Genesis 49:8-13 - Your brothers shall praise you

49:8-12

Judah receives the longest prophecy. David came from the tribe of Judah, as does Jesus who is the lion of Judah. Other would pledge obedience to him and he would rule over his enemies. We should note that in these prophecies when it refers to the individual the words are applied to the descendants of that person, i.e. to the tribe coming from that brother. We need to recognise that it is part of God’s plan that His people rule. For this to be a good thing it is essential that we are sanctified. Ungodly rulers are an evil on the face of the earth. We are to be Christlike rulers, which includes foot washing and suffering!

In v11 we have a looking forward to the shedding of blood by Jesus. And v10 sees all people bowing down to Jesus (Phil 2:5-8).

49:13

Zebulun gets just one verse! In fact Zebulun’s territory did not extend to the sea (Josh 19:10-16), so it is not clear what exactly this is about. If Sidon is taken as referring to the whole region of Phoenicia, then the land assigned to Zebulun does match with this part. They were also on trading routes to the sea.

John 11:33-37 - Jesus wept

11:33

This verse causes much discussion. The ESV says that Jesus “was deeply moved in His spirit and greatly troubled”. There is considerable evidence to say that this translation (along with most English translations) is too soft, and that we should read it as Jesus being deeply angered. If we accept this then the question arises as to what Jesus’ anger is directed against. Some say it is the lack of faith of the people, but this does not seem likely. People die, people died when Jesus was around. Although Jesus had told His disciples that this would not end in death, He had not said this to Mary and Martha. The Bible is perfectly clear that death is a normal part of life. It could be anger at the fact that sickness and death reigns in the world because of the fall. It causes such pain and loss, and if only we had never sinned death would never have entered in. This seems a more likely explanation to me, but we cannot be certain.

11:34-37

Jesus then asks where they have laid Lazarus. They show Him the place and we then get the shortest verse in the Bible, “Jesus wept”. The following verse indicates that these were genuine tears of sorrow. Some see this as being at odds with the fact that Jesus was going to raise Lazarus from the dead in a very short while, but I see no such contradiction. Death is not the end, yet mourning is normal and healthy. Some were impressed with the depths of Jesus’ love for Lazarus, some saw it as an occasion to look down on Jesus because He did not save Lazarus from death.

Genesis 49:3-7 - Unstable as water

49:3,4

Reuben is first up. He was the firstborn. This is why Jacob speaks of him as being pre-eminent in dignity and power. This is what should have happened. However, Reuben’s sleeping with Bilnah, one of Jacob’s concubines (Gen 35:22,23) had changed all this. So he would not in fact be pre-eminent. We can lose God’s blessing on our lives by disobedient behaviour.

49:5-7

Simeon and Levi are taken together. Their violent behaviour refers back to their actions in Gen 34. Jacob rebuked them at the time, and declares that he does not want their “philosophy” to be part of his soul. Violence is not to be part of the life of the church. Sadly there have been times when the church has forgotten this. While Jacob had many faults and failings, he had learnt many things from his life.

“Cursed be their anger”. Their anger was to come under God’s judgement. They would not be allowed to become a single entity. Instead the Levites were scattered throughout the land, and the Simeonites were given land in Judah.

John 11:28-32 - Lord, if you had been there

11:28,29

We now come to the events just before the raising of Lazarus. Jesus has not yet reached the tomb itself and has had a private meeting with Martha, He now has a similar meeting with Mary. Martha goes to Mary and tells her that “the teacher is calling for you”. The events in the Bible are told with great economy of words (it is a pity that many a sermon does not follow the same pattern!), part of the reason for this is that writing was difficult, with the “strict word limits” imposed by the materials of the day. On hearing this Mary “rose quickly and went to Him”. We know from the incident in Luke that Mary was keen to learn from Jesus.

11:30-32

Jesus was still outside the village. However, Mary was to be denied a private meeting such as Martha had had. Funerals had professional mourners as part of the proceedings, and those consoling Mary went to follow her. They supposed she was going to the tomb and so felt it their duty to be with her. When she did get to Jesus, Mary’s words were almost identical to those of Martha, “if you had been here my brother would not have died”.

Genesis 49:1,2 - That I may tell you what will happen to you

49:1

Jacob knows that his time of death is near, so he calls his sons and will pronounce a “blessing” on each of them (sometimes it looks more like a curse than a blessing!). Death is not the end of life. Here I am not just talking about the fact that we will be raised from the dead, but life carries on here on earth too, and we are to look at our life not just for the effect it has right now, but the long term effect that will carry on after we have died. So Jacob knew that life continued here on earth for his people. Hezekiah seemed to take the opposite view! When God rebuked him for showing all the wealth of Judah to the Babylonian visitors, and told him of what would happen, Hezekiah’s response was to be relieved that it would not happen in his lifetime.

49:2

Jacob’s blessings are actually more of a prophecy over each of them. This occurs after he has blessed his two sons by Rachel. Joseph and Benjamin were his “true sons” in that sense. They were central to God’s plan and blessing on his life. For all of us there are things we do which are in line with God’s plans, and things that are not. Both matter, but we need to recognise which is which.

