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The story of Joseph and his Brothers inspired the German novelist Thomas Mann to undertake a modern retelling of the tale, which is truly one of the gems of Biblical literature. The inclusion of a chapter from this story (Genesis 43) in our Lenten liturgy reminds us that the first Christians had no scriptures of their own and therefore interpreted the Hebrew scriptures in such a way as to confirm their faith in Christ.

Joseph was seen as a prefiguration of Jesus, the suffering just one, who was vindicated by God. Reuben’s action in casting Joseph into a pit (Genesis 37:22-24) prefigured Jesus in the tomb. Joseph was tempted, as Jesus was also tempted (Matthew 4:1-11 par), when Potiphar’s wife sought to seduce him (Genesis 39:6-12), and, like Jesus, he withstood the temptation.

Joseph also prefigured the New Testament Joseph, who too went down to Egypt, to protect the life of the Christ-child from Herod (Matthew 2:13-15). But, above all, the Joseph story illustrates a theme which is essential to Christian, as well as Jewish, faith: the providence of God. The sufferings of Joseph, including betrayal by those closest to him, were all foreordained by God to preserve life. Joseph went down into Egypt, in God’s providence, to save his family from dying of starvation (Genesis 42:1-2), when famine came upon the land (41:54).

Jesus’ command to Peter in the second lesson for today, “Strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:32), provides a link to the Joseph story. The risen Jesus will make himself known to the disciples who abandoned him, even as Joseph makes himself known to the brothers who betrayed him (Genesis 45:4).

For Luke the continuity between the Age of Jesus and the Age of the Church depends not merely on the witness of the apostles but also on their perseverance in faith in Jesus, despite their cowardice in abandoning him. During the dark hours of Jesus’ passion they will be “sifted” by Satan (Luke 22:31), but their faith will not fail. Even Peter’s denial of his master (Luke 22:54-62) does not entail, for Luke, a loss of faith. After he has wiped away his sin of cowardice, Peter will exercise his apostolic office. After his conversion his faith will be united with the faith of the other apostles in strengthening the future Christian community (Luke 22:32).

We Christians are so familiar with Easter following automatically upon Good Friday that we need to be reminded at this time of year how truly extraordinary this sequence is. That the man who died as a convicted criminal on a cross came to be worshiped as Lord and Christ by millions upon millions of believers down through the centuries, this truly is a miracle of divine providence, far eclipsing the miracle which saved Joseph’s family from starvation.

In the story of Jesus, as in the story of Joseph, we see how God writes straight with crooked lines, and how, for those who love the Lord and place their hope in him “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28).

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