The Wonder of Forgiveness

https://youtu.be/ODhL08enVkA

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

Rev. Dr. David M. Oliver

First United Methodist Church

Massillon, Ohio

August 16, 2026

Text: Genesis 45:1-15

Opening Prayer: Almighty God, whose Word is authority and power and whose way is love, grant unto us clear minds, understanding hearts, and willing spirits so that we may wisely appropriate your Word of Truth. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

If you wish to complete the sermon listening guide in your bulletin, please take it out at this time.

The story of Joseph and his dysfunctional relationship with his brothers is detailed for us starting in Genesis 37. At the time he was 17. He was his father, Jacob’s, favorite son. His mother was Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife.

Jacob’s blood brother was Benjamin. The other ten brothers were from Leah and the maids of Rachel and Leah.

There was great discord and competition among the family members. Because Joseph was favored and arrogant, a dreamer and a tattle tale, enmity and strife was a familiar part of the family dynamics.

When his brothers were finally fed up, they plotted to kill Joseph. His brother Reuben, however, persuaded them not to kill him but to throw him into a pit, hoping that later on he might deliver Joseph. However, when the brothers saw a caravan passing, they decided to sell Joseph into slavery for twenty pieces of silver and formulated a story to tell his father that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal in the wilderness. They presented his bloody coat of many colors as evidence of his demise. The events which followed are the stuff of dramatic novels.

Joseph became a slave of an Epytian named Potiphar whose wife found him attractive. When he rebuffed her seductions, she accused him of infidelity to Potiphar which landed him in prison.

While he was confined to prison, God’s favor and hand were upon him. The chief jailer put Joseph in charge of the care and maintenance of the prison. He performed everything well. Over time Joseph became acquainted with two prisoners, the cupbearer and the baker of Pharoah. Both men had displeased Pharoah resulting in their imprisonment. When each of them had a dream, Joseph provided the interpretation which came true. The cupbearer was released from prison and was restored to Pharoah’s household but the man quickly forgot Joseph’s kindness and care.

Two more years passed. Pharoah himself had two disturbing dreams one of which was about seven sleek, fat cows being devoured by seven ugly, thin cows. None of the Pharoah’s wise men or magicians could accurately interpret the dream. At that point, the cupbearer remembered Joseph and told Pharoah about his capacity to interpret dreams.

In that culture, such abilities were seen as evidence of closeness to the gods and favor with the gods. Joseph successfully interpreted Pharoah’s dreams both of which foretold seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. God further gave Joseph a solution which pleased the Pharoah. He placed Joseph as second in command in Egypt to prepare the nation for the famine.

Joseph was gifted in leadership. He had vast storehouse cities created and filled as a hedge against the famine. When it came, Egypt’s survival was insured. In fact, the Scripture says that “all the world came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine became severe throughout the world” (Genesis 41:57).

During this time, Joseph’s father sent all his brothers except Benjamin to purchase food. They made the distant and dangerous journey 250 miles south from Beersheba, Israel to one of the storehouse cities where Joseph was headquartered in Goshen in the eastern Nile Delta.

Joseph immediately recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him. He inquired about their needs and their family without revealing his identity. Joseph developed a plan to have the brothers bring his brother Benjamin to Egypt. He then accused all of them of being spies and put them in prison. After three days he released all but one to return home and bring Benjamin back to Egypt.

Upon their return and after their food was again depleted, the brothers prevailed upon their father to let Benjamin return to Egypt with them. All the while, Joseph’s identity as their brother remained unknown. Upon their return to Egypt Joseph lavished hospitality upon his brothers and saw to their needs.

When his brothers prepared to return home, Joseph again hatched a plan. He had one of his servants hide a silver chalice in his brother Benjamin’s baggage. A short while after they had left, Joseph sent the servant to bring his brothers back, accusing them of stealing. Upon finding the secreted chalice, he accused them of thievery despite all the kindness and hospitality which he had extended to them. He insisted that Benjamin remain behind as a slave. Another brother, Judah, pleaded to be held to account instead of Benjamin because keeping him would be the death of their father Jacob.

At this point, we join the story which I read this morning. Joseph revealed his true identity to his brothers. He forgave them generously and completely. Despite years of mistreatment by them, being sold into slavery, being put into prison for things he did not do, Joseph was not an embittered man. He did not hold them to account but wondrously forgave them.

By God’s grace, Joseph was able to see how God had used his ordeal to put him in a position that he would be the one to save his family from death by famine.

Let’s look at what needs to happen in us in order to be free to truly forgive those who have hurt and despitefully used us.

1. Grieve the loss. We must take time to grieve and sort out our pain offering it to God. This often includes meeting with a counselor or caregiver who is able to really listen, hear our pain, and help us process it.

2. Bitterness, revenge and retribution is a triple lethal concoction that if drunken will surely kill us spiritually, relationally, and even physically. Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die. You are only punishing yourself when you refuse to release your hurt and your anger. The hot coals of anger and judgment will burn you leaving lasting scars rather than hurting others. I know this all too well from my own experience.

3. Offer your pain to God. God is the only one who can truly free us from the unjust and unfair actions of others. If we wait for others to ask forgiveness, to recognize their wrong, we may never see resolution.

4. Don’t give others control over your attitude and actions. Get free by releasing them from your righteous ire and bitter root judgments.

5. Ask God’s freedom and power to forgive. We don’t exactly know how Joseph was able to do it but he learned to be free from his brother’s jealousy and hatred. He learned to forgive them and love them enough to care for them in time of need.

6. Jesus said that we are to forgive freely and generously. He himself forgave his disciples who betrayed and denied him. From the cross, in the midst of unimaginable suffering Jesus looked upon his persecutors who were standing there mocking him and delighting in his death. He said, “Father forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.”

7. Jesus has forgiven you and me countless sins and misplaced judgments. When we begin to take stock of our sins, mistakes, rebellion, our evil thoughts and willful disobedience across a lifetime, our hearts should be convicted of the need for forgiveness. We are called and empowered by God to show others the forgiveness that we have already received from Christ. In a variation of the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as Jesus has done unto you.” You and I are never mistaken if we give to others what Jesus has given to us. You and I will benefit by doing this; so will others.

8. Joseph’s forgiveness of his brother saved his entire lineage. We wouldn’t be reading about them over thousands of years later had it not been for Joseph’s actions to be reconciled with his brothers and care for his extended family.

9. God was in Christ reconciling us to himself (2 Corinthians 5:17-20). Now go and work on the reconciliation that remains to be done in your life and relationships and invite God to be a part of all of it.

I am suggesting that any of this is easy, but I am suggesting that it is possible, even essential, so that we keep growing in our walk of faith instead of getting stuck. The one thing that is harder than taking these steps is not taking them because we are then imprisoned by what others have done. St. Paul writes, “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand fast therefore and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).

I encourage each of us to begin with prayer asking God to help us to be willing to take some steps toward healing the memories and relationships that have caused us pain. In this manner, we too can experience the wonder of forgiveness.

Let us pray. God, I affirm with Joseph that  you sovereignly placed me into my family, my culture, and my present circumstances. I cannot see all that you see, but I ask you to show me how, like Joseph I can rest in your wondrous love and saving power – even when I can’t see any good that you might be doing. In Jesus’ name. Amen.