John 11:25-27 - Though he die, yet shall he live

11:25

However, Jesus had a much more immediate application as well. “I am the resurrection and the life”, Jesus is making the theological statement about the resurrection much more immediate. The resurrection is not an abstract concept, but something that is very real, and it is personally tied into Jesus Christ Himself. “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live”.These words would also seem to fit the last day resurrection context. This would imply that we should take the Lazarus raising as evidence that the final resurrection will take place, that Jesus is perfectly capable of raising the dead. However, we should not expect raising the dead to be an everyday occurrence, but that is not to say it will never happen. If it was an everyday occurrence it would actually make life very difficult.

11:26,27

Death is defeated. The resurrection Lazarus was going to experience would one day result in him dying again. However, the resurrection we will all experience is an eternal resurrection, we will be raised never to die again. Jesus then asks Martha if she believes this, and she announces that she does. Indeed, she says more than this. She is convinced that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God who is coming into the world. The loss of her brother has not shaken her faith in Christ.

Genesis 48:17-22 - God will be with you

48:17-22

Joseph saw what his father was doing, and was not happy about it. He told his father and tried to get him to change what he was doing, but Jacob refused. Jacob knew what he was doing. We are not told why he did this. Maybe he was remembering how he was blessed ahead of Esau, and wanted to do the same. One key difference with the Jacob/Esau situation is that both of them are blessed. Neither of them is being denied a blessing. So Ephraim was put ahead of Manasseh. Jacob knows that the people would one day return to Canaan, and that God would be with Joseph. The “one mountain slope” stuff is possibly a reference to Gen 34:25-29.

John 11:20-24 - Your brother will rise again

11:20-22

When they hear that Jesus is coming, Martha runs out to greet Him, while Mary stays at home. This is consistent with the picture painted in Lk 10:38-42. Martha says to Jesus “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you”. These words can be taken in various ways. The initial part could be a rebuke of Jesus, chastising Him for not being here sooner. Or it could just be an exclamation of grief. Personally, I think there is at least an element of rebuke or regret in Martha’s words. The second part is taken by some as meaning Martha believed that Jesus could still raise Him, but the subsequent words, especially 11:39, tend to count against this. Maybe it is Martha’s way of showing that she still believes in Jesus, despite her loss.

11:23,24

Jesus tells Martha that her brother will rise again. Martha, naturally, understood this to mean that this would take place on the last day, which is what we all believe. By the way, it indicates that a belief of sorts in the resurrection existed at the time in Judaism. Marth confirms that this is how she is taking Jesus’ words, and the words are a comfort of sorts.

Genesis 48:1-16 - Your father is ill

48:1-7

Jacob is now very ill and we get his last words. The following two chapters will focus on the blessings that Jacob bestows on his sons. Here we read of him adopting Joseph’s first two sons as his own, elevating them to the same status as Reuben and Simeon. Later on Ephraim and Manasseh will be considered as two separate tribes. So Joseph received one sixth, rather than one twelfth of the inheritance, a double portion. So Joseph was effectively considered as the first born. Jacob recounts some of the visitations he had from the Lord.

48:8-16

Joseph brings his two sons to Jacob. Jacob had thought Joseph was lost, dead even, so he would never see him again, let alone see his grandchildren. Jacob blessed Ephraim before Manasseh, giving his “cross-handed” blessing. Maybe Jacob was recalling how he was blessed ahead of Esau. Later Ephraim would be a leading tribe, but would then be rejected in favour of Judah (Ps 78:67-71). Man can try his best to manipulate God’s plans, but he will never succeed. Jacob’s blessing sees the sons as a continuation of God’s plan beginning with Abraham and working through Isaac and Jacob. Jacob knew that God had looked after him all his days, and that the blessing would continue.

John 11:17-19 - Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days

11:17

Jesus eventually arrives in Bethany, by which time Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days. The significance of four days is that there was a rabbinic belief that the soul of the departed would hover over the body for three days. So if Jesus had raised Lazarus within three days some could have argued that his soul had merely re entered the body. So the four days ensured that this could only be interpreted as a resurrection.

11:18,19

Bethany was about 2 miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to mourn with Mary and Martha. “Jews” here could be used in the context of just meaning normal Jewish people, but in that case it is a rather strange way of expressing it. Why say “Jews”? It may have been that a number of religious figures had come, and the implication is that the family was well known. This also heightens the risk that Jesus was taking.

Genesis 47:23-31 - Let me lie with my fathers

47:23-26

Joseph is implementing a system that is very much state controlled, and the people would pay one fifth of their harvest to Pharaoh. So the people are completely dependent upon the government. The people were very grateful for this, thanking the government for saving them. Moreover, these “emergency measures” became permanent! Apologies if I have couched the description in political terms, but it is very reminiscent of what we have seen in the Covid responses. One wonders what one is to make of this. My own political leanings go very much against state control, but in the situation here if Joseph had not instituted his plan then the people would have starved.

