Now Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man; he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him; he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge; and, with him there, he had no concern for anything but the food that he ate. Now Joseph was handsome and good-looking. And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, ‘Lie with me.’ But he refused and said to his master’s wife, ‘Look, with me here, my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my hand. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’And although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not consent to lie beside her or to be with her. One day, however, when he went into the house to do his work, and while no one else was in the house,she caught hold of his garment, saying, ‘Lie with me!’ But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, she called out to the members of her household and said to them, ‘See, my husband has brought among us a Hebrew to insult us! He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice; and when he heard me raise my voice and cry out, he left his garment beside me, and fled outside.’Then she kept his garment by her until his master came home, and she told him the same story, saying, ‘The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to insult me; but as soon as I raised my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me, and fled outside.’ When his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, saying, ‘This is the way your servant treated me’, he became enraged. And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; he remained there in prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love; he gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s care all the prisoners who were in the prison, and whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The chief jailer paid no heed to anything that was in Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper. (Genesis 39:1-23, NRSV)
This story in Genesis is familiar to most of us I am sure… But do you remember what led Joseph to being here in Egypt? He was sold to a band of men by his brother, because he was the favorite and got preferential treatment from their father. (maybe a good story for parents to read about treating their children equally – yet that is another post all together!)
But Joseph has been through a lot. His family has deserted him, actually handed him over to slavery. Then an up tick and then slammed back down. He is going through a lot of bad times. Is this what we mean when we read and say, “You have to bear your cross?”
Yes it is true that Jesus bore a cross that led to His death, but is the cross we are suppose to bear from Christ suppose to be one of suffering and pain? Is that what Jesus meant when He said, “Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27) So we have to suffer in order to be a disciple of Jesus?
Bearing our cross has nothing to do with enduring pain and anguish. Going through some long dark trial. Jesus is asking us to maintain focus on Him and the Father. To be cross eyed, so we have our attention fixed on Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
It is about focus. Bearing our cross is about living a life that is focused on Christ and where He is leading us. That is exactly what Joseph did. He maintained his focus on God and continued to serve him, in bad times and good. And Joseph is a model of how we should live, focused on God and what He is calling us to do.
aSacredRebel 