Fulfilling The Will To ¡§Send¡¨

In the Bible, Joseph was almost a perfect man. His father Jacob loved him dearly, and made him a tunic of many colors when he was seventeen. He was later sent to visit his brothers who were away tending sheep, but because of the jealousy and hatred of those siblings, this beloved apple of his father¡¦s eye was sold into slavery. From then on he was far removed from his father¡¦s house and became a slave in Egypt. Afterwards he was even falsely accused by his master¡¦s wife and fell into incarceration, having no avenue to clear his name and not knowing when he might be freed from imprisonment. From the ages of 17 to 30, Joseph certainly suffered all manner of disgrace and hardship. Yet all these feelings of being maligned, degradation, disappointment, privation and neglect did not cause him to become bitter, resentful, self-pitiful, or rancorous. When he reacquainted with his brothers, he comforted them by saying, ¡§And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.¡¨ (Genesis 45:5-8)

When Joseph was elevated by Pharaoh to be the ruler of Egypt, he soon came to realize that behind everything that happened to him was the design and arrangement of the Lord. It was God who ¡§sent¡¨ him to Egypt to effect salvation through him, so that many lives could be saved during the famine, as well as to preserve a remnant for the house of Jacob that would not perish in the famine. Joseph was able to exercise patience over the will of God to ¡§send¡¨ him to Egypt without complaint, bitterness, or vindication against his brothers because he fully accepted the commission of the Lord. He waited for God amidst hardship, and dared not sin or forsake God because of his fear and respect for the Lord.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is more perfect than Joseph. He is the beloved, only son in the bosom of the Heavenly Father, the light shining from the glory of God and the true image of the being of the Deity. But because of His great love for us, the Heavenly father sent His son to earth to seek out and save those that are lost. When the Lord came to His own place, humanity not only did not receive Him, they rejected Him. Jesus Christ humbled Himself as a man, and became a servant to serve Man. He performed many wondrous deeds, healing, casting out demons, and spreading the gospel of the Heavenly Kingdom. Yet He was forgotten by Man, betrayed by His own disciple, denied by His beloved, scorned by the people and forsaken by humanity. But He knew well that He was the one ¡§sent¡¨ by the Holy Father. He said, ¡§but I know Him because I am from Him and He sent me." (John 7:29) and, ¡§for I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me.¡¨ (John 6:38) Our Lord suffered the mistrust, affront, torment and forsaking of Man without complaint, bitterness or hatred, because He wanted to finish the work of ¡§Him who sent me¡¨, that is, the great work of salvation. ¡§For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.¡¨ (John 3:17) Throughout His life Christ submitted and remained faithful to the mission for which He was ¡§sent¡¨ by God. In the end, God raised Him to the highest, giving Him the Name above all names, so that He would receive the greatest honour and glory after suffering through the pain and ignominy.

Are we able to learn the lessons of submission and patience from the persons of Joseph and Jesus Christ so that we can fulfill the will of God on our own being? ¡§Again Jesus said, ¡¥Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.¡¦" (John 20:21)

By: Daniel To