47:27-31

The Israelites prospered in the Goshen, just as Joseph had prospered in Egypt. Jacob lived in the land for seventeen years, and so reached the age of 147. It is interesting that Jacob is used in one sentence, and then immediately flips to Israel in the sentence concerning his death. Jacob calls Joseph and we have the old hand under the thigh oath making practice. Jacob insists that he be buried not in Egypt, but alongside his ancestors. Jacob knew that Egypt was only a temporary stopping place. We need to distinguish between what is permanent and what is temporary in our lives. It also indicates that Jacob sensed that death was not the end. Joseph agrees to this.

John 11:10-16 - Lazarus has died

11:10

Problems arise when we walk in the night, in those cases you will stumble. If you try walking in a place where there really is no light, not even a little bit, it can actually be quite terrifying. Even a little light makes all the difference. So in life having the light of the Lord is so vital. This most obviously comes to us through the Word of God (Ps 119:105). It can also come directly through the Holy Spirit, and the fellowship of other Christians. Facing difficult situations is not the problem, facing anything without God definitely is a problem.

11:11-16

Jesus then directs the conversation back to Lazarus. Jesus told them that Lazarus had fallen asleep, and He was going to wake him. Now this was true, taking ”sleep” as a metaphor for death. However, the disciples, not unreasonably, took “sleep” as meaning “sleep”. This is one of their more understandable errors. Indeed, they took sleep as a good sign, as they believed natural healing processes would work better while he was sleeping. Jesus then disabused them totally of their misconception, stating clearly that Lazarus had died. Now we learn that Lazarus dying, as well as being for the benefit of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, was also for the benefit of the disciples. We tend to shy away from death, seeking to sugar-coat it. Personally I get annoyed (inwardly, I don’t verbalise it) when people talk of someone having “passed”. Inwardly I think “you mean they died”. We need to have a proper perspective on death. Death is an enemy, but it is a defeated enemy. We now get introduced to Thomas Didymus. John is the only gospel writer who gives us insight into his character. “Let us go also, that we may die with him”. This could be taken as a very downbeat statement, or one of commitment and courage. Carson seems to think the latter, but I am not convinced. I just think Thomas is very realistic.

Genesis 47:13-22 - There was no food in the land

47:13-19

The famine became increasingly severe, so much so that there was no food at all. The grain that had been stored up was sold to the people, but this money eventually ran out too. The money that Joseph got for the grain was brought into Pharaoh’s house. Although the money had run out, the people still needed to eat, so they went to Joseph. Joseph took their livestock in exchange for food, and this sustained them for another year. But, of course, this could only be a temporary measure. The people then propose that their land and themselves be sold to Pharaoh in return for grain. So they, in effect, sell themselves as slaves or servants.

47:20-22

So all the land came to belong to Pharaoh, and all the people became servants of Pharaoh. In the Law, which the Israelites would receive many years later, there were commands that sought to ensure that land remained in the family, and that Israelites could not become slaves forever, unless they were so willing. We seem to see in these verses the collapse of society into servitude. In the Covid crisis this has happened to a certain extent, though nowhere near as bad as the situation we see described in these verses. The Egyptian priests were not included as they were entitled to an allowance from Pharaoh. There are certain parallels with the situation of the Levites under the Law.

John 11:5-9 - If anyone walks in the day

11:5,6

These two verses have an odd juxtaposition. 11:5 tells us that Jesus loved, Mary, Martha and Lazarus, so we might expect the next verse to say that Jesus left immediately. Instead it says that he stayed where He was for two further days. And the opening says “So”, as if his staying two days, so ensuring that Lazarus would die, was because of His love for them. What are we to make of this? We think that death is the end. Jesus could have just healed Lazarus, He didn’t even need to be there, but then Lazarus would have died some time later and they would have still had the same view of death. Because of what happened Jesus demonstrated to them something of how great His authority over death is.

11:7-9

Jesus was never happier than when He was upsetting people’s preconceptions. So He announces that they are going back to Judea. This was where the Jews (religious leaders) had been seeking to stone Jesus and it seemed like a crazy idea to them. Jesus assures them that He knows exactly what He is doing. Jesus walked in the light of God, so He would not stumble. Sometimes God may take us down what seems to be a foolish or dangerous road, but if it is indeed the Lord leading us we can be confident that He knows what He is doing.

Genesis 47:1-12 - Your servants are shepherds

47:1-6

What we have here is confirmation that the Israelites were staying in the land of Goshen with Pharaoh's approval. They were legally occupying the land. Joseph had gone to Pharaoh with five of his brothers. Joseph explained that they were shepherds by tradition, and that the land of Canaan could no longer support them because of the great famine. Joseph asks for permission for them to stay in Goshen, and this is granted. Pharaoh also asks them to look after his livestock. Earlier we have read that the Egyptians didn’t like shepherds, so one wonders how their livestock were looked after. The famine was a disaster, but God used the famine to move His people to Egypt. Disasters of varying sorts and degrees happen. We don’t like it when they do happen, but we should not fear. They may even mean great disruption to our lives, but even this can be all part of God’s plan.

