Homily 61 #

On Holy and Great Tuesday of Passion Week, concerning that most beautiful Joseph: how the Ishmaelites sold him to Potiphar, and how he came to reign over Egypt.

When Joseph’s brothers sold him, they brought a goat, slaughtered it, and dipped Joseph’s robe in the blood. They then sent it to their father Jacob, saying: “We have found this robe cast upon the mountains, and we have recognized it: this is the robe of Joseph, our brother, and we are all in sorrow because of him. Therefore, father, we have sent to thee this many-colored robe of Joseph, for we have not found our brother. Recognize it for thyself, whether it is thy son’s robe; for we have all recognized that it is Joseph’s.”

When Jacob saw the robe of his son, he cried out with weeping and bitter lamentation, saying: “This robe is my son’s. A wicked beast hath devoured my son!” And with sobs he lamented: “Why was I not consumed in thy place, my son? Why did not that beast meet me instead, to be filled with my flesh, and leave thee alive, my son? Why did that beast not tear me apart? Why was I not its food? Woe is me! Woe is me! My womb is torn apart for Joseph’s sake! Woe is me! Woe is me! Where was my son slain, that I might go and tear my gray hairs for his beauty? I no longer wish to live, not seeing Joseph. I am the cause of thy death, my child. I, my child, have slain thee, having sent thee into the wilderness to visit thy brothers with the flocks. I shall now weep, my child, and mourn without ceasing, until I descend to the grave, my son. I shall place thy robe in the tomb with me, Joseph, ever before my tearful eyes. Behold, once again thy robe compels me to a new lamentation, my son: for it is whole and unharmed, and like a garment never worn. A beast hath not devoured thee, but thou wast stripped by the hands of men and beaten. For if, as thy brothers said, a beast had devoured thee, thy robe would have been torn to pieces, for a beast does not first undress its prey and then feed on its flesh. If, perchance, it had first stripped thee and only afterward devoured thee, then thy robe would have been left unbloodied. But on thy robe there is no sign of claw marks, nor of teeth—then whence is this blood upon thy robe?

If there had been but one beast in the wilderness, I would have but one lamentation and one weeping: that I mourn for Joseph and weep over his robe. But now there are two griefs and two sorrows. I shall bitterly weep over the robe—how it was taken off, and how my child was devoured. Let me die, Joseph, my light and my support! Let thy robe descend with me into the grave, for I wish no longer to behold the light of this world, my son Joseph!”

Meanwhile, the Ishmaelites, having taken Joseph, brought him diligently into Egypt, thinking that by his beauty they might gain much gold from some nobleman. And as they passed through the city, they were met by Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh and captain of the Egyptian guard. When he saw Joseph, he asked them, saying: “Tell me, merchants, whence is this young man? For he beareth not the same appearance as ye do—ye are all Ishmaelites, but this one is most comely.” They answered him, saying: “He is indeed of noble birth and exceedingly wise, this youth.” Then Potiphar, giving them the price they asked, bought Joseph from them with affection. He brought him into his house and tested him, desiring to know his way of life.

Now Joseph was a true branch of the noble seed of the righteous Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He grew in virtue and was well-ordered in all things in Potiphar’s house. He lived with modesty—in sight, in speech, and in chastity—always keeping before his eyes the Holy God, the All-Seeing, the God of his fathers, who had delivered him from the pit of death and from the hatred of his brothers. Yet his heart remained sorrowful for his father Jacob.

When Potiphar observed the conduct of the young man—his wisdom and faithful service—he entrusted everything he had into Joseph’s hands. He concerned himself with nothing in his household, save only the bread that he ate at his table. For his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that whatever he did, the Lord made it to prosper in his hands. And the Lord blessed the house of the Egyptian for Joseph’s sake, and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had, both in the house and in the fields.

But the wife of his master, seeing that Joseph was handsome and wise, was wounded in her heart by a devilish lust and longed greatly to be with him. She sought to drag that pure and living fountain of chastity into the pit of adultery. Every day she devised many schemes to seduce the young man—changing her garments at all hours, washing and anointing her face, adorning herself with jewelry, casting glances inspired by Satan, and laughing with shameless boldness, flatteringly speaking to the righteous man like a serpent. But she destroyed herself more than him with these wicked displays, attempting to entrap the soul of the innocent one.

