There is a bit of parallelism here in this story with
Joseph's own mother isn't there? What is
the reaction of the men to the accusations leveled against them by the
steward? "Whichever of your servants
is found with it (Joseph's cup) shall die…" When Jacob and the family fled from his father-in-law,
Laban, Rachel stole her father's household gods and he came after them
primarily to retrieve these fetishes. Jacob
had no idea his beloved had taken them at the time and his response to Laban's
accusation what that whoever had them would not live. Fortunately, Laban did not find these
items. When he confronts them he says
that he knows what happened because he can practice divination (which is
considerably easier to do when you set it all up to begin with), which would
make him an Egyptian. He says he is a
fairer man than to accept their offer of all becoming his servants, to say
nothing of any idea that one should die.
They, other than the "guilty" party, Benjamin, can leave, he
will be a servant.
Jesus speaks of life after death, that the dead will hear
his voice and live. We live in a time
when there is an infatuation with zombies but also the idea of something called
"transhumanism" which includes the idea of a digitized humanity that
allows for some sort of eternal existence albeit a formless existence. We have an idea of personhood that transcends
both these ideas. A zombie is a form
without an brain and transhumanism is brain without form. Jesus speaks here of life for the dead that
is neither of these. He has life, in
Himself, just as the Father has life in Himself. Life is an inherent characteristic of God but
not of man. In Jesus, we have the
potential to have life eternal but we know that this life is not in this body
but in the resurrected and incorruptible body.
There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus. We know that verse well but does
it dwell richly in us? We can take that
truth for granted without often thinking that it means that our eternal destiny
is secure. We can stand before the throne
and know it is a throne of grace not damnation because of that truth. We can live life fearlessly for Him, knowing
that this life may pass away but eternity is certain. Benjamin was already receiving grace, he will
not die, will instead be a servant. We have
received and will receive grace because of Jesus'
sacrifice on the cross.
In Him we need fear nothing man can do, we need not covet anything in
this life, even this life itself. You are
free.
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