47:7-12

Joseph now introduces Jacob to Pharaoh. Twice we are told that Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Wherever we are we should proclaim a blessing on the place. God told Abraham (and Jacob) that all nations would be blessed through him. Jacob was putting this into action. It is also worth noting that while Egypt is often associated with evil in the Old Testament, it is also sometimes the recipient of blessings. The land of Goshen is now referred to as the land of Rameses. So Jacob and his family were settled in Goshen, and Joseph ensured that they were properly provided for.

John 11:1-4 - He whom you love is ill

11:1,2

We now begin the account of one of the most famous miracles of Jesus, and the most dramatic (excluding the resurrection) in John’s gospel, namely the raising of Lazarus. As well as being dramatic, the miracle is of great theological significance, as John brings out. The miracle takes place in Bethany, which is where Mary and Martha lived. Mary anointed Jesus with oil and wiped his feet with her hair. We will read of this in the next chapter. Notice that John assumes that his readers know of this event. Mary and Martha are mentioned in Luke’s gospel 10:38-42, an additional connection between John’s gospel and the synoptics. Lazarus was their brother and he fell ill

11:3,4

So the sisters sent for Jesus, telling Him that Lazarus “whom you love” was ill. On receiving the message Jesus announces that the illness does not lead to death, but that the event has occurred for the glory of God, and that the Son of God may be glorified through it. So this would result in praise for God, and the significance of the Son would be demonstrated through it. Things happen in our lives, in the world, that we often find difficult to understand or appreciate. We should be looking for how Christ’s name will be glorified.

Genesis 46:1-34 - Jacob goes to Egypt

46:1-4

Israel and Jacob seem to be used interchangeably, with no apparent pattern (at least to me). Abraham and Isaac had both lived in Beersheba for a time. Jacob offered sacrifices to the Lord there. God also appeared to Jacob in a dream, assuring him that He was with him. God knew that Jacob was wary of going to Egypt. Isaac had been told not to go to Egypt, now Jacob was told by God to go there, and that He would make them into a great nation there. Jesus was also taken off to Egypt (Matt 2:13). There is a need for us to recognise which commands are forever, and which are only for a time. But the time in Egypt was only temporary, there would come a time when God would lead them out of Egypt.

46:5-27

Jacob left Beersheba with all his possessions to head to Egypt, and all his family. He was now fully committed to going to Egypt. This is then followed by a long list of all the children. If you have been reading my stuff for a while you will know that I am not great on these genealogies! That hasn’t changed. However, there is a lady in our church who is fascinated by these lists, and at a recent Bible Study showed how Zerubbabel was descended from Hezekiah and other kings of Judah (1 Chron 3:10-19), something that had never struck me before. So as I have said before, my lack of appreciation of these lists is a failing on my part, definitely not on Gods! He put them there for a reason.

46:28-34

Eventually Jacob and everyone else arrives in Goshen, Egypt. Jacob meets Joseph and is now happy to die. This reminds me of Simeon, who once he had seen Jesus was happy to die in peace (Lk 2:29). 

A by-product of Joseph’s time in Egypt is that he had come to understand the ways of the Egyptians, so he was able to prepare things for his family. One of these was to get them to say they were shepherds. For some reason, which is unknown to us, the Egyptians detested shepherds!

John 10:37-42 - They sought to arrest Him

10:37,38

Jesus then directs them to the issue they should be addressing. Is Jesus doing the works of God or not? If He isn’t then they are perfectly right not to believe Him, but if He is doing the works of God then they definitely should believe Him. In fact Jesus urges them to believe Him just because of the works. “The Father is in me and I am in the Father”. There is an intimately close relationship between the Father and the Son.

10:39-42

The religious leaders reacted to all this by trying to arrest Him, but failed to do so. The time for arrest was in God’s hands not the hands of men. Jesus then withdrew across the Jordan, to the region where John the Baptist had been operating. Many came to Jesus, and they saw that everything that John had said about the Messiah was true of Jesus. So many believed in Him. This was in stark contrast to the response by the religious leaders, by those who should have been able to recognise the truth.

Genesis 45:16-28 - Joseph my son is still alive

45:16-20

Pharaoh heard about what had happened and was glad about it. He blessed them and urged Joseph’s family to come and live in Egypt. Later on when a new Pharaoh was in power the attitude changed for the worse, but for now Israel had favour with Egypt. This Pharaoh had a very generous attitude towards Joseph and his family.

45:21-28

So the brothers were given waggons and loaded up with goods, with Benjamin getting more than the others. Joseph sent them on their way, and he also warned them not to quarrel. Joseph had not forgotten what they were like! When they arrived back in Canaan at first Jacob did not believe them. But after seeing the waggons and hearing all they had to say he started to believe, and agreed to go to Egypt to see his son Joseph.

John 10:33-36 - I am the Son of God

10:33

The religious leaders insist that the works have nothing to do with it, but they were angered at Him because He was claiming to be God. There are various theologians who argue that the divinity of Jesus was a later development, added by the church. This is utter nonsense. The words and actions clearly portray the divinity of Jesus, and the Jewish religious leaders were in doubt as to what the implications of Jesus’ teaching was.

