Second Sunday in Advent

4 December 2011

Jesse Tree Story: JOSEPH
Jesse Tree Symbol:  THE COAT OF MANY COLORS

Scripture: One day, when his brothers had gone to
pasture their father's flocks at Shechem,

Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers, you know, are

tending our flocks at Shechem. Get ready; I will

send you to them." "I am ready," Joseph answered.

"Go then," he replied; "see if all is well with your

brothers and the flocks, and bring back word."

So he sent him off from the valley of Hebron.

When Joseph reached Shechem, a man met him

as he was wandering about in the fields.

"What are you looking for?" the man asked him.

"I am looking for my brothers," he answered.

"Could you please tell me where they are tending the flocks?"

The man told him, "They have moved on from here; in fact,

I heard them say, 'Let us go on to Dothan.'" So Joseph went

after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan.

They noticed him from a distance, and before he came up

to them, they plotted to kill him. They said to one another:

"Here comes that master dreamer! Come on, let us kill him

and throw him into one of the cisterns here; we could say

that a wild beast devoured him. We shall then see what comes

of his dreams." When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him

from their hands, saying: "We must not take his life. Instead of

shedding blood," he continued, "just throw him into that cistern

there in the desert; but don't kill him outright." His purpose

was to rescue him from their hands and restore him to his father.

So when Joseph came up to them, they stripped him of the

long tunic he had on; then they took him and threw him into

the cistern, which was empty and dry. They then sat down to

their meal. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites

coming from Gilead, their camels laden with gum, balm and

resin to be taken down to Egypt. Judah said to his brothers:

"What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing

his blood? Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites,

instead of doing away with him ourselves. After all,

he is our brother, our own flesh." His brothers agreed.

They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.

Some Midianite traders passed by, and they pulled Joseph up

out of the cistern and took him to Egypt. When Reuben went

back to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not in it, he tore

his clothes, and returning to his brothers, he exclaimed:

"The boy is gone! And I--where can I turn?" They took

Joseph's tunic, and after slaughtering a goat, dipped the

tunic in its blood. Then they sent someone to bring the long

tunic to their father, with the message: "We found this.

See whether it is your son's tunic or not." He recognized it

and exclaimed: "My son's tunic! A wild beast has devoured

him! Joseph has been torn to pieces!" Then Jacob rent his clothes,

put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned his son many days.

Genesis 37:12-34


Commentary:  Joseph, another son of Jacob, prefigures Christ. 
He was betrayed by his brothers, imprisoned unjustly and
saved Egypt from death by starvation.  He never lost          
faith and was exulted by God.