We’re opening the Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text considered canonical by some, like the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, but apocryphal by others. It's like a behind-the-scenes look at the stories we know from the Torah, filling in gaps and offering a unique perspective.
Today, we're focusing on Jubilees 40, and its take on the Joseph story. You remember Joseph. Sold into slavery by his brothers, he rises through the ranks in Egypt, interpreting dreams and becoming a powerful figure. But before all that glory, there's a dark period: prison.
And that's where our passage begins. The chief butler, freed from prison thanks to Joseph's accurate interpretation of his dream, completely forgets Joseph! The Book of Jubilees puts it bluntly: "But the chief butler forgot Joseph in the prison, although he had informed him what would befall him, and did not remember to inform Pharaoh how Joseph had told him for he forgot."
Ouch. Can you imagine? Joseph, stuck in prison, relying on this one man to speak on his behalf, and… nothing. Silence. Abandonment. It highlights a very human element in these grand narratives: people forget. Promises fade.
Why does Jubilees emphasize this forgetting? Perhaps to underscore the role of divine providence. Even with the butler’s failure, the story isn’t over. God still has a plan for Joseph.
Because what happens next? In the Book of Jubilees, as in Genesis, Pharaoh has those famous dreams about the famine. "And in those days Pharaoh dreamed two dreams in one night concerning a famine which was to be in all the land."
The dreams, of course, are the catalyst. They shake the Egyptian court and ultimately lead to Joseph's release and his rise to power. But think about that moment of forgetting. It's a poignant reminder that even when things seem bleak, when we feel overlooked and abandoned, the story isn't necessarily over. Divine timing, perhaps, is at play.
The Book of Jubilees, in its own way, offers a lesson in patience, resilience, and the enduring power of hope. Even when we're forgotten, our stories might just be taking an unexpected turn.