10:34-36

Jesus is referencing Psalm 82:6. There are various interpretations of who Ps 82:6 is referring to, the best option seems to be that God is addressing Israel at the time of the giving of the Law. Whatever the case, the point that Jesus is making is that Scripture does refer to others as “gods”, so if Jesus is the one “consecrated” by the Father, and sent into the world, then it is all the more right that He should be referred to as God. So the accusation that He is blaspheming is without foundation in Scripture. In fact, Jesus would have been blaspheming if He had not claimed to be the Son of God.

Genesis 45:7-15 - God sent me before you

45:7,8

Joseph knew that God had worked through the circumstances, including the evil actions of the brothers, to save lives, and to preserve a remnant of Israel. “So it was not you but God”. This whole episode is an illustration of how the sovereignty of God works. Above all else, God’s plans were being worked out. Now the brothers were still responsible for their actions, they were still guilty. What we do with our lives matters, but our actions cannot overturn the will of God. Though the actions of men, whether it be the brothers, the slave traders, Potiphar’s wife etc, had no intentions of this, through them all God worked to make Joseph leader in Egypt. We do not need to fear what men are seeking to do, but should be focused on what God is doing. In the midst of things this may be very hard or impossible to do, as was the case with Joseph for much of his life. But in those times we should just obey God from day to day.

45:9-15

So the next step is to get Jacob down to Egypt. Joseph understood his place in God’s plans. He did not think “isn’t this great that I am lord of Egypt, now I can do what I want and have a party”. He knew his task was to provide for Israel. So he tells the brothers to go back to Jacob, tell him that Joseph was alive, and to get down to Egypt. Joseph had set aside a place for them where they could prosper rather than live in poverty. They were to tell Jacob how God had prospered Joseph.

John 10:31,32 - I have shown you many good works

10:31

“The Jews picked up stones..” Only the Romans had the authority to invoked the death penalty, so only in a fit of rage could the Jews hope to carry out a stoning. However, it may just have been a threat, an indication of their feelings, rather than an actual attempt to stone Jesus. The fact that 10:40 says they sought to arrest Him, and the events leading up to the crucifixion where they successfully sought to get Pilate to order His crucifixion, indicate that the picking up of stones was possibly just a symbolic gesture.

10:32

Jesus did not flinch, but challenged them, seeking to make them think. “For which of my good works from the Father are you going to stone me?” The good works that Jesus did were the works that the Father had given Him to do. The works involved many miracles, and these works set people free. For which of these were they going to stone Him? The religious leaders were obsessed with their own doctrine, Jesus was seeking to get them to focus on who He actually was.

Genesis 45:1-6 - I am Joseph!

45:1-3

Finally the deception had to come to an end. The reality of the situation got to Joseph. He sent out all the Egyptians so it was just Joseph and his brothers. Even so, Joseph wept so loudly that the Egyptians could still hear it. At last he declared openly to his brothers that he was Joseph, and he inquired about the well being of his father. The brothers were in shock, knowing what they had done to Joseph.

45:4-6

Joseph then explains all that had happened to him. Most importantly, he explains God’s hand in all that had happened. He does not gloss over what the brothers had done. In our merely human attempts to achieve peace, often the truth has to be glossed over, or even not mentioned at all, pretending it never happened. When the grace of God is on the scene it is possible for the truth to be faced up to. “God sent me before you to preserve life”. He also warns them that there are still five years of famine to come.

John 10:28-30 - I and the Father are one

10:28

The relationship is not one sided. It is not just a matter of our hearing His voice and our following Him. Jesus gives us eternal life, so we will not perish. Note that by implication physical death does not mean perishing. We will physically die, but we will not perish. Physical death is not the end (John 11:25). Furthermore, no one will snatch us out of Christ’s hand. We are completely secure in Christ.

10:29,30

Once again, these are audacious claims, but they are legitimate claims because it is the Father who has given us to Christ. So if God has decided that this is the way things are to be, then none of us, least of all the religious leaders, are in any position to argue! Too often we act as if it is us who decide how things should be. It is not, it is God who decides how things are. “I and the Father are one.” The Son and the Father are one in purpose and action. They are also distinct, but they are also one. 

Genesis 44:18-34 - How can I go back to my father

44:18-29

Judah wants to speak to Joseph (not realising it was Joseph) about the situation. He then relates the situation with his family. He explains how his father is so dedicated towards Benjamin and could not bear to lose him. He also expounded on how he had told Jacob that they could not go back to Egypt without Benjamin. He also explained how Jacob had already lost one of sons.

44:30-34

Judah goes on to say that if Jacob sees them returning without Benjamin, then the shock and sorrow would lead to his death. This would be very telling on Joseph, more so than Judah could possibly realise, since he does not know that he is speaking to Joseph. Judah then says that he had offered himself as a pledge. So Judah asks Joseph to let him stay instead of Benjamin.

