At last we reach the pinnacle of the Joseph-Judah narrative, and perhaps the climax of Genesis as a whole! The dysfunctional nature of Jacob’s family we saw two weeks ago is coming to a head.

The Brothers are faced with one final test. Benjamin is found in possession of “stolen” silver. Will they abandon their half-brother Benjamin as they did Joseph all those long years ago? More importantly, how will they respond to Joseph’s accusation “what is this you have done?”. Will they shift the blame… deny the accusations… or rationalise their actions.? Will they, like so many before them, dodge the question?

The confrontation of the uncovering of guilt and sin has two paths. One of denial, blame shifting and mitigating. This path only leads to fractured and damaged relationships. The other, more difficult, path opens the possibility for repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation. We see this played out between Joseph and his brothers but also on a much larger scale between humans and God.