Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” They came near. He said, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Now don’t be grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are yet five years, in which there will be no plowing and no harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to save you alive by a great deliverance. So now it wasn’t you who sent me here, but God, and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry, and go up to my father, and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says, “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me. Don’t wait. You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you will be near to me, you, your children, your children’s children, your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you; for there are yet five years of famine; lest you come to poverty, you, and your household, and all that you have.”’“
(Genesis 45:4-11)

“But Jesus summoned them, and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. Whoever desires to be first among you shall be your bondservant, even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.””
(Matthew 20:25-28)

Joseph’s brothers reacted to the revelation of his identity in fear. In fact they never lost that fear (Genesis 50:15-21). They assumed that since he now had power – indeed, power over them – that he would take revenge. It was what people DID. But Joseph walked in forgiveness. He had never taken what they did to heart. He took God’s point of view to heart. He wasn’t shy about telling them, either. He didn’t WANT them to live in fear, anxiety, worry, or depression. Instead, he treated them like THEY were the honoured ones. He showered them with gifts and provisions. He gave them the best he could. He protected them, cared for them, and treated their every wish like it was a command. He served them and their families all the days of his life.

Jesus called His disciples to the same kind of life. Selfless living. Treating others with honour. Whether they ‘deserved’ it or not. This principle was also found in the Law, when the Israelites were told to bless foreigners living among them like they were natives (Leviticus 19:33-34). This was the same principle that Adam was charged with in the beginning (Genesis 1:28). To have DOMINION over the Earth and all within it. To STEWARD the living creatures. And note, Adam was NEVER told to have dominion over other human beings. We were to work as equals, not to domineer one another. We are to walk in love as servants, not doormats and not dictators. To make other people’s needs as important as our own. To care for each other. To LOVE one another.

Summary

Loving each other is so foreign, God tells us that we will be known as HIS because we do this (John 13:35). It is THAT otherworldly. And yet, is it that hard to take a moment and see other people as important? To see that they have worth? To keep from bitterness and instead BLESS them? For us as fallen, broken human beings it is VERY hard. But as NEW creations in Jesus? It is as simple as can be. We drawn on His love for us and for others. We look through the eyes of Jesus’ compassion. When we do, we can’t HELP but seek opportunities to bless each other. To help each other. To make sure everyone has the same opportunity to prosper as we do. To share what we have so that they can see that God is reaching out to them. Not to judge, but to give opportunity to have life with Him (John 3:16-18). No matter WHAT our circumstances, there is ALWAYS a way to bless others – because when we desire to walk in love, God gives us the means AND the opportunity.