John 10:26,27 - They follow me

10:26

“But you do not believe because you are not among my sheep”. Earlier Jesus had said that His sheep hear and recognise His voice. Here the converse is stated. Those who are not His sheep do not believe. This can be looked at in two ways. From a Calvinistic stance there is a strong predestination aspect to this. From an Armenian stance one would be more inclined to say that the hardness of heart of the religious leaders meant they were not among Jesus’ sheep and so they did not believe. As I have said before, and will continue to say time and time again, the Bible teaches both the absolute sovereignty of God and human responsibility. If any of the religious leaders had repented (and it would seem from Acts that some did) then they would be gladly received into the kingdom. I believe in predestination, in fact we have no choice if we claim to believe the Bible, but predestination is not fatalism.

10:27

The contrast between those who are Christ’s sheep and those who are not is that His sheep do hear His voice and they follow Him. And also that Christ knows them. The crucial point in all this is that knowing Jesus, listening to Him and following Him is the key to everything. The religious leaders had made the Law the focus, if we make anything other than Christ Himself the focus then we are badly mistaken. 

Genesis 44:6-17 - What shall we speak?

44:6-9

The steward caught up with Joseph’s brothers. Not surprisingly, they objected vehemently to the accusations. In particular, they pointed out that they had returned the money that had been in their sacks after the first journey. They then make a rash promise, saying that if anyone is found to have the silver cup then that person should die, and the rest of them would be the steward’s servants. There are a number of rash promises made in the Bible. The brothers were innocent and so had no reason to think otherwise.

44:10-17

The steward agrees to their promise, in fact saying that the other brothers would be free to go. Of course, when the sacks were looked at money was found in them, and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. This was an absolute disaster for the brothers. They return to Joseph and fall prostrate before him, looking for mercy. Joseph continues with the pretence. However, he seems to lessen the penalty. Benjamin would be his servant, rather than being put to death, and the rest could return home.

John 19:24,25 - Tell us plainly

10:24

“How long will you keep us in suspense?” seems to be a rather strange question and is worth looking at further. I will take “the Jews” as referring to the Jewish leaders, which seems to fit better with the context. Carson seems to think that John uses the term in various ways, flipping between the Jewish leaders and a more general reference to the Jews. However, it seems to me that in most cases taking it as referring to the Jewish religious leaders makes perfect sense. So the Jewish religious leaders are demanding “If you are the Christ tell us plainly.” There are two points to note. One is that, apart from the private meeting with the woman at the well, Jesus has stated the actual words “I am the Christ”. However, His words and His actions seem to clearly state that He is indeed the Messiah.

10:25

Jesus replies “I have told you”. Now, as noted in my comments on v24 Jesus has not made the explicit statement, but His teaching and actions have made a clear statement. So why not just say the words? If Jesus had said “I am the Messiah” people would have interpreted it through the lens of their own understanding. So their interpretation would have involved a political or military Messiah, whose primary role was to set them free from the oppression of their enemies, namely the Roman Empire. This was not what Jesus came to do. Instead Jesus, while not saying “I am the Christ”, did say who He was. He spoke plainly about His relationship with the Father, He spoke plainly about our need to be born again, and about His relationship with us as the Good Shepherd.  There is an important lesson here. We should look at the word of God and let the word of God interpret itself. There is a danger that if we come to the Scripture through a particular doctrinal stance, e.g. Calvinism, then we can be blind to something of what the Word is actually saying, or at least miss parts of what it is saying. I am not saying that doctrinal statements or theological frameworks are wrong nor that we should not use them. They can be very helpful, but the word of God itself must be our primary guide. Remember that the Jewish religious leaders were learned men, yet they missed it completely. 

Genesis 44:1-5 - Fill the men's sacks

44:1,2

Joseph continues with his trick. He tells the steward to fill the sacks to the brim, return the money and put Joseph’s silver cup in Benjamin’s sack, Benjamin being the youngest. This is going to cause more anguish for the brothers. One does wonder why Joseph went through all this rigmarole, why not tell them who he was sooner and more straightforwardly? Perhaps he was “getting his own back” to some degree, or perhaps he wanted to make sure the brothers were in a suitably penitent mood when he did reveal who he was? Or maybe it was all designed to get the whole family to Egypt?

44:3-5

So the brothers were sent away the next morning. This time Joseph did not wait for them to discover what had happened. Instead he sent his steward to chase after them and to accuse them of theft. The mention of “divination” may mean that Joseph had actually adopted some of the Egyptian religious practises, or it could just be a ruse to make the brothers think that Joseph could tell the future.

John 10:19-23 - Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?

10:19-21

As usual “there was division among the Jews”. His words divided them, this was because they demanded either accepting Jesus as Lord, or rejecting Him altogether. The usual “he has a demon” accusation came up. If He was mad then they had a legitimate excuse not to listen to Him. Others recognised that neither the words not the actions were those of a madman.

10:22,23

The Feast of Dedication was not one of the feasts mandated in the Law. It came about as a result of the time of the Syrian Antiochus Epiphanes. He defiled the temple and even possessing the Scriptures was a capital offence. This led to the successful Maccabean revolt in 164 BC and the feast commemorated the rededication of the temple. This took place in winter, and this is why Jesus was in the colonnade of Solomon rather than the open court.