But Joseph, shielded by the fear of God, would not even entertain a thought of her. And when she saw that, despite all her beautifications, her efforts were in vain, she became all the more inflamed with desire and utterly consumed, not knowing what more to do. At last she resolved to approach him with shameless words, enticing him as the serpent did Eve, to pour out upon him the venom of impurity. She said without shame:

“Lie with me; fear not anything, but be bold toward me, that I may delight in thy beauty, and thou in my charms. Many servants are at our disposal, and thou rulest over the whole household; none shall dare enter or overhear our deeds. But if it be for fear of my husband that thou dost refrain, then I shall kill him, giving him poison.”

But he, unconquered in both soul and body, did not sink in the midst of this storm, but rejected her words outright, preserved blameless by the fear of God. To every such devilish snare, Joseph replied with noble and chaste words, and said with meekness:

“I shall not commit this sin with thee, my lady: for I fear God. My master hath entrusted to me all his possessions—both in the house and in the fields—and there is nothing that is not under my authority, save thee, my lady. It would not be right to betray such great love from my master. And how can I do this evil thing and sin against God, who seeth the secrets of the heart?”

These were the holy words Joseph spoke to his mistress, both teaching and forbidding her. But she did not heed the counsel of the righteous one. Instead, she burned all the more with the boiling passion within her, watching for the right hour and awaiting an opportune time to compel Joseph.

Seeing the shamelessness of the woman, how she was determined to seduce him, Joseph lifted his eyes to the God of his fathers and often prayed, saying:

“O God of my fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, deliver me from this beast! Thou seest, Lord, the madness of this woman—how she seeketh to destroy me through this secret and wicked act. O Master, Thou who didst deliver me from death at the hands of my brothers, deliver me now also from this wicked beast, that I may not be separated from my fathers, who greatly loved Thee, O Lord.”

And opposing her impure desire, he cried out to Jacob:

“O Jacob, my father, pray earnestly for me to God. Pray for me, father, for a great battle hath arisen against me—one that seeketh to separate me from God. This death from a woman is worse than that which was dealt to me by my brothers. That death destroyed the body, but this one would sever the soul from God. Yet I know that thy prayers, O father, have ascended to the Holy God on my behalf, and because of them I was delivered from the death of the pit. Now again pray to the Most High, that I may be delivered from this deadly pit now dug for thy son—by one who hath neither shame nor fear of God.

To my brothers I went, and they were like wild beasts—like savage wolves they tore me away from thee and delivered me into Egypt by the hands of strangers. And now again a beast hath met me. Pray, O righteous one, for thy son Joseph, that I die not in soul before our God.”

When Joseph would not obey his mistress’s desire to be with her, she shamelessly seized the chaste young man and tried to force him into sin. But seeing her brazen shamelessness, Joseph fled immediately out the door, leaving his garment in her hand. Thus he broke through all the snares of the devil, like some noble eagle who, seeing the hunter, flies up to the heights. So too did Joseph escape the trap, lest he perish through word and deed alike. But the woman, seeing that he had escaped, was seized with terror and became exceedingly wrathful. She began plotting how to slander the righteous man with wicked words to her husband, thinking that, if her husband heard these things, he would grow angry and put Joseph to death. She said within herself:

“Far better that Joseph die and I be freed from this turmoil. I cannot bear to see such beauty in my house, especially when he has spurned me.”

And so, calling the male and female servants, she said to them:

“Did you see what this Hebrew slave of ours has done? My husband put him in charge of the entire house, and now he wishes to lie with me shamelessly. It was not enough for him to rule over the household—he even sought to take me away from my husband!”

Then, when her husband came home from the palace, she took Joseph’s garment and showed it to him, pretending to be chaste and falsely accusing Joseph:

“Was it thou who commanded thy Hebrew slave to mock and insult me, thy wife, and do such a thing unto me?”

