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Luke 22
“Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.” (Luke 22:7). I’m thinking Luke made that specific statement the way he did very intentionally. Though Jesus was not hung on the cross until the next day, He was turned over to the Jewish officials on this day. Because Jesus, the True Passover Lamb for all of us, had to be sacrificed.
Jesus has said that in order to follow Him, we must share in His suffering. I would say this is part of the reason that God permitted Satan to sift Peter as whet. I would also say that it isn’t just Peter whom Satan sifts as wheat. I’d say that it happens to us all. But I am encouraged by Jesus’ words to Peter. It is certainly strengthening to know that Jesus prays for us, but He also told Peter, “And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:32b). We may stumble, we may fail, and we may fall. But we can turn back. And when we do, God uses our failures for the benefit of others. I find that comforting. Though I don’t know where the following quote originated, it expresses this thought beautifully. “In God’s economy of grace, nothing is wasted.”
Gen. 43-44
Imagine being betrayed by those closest to you, as Joseph was. How could Joseph respond like this? How can you respond with similar grace? In today’s reading, we see Jesus and Joseph both betrayed by those who should have been helping them. It’s one of the many ways that Joseph is a type or representation of Christ. Both Joseph and Jesus lived their lives through the lens of what God was doing. Therefore, they did not focus on man’s intent. When we realize that God uses the things that happen to us for his good purpose, it becomes much easier to deal with those things, and the people behind them, with grace. It hurts deeply when such hardships come at the hands of those we love. But Joseph had a lot of time and the privilege of seeing God’s purpose before having to confront his betraying brothers.
What is God teaching (a) the brothers and (b) Jacob through Joseph? Though Jacob is learning to trust God, I see that he is still trying to hedge his own bets. He tried to buy favor with Joseph, just as he did with his brother Esau. Contrast this with Esther, who prayed and fasted for three days then simply presented herself before the king, trusting her life completely to God. How much better would it have been for Jacob simply to say, “If it must be, then…may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man….if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.” (Gen. 43:11,14).