Genesis 43:26-34 - His compression grew warm

43:26-30

The brothers present Joseph with the gifts and bow down before him. Joseph then asks them about the well being of their (and his!) father. Joseph did not even know if his father was still alive. Joseph was pleased to see Benjamin and pronounced a blessing upon him. At that point he was overcome with emotion and rushed out of the room so that his brothers would not see him weeping.

43:31-34

After getting himself together, Joseph went back in to be with his brothers and ordered the food to be served, though Joseph ate separately from his brothers. The Egyptians present also ate separately. The Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews for cultural reasons. It was quite a meal they had, but Benjamin was given five times as much as the others. At this point Joseph had still not revealed to them who he was.

John 10:18-21 - I lay it down of my own accord

10:18

“No one takes it from me”. The Roman rulers may have thought they were in charge and crucifying Jesus was getting rid of an inconvenient problem. The Jews definitely thought that they were getting their wish and getting rid of a troublemaker. In reality they could do nothing unless the Father ordained it. In John we read that they could not arrest Him or kill Him until the chosen hour. When we read the gospel accounts it is apparent that Jesus is the only one who is in charge of events. Both the Romans and the Jews are being controlled by events. Jesus had authority to lay down His life, and to take it up again. And He had this authority because the Father had given it to Him.

10:19-21

As usual “there was division among the Jews”. His words divided them, this was because they demanded either accepting Jesus as Lord, or rejecting Him altogether. The usual “he has a demon” accusation came up. If He was mad then they had a legitimate excuse not to listen to Him. Others recognised that neither the words not the actions were those of a madman.

Genesis 43:11-25 - They arose and went down to Egypt

43:11-15

Jacob reluctantly resigns himself to the reality of the situation. He also tries to placate or buy off the Egyptian ruler. This includes doubling the money, but also seems to include a savoury snack! He also pronounces a blessing over them in the name of the Lord. He also resigns himself to the possibility of being bereaved of his children. Jacob is not a happy man. So the brothers went off to Egypt and stood before Joseph again. Joseph would also have been waiting eagerly for them to come back.

43:16-25

Joseph sees Benjamin and orders the steward to prepare a lavish meal for all of them. This was to take place in Joseph’s house. The brothers expected only the worst, fearing that Joseph had brought them to his house so that he could kill them all. In order to avert this possibility, as they saw it, they had a word with the steward, explaining their innocence. The steward tells them not to worry, saying it was their God who had put the money there. Simeon, who had been kept as collateral, is then brought out to them. The brothers then got the gifts already to present to Joseph.

John 10:16,17 - One flock, one shepherd

10:16

Jesus now extends further, this time with regard to who His sheep are. One of the unique features of God as portrayed in the Old Testament is that He is the God of all mankind and all of creation, unlike the “gods” of the nations which usually had a very restricted sphere of influence. He also sought to bless all of mankind. Right at the beginning in Genesis God blessed man in general. He promised to Abraham that all nations would be blessed through him. The prophets spoke of God reaching out to other nations. So here Jesus says He has other sheep. They too would listen to Him, and they, along with the believing Jews would be one people under one shepherd. There are two major errors that some Christians make. Some regard Israel as being under a different covenant to the rest of us. This is totally unbiblical, Eph 2:11-22 makes this clear, as do Jesus’ words here. The other error is to assume that Israel no longer has any special place in God’s plans. This negates numerous promises in the Old Testament. 

10:17

“For this reason the Father loves me”. This does not mean that Jesus has somehow earned the Father’s love, rather it means that the Father and the Son are one in Jesus going to the cross. The cross was a joint effort between the Father and the Son (and the Holy Spirit!). They were in complete agreement, they were both committed to the path and they knew it was the only way to achieve the desired goal, our salvation. And note that it involves both the cross and the resurrection, “I lay down my life that I may take it up again”. 

Genesis 43:1-10 - Buy us a little food

 43:1-5

Jacob had earlier refused to let his sons go back to Egypt with Benjamin, fearing the worst. However, circumstances forced his hand as the grain that his sons had brought back from Egypt inevitably ran out. It seems that Jacob wanted them to go without Benjamin, but Judah pointed out that this was impossible, for Joseph had given them severe warnings of what would happen if they came without Benjamin. Sometimes, like Jacob, we will refuse to face up to the reality of the situation.

43:6-10

Jacob now gets referred to as Israel, and he blames the brothers for the predicament that he thinks he is in. This was an entirely unreasonable accusation. The brothers could not have known that the Egyptian leader they met was their brother Joseph. People sometimes make unreasonable demands, and they are very difficult to deal with when they do so. Judah seeks to deal with the situation by offering himself as a pledge of safety. He also points out the consequences of Jacob’s stupid attitude. 

John 10:14,15 - I lay down my life for the sheep

10:14

Jesus reiterates that He is the good shepherd, and then adds that He knows His sheep and they know Him. There is a deep personal relationship between God and His people. We need to appreciate the depth of His commitment to us. The root of many of Israel’s failings was that they did not believe that God cared for them. So when danger came they would seek help from other nations, or other “gods”. This led them into much trouble. We can often make the same mistake. A key element of the Fall was our living without God, it is the “natural” way for rebellious man to live, and we are all sinners. So by nature we find it hard to believe that God really cares for us, and does so actively. Sometimes “testimonies” are belittled, saying that Biblical exposition is more important. The two should go together. God actively cares for us, and practical incidents in our lives demonstrate this. 