And her husband, hearing her words, believed the unjust slander of his wife and was enraged with fury. Taking Joseph, he cast him into prison—into the place where the king’s prisoners were kept—without remembering the blessings of God which had come upon his house and lands for Joseph’s sake, nor making any inquiry into the truth of the matter. Instead, he pronounced an unrighteous judgment against him at once.

Yet the Lord was with Joseph, and He poured out mercy upon him, granting him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. And the jailer entrusted the prison into Joseph’s hands, along with all the prisoners held there: for all things were under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with him.

At that time, while Joseph was in prison, two men of Pharaoh’s household offended the king of Egypt: the chief baker and the chief cupbearer. Pharaoh grew angry with his servants and threw them into the same prison where Joseph was held. And after a few days passed, both men had a dream on the same night, each with its own meaning.

In the morning, Joseph came to them and saw that they were troubled. He asked them:

“Why are your faces so downcast today?”

They answered him:

“We have dreamed a dream, and there is no one to interpret it.”

And Joseph said unto them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.”

Then the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph:

“In my dream, there was a vine before me; and on the vine were three branches. As it budded, it blossomed and brought forth clusters of ripe grapes. And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into the cup, and gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.”

And Joseph said to him:

“This is the interpretation: the three branches are three days. Within three days shall Pharaoh remember thy office and restore thee to thy former rank, and thou shalt once again place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, as thou didst when thou wast his cupbearer.”

When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph:

“In my dream, I beheld three baskets of bread upon my head. In the upper basket were all manner of baked goods that Pharaoh eats, and the birds of the air were eating them out of the basket on my head.”

Joseph answered and said:

“This is the interpretation: the three baskets are three days. Within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and hang thee on a tree, and the birds shall eat thy flesh from thee.”

Then Joseph said to the chief cupbearer: “Remember me when it is well with thee, and show kindness unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this prison. For I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into this dungeon.”

O holy seed! O chosen seed! O blessed one! Why seekest thou help from a man who shall die? Hast thou forsaken God and turned to man? Hast thou grown weary of God’s help? Why art thou faint of heart? It is God who giveth kingdoms and glory when He willeth. The more thou endurest tribulation, the greater shall be thy crown of victory.

And it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants. And he remembered the chief cupbearer and the chief baker among his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer to his office again, and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand. But he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had interpreted to them.

But the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph—he forgot him.

After two full years, Pharaoh dreamed a dream: he stood by the river, and behold, there came up out of the river seven cows, beautiful in appearance and fat in flesh, and they fed in the meadow. Then seven other cows came up after them, ugly and thin, and they fed beside the others, and devoured them.

Then he saw a second dream: and behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, full and good. And then seven thin ears, blasted by the east wind, sprung up after them, and the thin ears devoured the seven good ears.

Pharaoh awoke in the morning, and his spirit was troubled. So he called for all the magicians of Egypt and all the wise men, and he told them his dreams, but none could interpret them for him.

Then the chief cupbearer remembered Joseph, and said to Pharaoh: “As he interpreted to us—me and the chief baker—so it came to pass. Me he restored to mine office, and him he hanged.”

Pharaoh sent for Joseph and brought him out of the dungeon, and said to him: “I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it. But I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.”

And Joseph answered Pharaoh and said, “It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

Pharaoh then told Joseph his dreams. And Joseph, having heard them, said to him:

“Pharaoh’s dream is one and the same: what God is about to do He hath showed unto Pharaoh. The seven good cows and the seven good ears are seven years of plenty. And the seven lean cows and the seven thin ears are seven years of famine. The dream was repeated unto Pharaoh twice, because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the produce during the seven plenteous years. Let them gather food under Pharaoh’s authority, and store it in the cities, to preserve it for the seven years of famine that shall come, that the land perish not through famine.”

This saying pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. And Pharaoh said unto them: “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?” And Pharaoh said unto Joseph:

“Forasmuch as God hath shown thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art. Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.”

And Pharaoh said to Joseph: “See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.” And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen dyed in scarlet, and put a gold chain about his neck. He made him ride in the second chariot which he had, and they cried before him, “Bow the knee!” and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.

To our God be glory, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.