No Offence
Introduction
When I “accidentally” heard that another church is moving into our neighbourhood I felt rather slighted that they hadn’t respected us as brothers in Christ to share the journey. My self-centred response was a sin. Then at Perth Prayer someone mentioned reading “The Bait of Satan”, which is about getting free from the trap of taking offense. Others joined in and the conversation moved to the powerful testimony of the life of Joseph. As a man sold into slavery by family and falsely accused of adulterous actions which led to imprisonment, he certainly had grounds to be offended (Gen 39). However, nowhere in the Joseph story do we find any traces of resentment towards those who seriously wronged him. This makes Joseph a compelling prophetic type of Christ, “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Pet 2:23). Because Joseph foreshadows Jesus there is much more in the Joseph saga than we normally recognise.
Blood on the Coat
The life of Joseph is introduced by a categorical statement that he is the father’s favourite. “Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons…And he made him a robe of many colours.” (Gen 37:3). The majestic coat was like a red rag to his older brothers, so they jealously “hated him” (37:4). Moreover, when God gifted him with dreams about his noble future he was “hated even more” (37:5-11). Without such gifts of insight in the Spirit (Gen 41:38) Joseph would have had a less painful life, but also a less glorious one. This all speaks of Christ; Jesus was the anointed favourite of the Father who “came to his own people” but whose leaders had him killed “out of envy” (Luke 3:22; John 1:11; Mark 15:10).
After Joseph’s brothers placed him in a pit and sold him into slavery, they sought to cover their crime by dipping animal blood on his coat then sending it to his father (Gen 37:31-33). Jacob was devastated for he believed his favoured one was lost; he did not yet know that all this suffering was for the purpose of a future more glorious restoration between father and son. In time, when Jacob heard the good news that Joseph was Lord of Egypt his “spirit…revived” (Gen 45:27). The pattern of death and resurrection is clear. Being like Jesus, Joseph knew that his betrayal and imprisonment was for a greater good and so he was freed from all vindictiveness. He graciously testified to his brothers, “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. Thus he…spoke kindly to them.” (Gen 50:20).
Deep in the story of Joseph-Jesus is a message few want to hear. The majestic coat must be dipped in blood. The order of the Lord’s plan for your life is invariable, first the blessing of the coat, that is, limitless favour from the Father and extraordinary giftings of the Spirit (Eph 1:3; 1 Cor 12:7), then the blood of injustice and afflictions. without understanding this pattern understand that order we won’t be found living in the power of the gospel and injustices will breed offence in our hearts. Even of Christian offence appears even on the front pages of our newspapers.
Where’s the Humility
When current Christian hero Israel Falau requires an apology from Rugby Australia for terminating his contract, we can understand this on the grounds of reputation and business. But Joseph certainly didn’t require an apology from his brothers because he lived out the likeness of the Son of God! More than this, Jesus tells us exactly how we should respond when we are persecuted for the faith. ““Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely hon my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt 5:11-12). In the economy of the kingdom of God it’s a privilege to be persecuted. Maybe I’ve missed something, but I haven’t noticed a surge of joy in the Lord emanating from the supporters of Falau. Rights before the law seems to be their focus. I sense a more foundational issue at the root of all this, confusion about God’s Fatherhood.
Knowing the Father
Joseph apparently accepted that divine favour and spiritual gifting would lead to discipline from heaven. We should recognise that the Lord will put all of his sons in prison, whether of a social, mental, physical, legal, economic or church sort. Hebrews ties the revelation of the love of the Father to his unavoidable discipline; even to the point of “shedding blood” (12:4-11). Wisdom demands that we do not “take lightly/despise the discipline of the Lord” (Prov 3:11; Heb 12:5). The speed with which we take offense to hurtful injustices shows we have little regard for the disciplines conforming us to Christ crucified. Joseph’s afflictions, with Christ’s, were dreadful, but in the Spirit they knew it was all for a greater joy (Heb 12:2). If we can accept that the way to glory is the way of blood, we too can share such joy (1 Pet 4:12-13). When the power of Jesus’ blood removes offence from the life of his Body the purity of the light of the glory of God will shine through us into an offense saturated world.
Conclusion
Years ago, in Argentina, the Lord opened to me one of his secrets. After an unusual physical experience involving rainbows, I was led to Ephesians 3:10, “God’s purpose…was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” Then I learned that the word translated “rich variety” is related to the “many colours” of Joseph’s coat. The wisdom of God prophetically expressed in Joseph’s life and perfected in Jesus involves a refusal to take offence. A decision that is to freely forgive all those who have done us an injustice. When the Church lives this way, it reveals the power of the gospel to the forces of darkness in the heavenlies and proclaims their ultimate defeat. But when we carry offence, we refuse to allow the blood of the cross to make us pure vessels for the light of the Lord. Offense is a serious sin at a cosmic level because it casts dark shadows obscuring the beautiful colours of God’s all forgiving grace. Of this the Church must repent. Each of us are the Church.