A dead son is found alive and through reconciliation God’s salvation changes everything for the brothers and for the entire world.
Our familiar text for this Sunday will have plenty of opportunity to proclaim the Gospel. Developing the typology of Joseph as a type of Christ will come naturally to the preacher and your hearers will be ready and glad for the work. Avoiding allegory will keep your hearers engaged and make the experience of the sermon less of a caricature by which we derive meaning. If you allegorize your hearers into the sermon by saying, “You are like the brothers,” or worse, “I am like Joseph,” you trivialize both your hearers and the Old Testament. Instead, it is better to ask two questions. The first, what is revealed about who God is? By doing this you will show how God is at work to preserve life through reconciliation. Second, how do I fit into this reality? This leads to better insights for your listeners from the text which is being taken seriously.
This sermon would be great for a Compare and Contrast type structure, but not for the sake of an informational coincidence. The purpose for the sermon could be to delve deeper into the theological confession of the doctrine of absolution. This is important because Joseph’s brothers, who are already welcomed back into the family by grace and forgiveness, are struggling with their sin and the need for reassurance through reconciliation. Joseph takes the initiative which is important to establish. His brothers are only afraid and ashamed because of what they did, but Joseph allays their fear so there can be reconciliation through absolution. The compare and contrast style works here because you have clear typology in the text. A dead son is found alive and through reconciliation God’s salvation changes everything for the brothers and for the entire world.
“In the sanctified life, Christians will find that they experience a continuing struggle with sin. The struggle with (or better, against) sin will continue throughout the life of Christians because Satan is always on the prowl seeking to get us back into his territory and possession (1 Peter 5:8). That is why God provides concrete sources for strengthening the Christian. The Christian finds strength for daily living through Absolution. The words of Absolution bring us back to our baptism and recall the fact that we live in baptismal grace. In Absolution we hear the words of God Himself, through the voice of the pastor, speaking His forgiveness. With Jesus comes all the assurance and power for living our Christian lives. As Paul reminds us, it is “Christ... in me” (Galatians 2:20) who is really living the sanctified life.”[1]
A dead son is found alive and through reconciliation God’s salvation changes everything for the brothers and for the entire world.
So, again, for this Sunday let us try the Compare and Contrast Structure:
“This structure systematically explores relevant similarities and/or differences between two topics in order to accomplish a purpose for the hearer. In this sermon, the purpose of comparing/contrasting is crucial. The sermon, thus, does more than simply inform hearers of similarities and/or differences. It uses that information for a purpose (absolution), and that purpose often makes a difference in their lives.
In presenting this information to the hearers, the preacher has a choice of two approaches. He can work whole-to-whole (in other words, offering all of the individual items of one topic before proceeding to a listing of the individual items of another topic: A1, A2, A3 and B1, B2, B3). Or the preacher can work part-to-part (in other words, offering one item from each topic and then proceeding to the next item: A1/B1, A2/B2, A3/B3). In part to part, a larger theme will be present for the hearers that slowly unfolds through the comparison.”[2]
Here is a possible list comparing/contrasting the similarities between the narratives of Jospeh and Jesus.
Ten parts of the Joseph story which compare/contrast with the greater story of Jesus for you:
A1. Joseph’s brothers plotted to kill Joseph (37:18-20).
B1. Jesus’ own people plotted to kill Him (Matthew 12:14; 26:4).
A2. Joseph was sold as a slave (37:28).
B2. Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver (the slave price) (Matthew 26:15).
A3. Joseph became a servant (39:1).
B3. Jesus is the greatest servant (Philippians 2:6, 7; Luke 22:27; John 13:1-17).
A4. Joseph was numbered with the transgressors (cupbearer and the baker) (40:1-3).
B4. Jesus was numbered with the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12) as He was crucified with two thieves (Mark 15:28).
A5. Joseph’s supposed “resurrection” was followed by many blessings (41:47-49).
B5. God actually raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 2:32; 10:40) and everyone in the world is blessed on account of Jesus (Romans 11:25; John 12:24).
A6. Joseph gave bread to a dying world (41:55-56).
B6. Jesus gives the true bread of life to all (Acts 4:12; John 6:48–57).
A7. Joseph became a kind of savior to all the people of the land (41:54; 57).
B7. Jesus is the actual Savior of all the world (John 3:16; Revelation 5:9).
A8. Joseph forgave and became a “type” of Christ to his brothers (45:4-5).
B8. Jesus forgave and is the real Savior for all sinners (Luke 23:34; Matthew 1:21; Acts 5:31).
A9. The first report of Joseph being alive was not believed (45:26).
B9. Jesus’ is not recognized by His own (John 1:10-11; 14:9; Luke 24:16).
A10. Joseph comforted those who sinned against him (50:21).
B10. Jesus’ comfort for the disciples and for all of us is the truest comfort we can ever receive (John 20:19).
Conclusion: Do not be afraid. God took the initiative for you so you can be reconciled back to God for your sins. Yes, your sins are put on Jesus on the Cross but look at His empty tomb. Jesus is alive with full assurance and forgiveness of sins for all who believe in Him. Hear these words from Genesis 50:20: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” You are alive with Jesus. God is at work to preserve life in you through reconciliation, the forgiveness of your sins. You live on account of God’s only begotten son, Jesus’ death for your sins and resurrection for your reconciled relationship with God.
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out out 1517’s resources on Genesis 45:3-15.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Genesis 45:3-15.
Text Week-A treasury of resources from various traditions to help you preach Genesis 45:3-15.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaeching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
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[1] Steven P. Mueller, ed. Called to Believe, Teach, and Confess: An Introduction to Doctrinal Theology, vol. 3, “Called by the Gospel.” Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2005. 306–307.
[2] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/thematic/comparisoncontrast/
