There is something shocking about the way the brothers of Joseph, having cast him into a pit, sit down and eat bread. The everyday-ness of it all is in such contrast to the violence they intend against their brother. No guilt or consideration of Joseph in the pit, just carrying on as if nothing has happened, as if they have not done anything wrong. Such is the way of hate. It blocks the heart and mind from any other thought and blocks any conscience.

In fact, only Reuben has a different heart and thought: Judah still intends to kill Joseph, "What gain when we slay our brother and conceal his blood?" but the Ishmaelite traders approaching on their way to Egypt gives him the notion to make money from getting rid of Joseph by selling him and thus gain from getting rid of him. Selling Joseph is a transaction just as betraying Jesus was a transaction for Judas. They have lost the ability to think of the one they hate as a person at all. Jesus says you cannot serve God and Mammon, the god representing money.

How careful we must be regarding the condition of our heart!

Our heart is fed by our emotions which can rule us or our emotions can be put to right purpose by good thought, self control and choice. Good thought requires good input. What we read, hear, see, are taught, matters.

Jesus says, "But I say to you that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart" (Matthew 5:28) and in another place " Brood of vipers! how are ye able to speak good things - being evil? for out of the abundance of the heart, doth the mouth speak" and "if thine eye be evil, all thy body shall be dark; if, therefore, the light that is in thee is darkness - the darkness how great!"