God's Plan at Work

Today’s Scripture readings, Gen. 37: 3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a, the story of Joseph being sold into Egypt, and Mt 21: 33-43, 45-46, the story of the tenants entrusted with God’s vineyard who mistreat and kill the servants and the son  whom God sends to “harvest the produce”, are about  God bringing good out of evil.  In the first story, God saves whole nations from extinction by Joseph’s intervention .  The parable of the tenants is about God saving all of humankind by the intervention of His Son. Both were sold—Joseph for twenty pieces of silver, Jesus for thirty. Joseph eventually won favor by the nation to which he was old. Jesus’ captors, those to whom Judas sold Him, treated Him cruelly, mocked Him, crowned Him with thorns, scourged Him, and had Him crucified. Through Joseph nations were saved from extinction. Through Jesus the entire world, all of humankind, is saved from eternal destruction.

God brings good out of evil in both cases. God does not ever stop doing good, transforming our disastrous behaviors, those done unto us and those done by us, into a good for all those who believe. His covenant endures through all generations down to this very moment.  Do I believe that? And, if not, why not? What do I need to do to restore my faith in my redeemer?  Do I realize that providence is always at work making all things whole, healing our brokenness, reconciling our differences, making us one with the Father, the Spirit and Himself?  When was the last time I experience these miracles in my life, in the life of my family, in the life of the Church, in society at large?