When all the land of
Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go
to Joseph. What he says to you,
do." So when the famine had spread
over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians,
for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because
the famine was severe over all the earth.
-
Genesis 41:55-57
Just as
Pharaoh answers the starving Egyptians by exhorting them to go to Joseph, so
also the Father to his famished children who cry to Him for sustenance answers:
"Go to Jesus! For in Him you will
find true bread and true drink indeed, the Bread and the Water of Life, which
is His very self; even His own body and His very blood He will pour out for
your sustenance. For in Him there is
forgiveness, life and salvation in plenty." When all Israel was famished for God's
salvation, having travailed under the law for many generations, lost once in
their idolatry, again in their sexual immorality, once more in their hypocrisy
and self-righteousness, in the famine of sin which leads to the desolation of
death, Christ opened the storehouses of grace with His precious blood, raining
down upon His people the water and the blood flowing from His side for their
salvation. Having humbled Himself to the
point of servitude to all, even to the point of washing His disciples feet,
yea, even to the point of entering the dark prison of death, falsely accused of
wrongdoing although He had done no wrong, He was lifted up by the Father, who
remembered Him and raised Him out of "the grave's dark prison,"
seating Him at His right hand forevermore.
For Jesus is the greater Joseph: the servitude in Egypt His incarnation
and life, the accusation of adultery His false conviction, the descent into
prison His descent into death, the grave, and hell itself. And now that the great Pharaoh of all,
Almighty God the Father of our Lord, has raised Him up to power and glory, he
pours out the blessings gained by his death upon us just as Joseph poured out
grain upon the stricken land of Egypt.
And, as not only Egypt, but the whole world, hearing the good news of
Joseph's deliverance of the Egyptians, came to him for bread, so also Christ has not only fed the nation of Israel
but has drawn all people to Himself, for the famine of the human condition
truly is severe over all the earth, and our Lord has compassion for all
sinners, and salvation for all who come to Him for the Bread of Life.
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