve heard this passage many times and know how Joseph prefigures Jesus. I understand the lineage of Jacob and his twelve sons, the tribes of Israel. But today, this reading was more personal. So, I’m not giving any high theology and I have no idea if my interpretation holds any merit, except that it spoke to me and I hope it will resonate with some of you.
The brothers see Joseph coming to them and they call him the “Master Dreamer.” I get the impression, based on the next events, that it wasn’t meant as a compliment. “Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here; we could say that a wild beast devoured him. We shall then see what comes of his dreams.”
That underlined sentence. That’s what struck me. They believed that in killing him they would kill the dreams.
Application time: I’m a dreamer and I’ll bet, so are you. God made us that way. He’s given us dreams and a vision that He wants us to chase and follow, to bring into reality. He’s endowed us with the gifts to make that happen, but, we all have inner and outer voices that want to kill those dreams. Can you think of someone who loves to remind you that you’re not good enough to do that, or thinks that your dream is nonsense and crazy? They may not be that blunt about it. It may be more subtle, but you can just tell that they think you’re wasting your time.
Maybe the voices are our own doubts and fears. The lies in our head that say we are not enough. They tickle our ears with all our failings and weaknesses and draw attention away from the fact that we are a child of God. And a most beloved one at that. We have put on the garment that Christ gave us when were baptized and we are a new creation. We can let those doubts kill our dreams just as Joseph’s brothers wanted to do to his. It can happen before we know it, if we aren’t careful. Joseph was not expecting his trip to turn out the way it did.
Then came in Reuben, Joseph’s brother, who while not the sterling example of brotherly love, does say, “We must not take his life. Instead of shedding blood, just throw him into that cistern there in the desert; but do not kill him outright.”
I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he knew he couldn’t stop all of them from ganging up. And it does say he was going to come back and save him later. But, seriously, don’t kill him, just throw him in a pit? Even just for now? Wouldn’t the other brothers have noticed when Joe showed back up at the tents? Fight the battle now or later, but it’s still a battle. At least, he was trying, though. He did not want Joseph to die.
So how does Reuben fit into my unique thoughts today? Well, he’s that one voice, sometimes deep down inside, that you have buried way under all the distractions and self talk. But, you know it’s still there and it tries to speak truth. It wants you to stay focused on the dream that God has placed in your heart. Maybe it’s someone in your life who encourages you, but you don’t always listen to.
Those could be your “Reuben Voice”. My creative name for the persistent desire within us or around us that wants to make dreams come true.
All of us, no matter how insidious the lies and the voices within that try to kill God’s vision in us, will still have that one small spark somewhere deep that wants us to a least keep the dream alive so that we can come back later to revisit it.
We need to hold on to that voice. Grab hold and let it pull us out of the pit and trust that God will bring it about in His timing, if we stay faithful. Read the rest of Joseph’s story and you’ll see what I mean. He followed a crooked path, but the dreams God gave him came true and he was able to fulfill what God had called him to by not doubting the vision of God.
God’s Vision.
Our Dreams.
Use the Gifts.
Rest in His Timing.
XOXO,
Barb
What do you think? Comment below.
Reflections of a Cute Lil Mom 