10:15

Jesus then goes even further. “Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father”. The closeness of the relationship between Christ and His people is like the closeness of the relationship between the Father and the Son. We should dwell on this fact, coming to appreciate it will change our lives. Often commentators stress the difference between the Christ-Father relationship and our relationship with God. Of course, there are differences! None of us were involved in creating the universe! We are all created beings. We are not omnipotent, nor any of the other omni’s! Yet we were made in the image of God, and His plan and purpose is for an intimate relationship with His people. We need to appreciate the depths of that relationship.

Genesis 42:26-38 - You have bereaved me of my children

42:26-28

The brothers loaded up their donkeys. One of them looked inside the sack and saw that the money was in there. Joseph had done this as a blessing to them, but they thought it was a curse. The reason for this is that they feared that the Egyptians would think they had stolen back the money, or had in some way cheated them. The consequences for them would then be dire.

42:29-38

Anyway, they continued on their journey back to Jacob in the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened. They refer to Joseph (not yet having realised who it was) as the Lord of the Land. The key point of their relating this was that they had to take Benjamin back. They also then emptied their sacks, and all the money was still there. Jacob takes a very pessimistic view of things, seeing nothing but disaster. We can see in Jacob how difficult it is to have faith. He has experienced so much, and had several meetings with the Lord. He has seen the faithfulness of God, yet he sees the things that are happening only in a bad light, expecting the worst. Reuen makes an offer, but Jacob is adamant that he will not send Benjamin.

John 10:11-13 - I am the good shepherd

10:11

Jesus now declares explicitly that He is the good shepherd. Ezek 34 spoke of God shepherding Israel Himself, so this is a claim of great significance. It implies both that He is the good shepherd in that He will shepherd the flock in accordance with the way that God wants them shepherded, and completely contrary to the way the bad shepherds were going about their business. It also implies that Jesus is God. And far from killing and stealing, Jesus would lay down His life for the sheep. This obviously points forward to the cross.

10:12,13

Jesus now contrasts Himself with a hired hand. It could be that Jesus is likening the current leaders to hired hands, in that they were just doing a job, and doing it for their own sake. A hired hand does the job to earn money, and looks after the sheep only insofar as it enables him to make money. So if a danger to his life arises the self-interested calculation needs to be readjusted and the money is not worth losing his life for, so he will flee the danger, not caring for the sheep. Or, as I think is more likely, Jesus is stressing the depth of His commitment to us. They might have thought of a good shepherd as simply someone who does the job well, but Jesus is far more than this.

Genesis 42:12-25 - Do this and you will live

42:12-17

Joseph, carrying the charade, rejects their protestations. The brothers then give away further information, telling Joseph that Benjamin is still in Canaan, and one “is no more”. Joseph wants to see Benjamin, being his full brother, rather than a half-brother. So he tells the others to bring their remaining brother to him. Only one of them was to go, the others were to remain in custody in Egypt. 

42:18-21

It seems that the brothers resisted Joseph’s command, knowing how precious Benjamin was to their father. On the third day it seems that Joseph changes the rules. This time only one should remain, and the rest go back to get Benjamin. They would also take grain with them. Although it was twenty years or so since they had sold Joseph into slavery, they still feel the guilt, and they see the mess they are in as judgement upon them because of their wrongdoing.

42:22-25

Reuben tries to justify himself, by recalling his reluctance to have Joseph killed. Joseph is watching and listening. The brothers were unaware that it was Joseph, and that their every word was understood. Joseph starts to become overcome by emotion. However, he continues with the deception, taking Simeon and having him bound. He also gave orders that the money they had brought to buy the grain be put back in the sacks of grain.

John 10:7-10 - I am the door of the sheep

10:7,8

Now, there is a change here. In 10:2 Jesus said “he who enters by the door” by which one might think He was saying that He entered by the door, but He now says “I am the door of the sheep”. It seems likely that Jesus is using “door” (or gate) in a variety of ways in this section. So the only good shepherds are those who follow Jesus, who enter by Him. So a minister or pastor who is a disciple of Jesus will be a good shepherd. The Jewish leaders of the day were rejecting Jesus, and so were not good shepherds. Likewise, today anyone who rejects Jesus, or who does not fully accept Him as the Son of God is not a good shepherd. “All who came before me ...” Now this cannot include the good prophets, for they did seek the Lord, and prophesied His words. But must be a general reference to the religious leaders, and Jesus does not have a very high opinion of them!

10:9,10

Now Jesus uses “door” (or gate) in yet another way. He has just used it as referring to those who serve as leaders, now it is used much more generally. Jesus is the door to eternal life. If we enter via Jesus we will “be saved and will go in and out and find pasture”. Being saved is not just ticking a box. Rather it is a doorway to life. 

Jesus now contrasts Himself with the thieves and robbers. They came only to “steal and kill and destroy”. The bad shepherds sought their own ends and their own advancement. The good shepherd comes to look after the sheep and to give them abundant life.