THE NEXT ENCOUNTER WITH JOSEPH In the first encounter, Joseph pretended to be rough with them, and accused them of being spies. In the second encounter they were terrified and could not recognize him. Then came the third encounter, and Joseph could not restrain himself, and wept aloud proclaiming himself to them (Gen. 45:1-3). It was as though they were encountering the true Joseph, in the third time, through His resurrection on the third day, to recognize Him as the Source of their life, and as their true brother; while the two first encounters carried to them much sufferings. 1- The need for food 1-13. 2- An encounter in Joseph’s home 14-34. 1- THE NEED FOR FOOD Now the famine was so severe in the land that Jacob had to persuade his sons to return to Egypt to buy more food. Then Judah asked him to allow them to take Benjamin along, as the lord of the country had previously solemnly proclaimed that they shall not see his face unless their brother was with them. As Jacob was reluctant to do so, he admonished them for telling the man whether they had still another younger brother, to which they responded, that the man pointedly asked about them and their kindred, and they had to tell him everything. Finally, he said to Israel his father, “Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you, and also our little ones. I myself will be surely for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you, and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever” (Gen. 43:8-9). Judah and Benjamin, each were a type of Christ the Lord, from a certain aspect. Judah represented Christ the Lord, by being a guardian for his younger brother, committed to bring him back, as the Word of God came incarnated, as our firstborn brother, from the tribe of Judah, Guarantor before the Father, to redeem us with His blood. Indeed we became the least, not in relation to Christ the Lord, the Creator and Head of all creation, but in relation to the heavenly rational creation, having been greatly brought down by sin. However, in the eyes of God the Father, we are as much beloved as Benjamin, to present His own Son for the sake of our salvation. Benjamin, on the other hand, presents another symbol of the Lord Christ, who became the least, having occupied the last row, to embrace all creation in love. He became the least like Benjamin, who, if he does not set forth to Canaan to the land of Egypt, his brothers would be deprived of food. As though he is the Word of God, the beloved Son, the Only-Begotten, and who sits on the right hand of the Almighty, descending to Egypt, as one of us, to find in Him the satisfaction of Spirit. Joseph says: “You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you” (Gen. 43:4). As though he is the voice of God, the Father warning us that we shall not see His Face, or enjoy His heavenly bread or the fellowship of His glories, unless we appear before Him in and with the Lord Jesus Christ. Without Him, we shall never encounter the Father, nor shall have a place in His divine bosom. And as said by the apostle Paul, “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” (Ephesians 1:4). Finding no other way for salvation, Jacob sent Benjamin to the land of Egypt, and instructed his sons to take with them some of the best fruits of the land in their 4 vessels and carry down a present for the man: a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds, and to take back the money that was returned in the mouth of their sacs, beside other money to pay for what they will purchase. As if, in order for the sons of Israel to encounter Joseph, it is fit for them to present three things: (1) To take Benjamin with them, without whom they would not see Joseph’s face - symbolizing, as we said, Christ the Lord. In Him and with Him we can encounter the Father in His heavenly glories. (2) To take with them presents, some of the best fruits of the land, is a representation of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, offered to us by the Father through His Holy Spirit, to carry as a present of love to Him. For He is “working in us to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). From his work, we are presenting Him with what is for His good pleasure. And as the prophet David says: “Of your own we have given you” (1 Chronicles 29:13). Indeed, the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness (Galatians 5:22) are (balm, spices, and myrrh) to heal the Spirit; (honey), that carries the sweetness of heart and mind; as well as (pistachio nuts and almond) as food that satisfies the body. We present what we enjoyed, as a source of healing for the soul, and satisfaction and sweetness, as a present of love to the Father in His Son, to bring Him pleasure. (3) Returning the silver that they found in the mouths of their sacs, refer to understanding the symbols and the prophecies of the Old Testament. As to the new silver, it is the enjoyment of the understanding of the New Testament, and recognizing the gospel of Christ. If “the words of the Lord are... like silver tried in a furnace of earth” (Psalm 12:6), it is fit for us to encounter with God through presenting that silver by making it real in our life and obvious in our behavior, promulgating our spiritual comprehension of the Law and of the Gospel, practically every day. 2- AN ENCOUNTER IN JOSEPH’S HOME “When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, ‘take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon” (Gen. 43:16). But, as his brothers were brought into Joseph’s house, they were afraid that, because of the money that was returned in their sacs, he wanted to arrest them and take revenge. But the steward in charge of the house, put their hearts at ease, saying to them, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money” (Gen. 43:23). It seems that Joseph instructed his man to say these words, to put the heart of his brothers at ease, especially that the man brought Simeon out to them, gave them water and they washed their feet, and gave their donkeys feed. When Joseph came home, he asked them about the well-being of their father, and saw his younger brother Benjamin, “Now his heart yearned for his younger brother, so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep, and went to his chamber and wept there. Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, ‘Serve the bread.’ So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, and the men looked in astonishment at one another. Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was 5 times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and 5 were merry with him” (Gen. 43:30-34). That was the second encounter between Joseph and his brothers, it was clearly different from the first one (Gen. 42): the first presented to us a shadow of our encounter with the Lord Christ during the passions of his crucifixion, while here, we encounter with Him in His tomb. And in the third one, we enjoy encountering with Him through His resurrection, even though we cannot separate between the crucifixion, the burial, and the resurrection, all representing one integral work of redemption, that cannot be divided. In that encounter, we distinguish shadows of the work of redemption of the Lord Christ, from the following different aspects: (1) In the first encounter Joseph appears rough, and accuses them of being spies, though the Holy Bible proclaims that he could not bear the bitterness of the situation, so “he turned himself away from them and wept” (Gen. 42:24). It is our encounter with the Lord Christ at the moments of crucifixion, as the divine justice was fulfilling the debt in the body of Christ, although our eyes were incapable of comprehending the hidden love of God, exalted beyond our minds. Here, however, we do not find roughness but compassion and food. As the Lord Christ was buried in His tomb, humanity, departed on hope, could encounter with Him, recognize Him, and receive the Savior as a spiritual food, that grants eternity. The first encounter took place outside Joseph’s house; as the Lord Christ has been crucified outside the camp, where we are asked by the apostle to “go forth to Him, bearing His reproach” (Hebrew 13:13). This encounter, on the other hand, took place inside Joseph’s house, as the departed in hope, encounter with the buried Lord Christ, in Paradise, to which He bore them as a loot of love, to His house. And as the Lord said to the robber on His right-hand side: “Today, you will be with Me in Paradise.” (2) Joseph went into his chamber, and wept there, then washed his face and came out, and he restrained himself and said, “Serve the bread.” What is that “chamber” where the true Joseph wept, then washed His face, and came out, but His Holy tomb, where He encountered with death; washed our death, not with His tears, but with His pure blood, then resurrected to give us His risen body, as eternal life?! (3) Joseph set a special table for him, he seated his Hebrew brothers at another, and the Egyptian guests at a third one. The gathering of all of them together, refers to the unity of the Church in the Head, where men of the Old Testament gather with those of the New Testament, in the Lord Jesus Christ. Joseph represented the head, with a special table, being the firstborn. The Hebrews represented men of the Old Testament, who received in Joseph’s house special food, through the Law and prophecies. And the Egyptians represented men of the New Testament, namely, the Church of the Gentiles that enjoyed the table of the Bible. (4) As the Hebrews sat before Joseph, they looked at one another in astonishment, seeing that the order of their sitting was conforming to their seniority of age, wondering if the man recognized them?! The Hebrews did not recognize Joseph, but he recognized them fully, and set for each of them his proper place, as though he is the Lord Christ, who knows us before we knew Him, “knows us by name” (John 10:3), and ordains our salvation beforehand, and designates for each of us a special mansion in His Father’s house (John 14:2). He knows us, and knows the stature of each in Spirit; and as the apostle says: “For one star differs from another star in glory” (1 Corinthians 15:41). (5) He took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was 5 6 times as much as any of theirs. What servings of glory he got, he grants us from before him, as we become ‘fellows with Him in glory.” The 5 times much of servings that Benjamin got, refers to God’s gift to us, by sanctifying our 5 senses, to become satisfied and glorified by Jesus Christ. (6) That fulfilling and joyful encounter rejoiced Joseph’s heart and made it yearn for his brothers, especially for Benjamin, caused them to look in astonishment at one another, as to an exalted thing beyond their comprehension, in order to encounter with their brother Simeon, to sit and eat with the “Lord of the country,” and to get servings from before him, they had to be so prepared: To enter into Joseph’s house, to wash their feet with water, to get feed for their donkeys; then to sit at the table. What is entering Joseph’s house, but being included in the fellowship of the Church, to get into God’s house through the water of Baptism? What is washing of feet with water, but presentation of repentance to wash out our transgressions, and the dust that clanged to our souls during our travel. As to feeding our donkeys, it refers to sanctification of the flesh, that was animal - like by its lusts, to satisfy it, not with lusts of this world, but through the sanctified life in the house of the Lord, and lastly, to sit at the table, it refers to enjoyment of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. These are all the media of our salvation, that we enjoy in the Church of Christ by the Holy Spirit through the cross. (7) We end our talk about that encounter, with the comment by St. John Chrysostom on the weeping of Joseph, as he saw his brothers: [Let us be like that man; be sad and weep for those who harm us; Let us not get angry with them, as they actually, are worthy of tears, because of the punishment that awaits them, and the judgment into which they cast themselves1.] 1 In 1 Thess. hom 4.
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