He’s risen from slavery to become a ruler, second only to Pharaoh himself! But beneath the surface of power, there’s a whisper of doubt, a nagging feeling that he’s still seen as an outsider.
Imagine the scene. Word arrives that his father, Jacob, is on his way. Relief washes over Joseph. Why? Because, as Legends of the Jews points out, Joseph was desperate to silence the whispers of the Egyptians. They couldn’t stop reminding each other that he was once just a slave who somehow gained power over them.
“Now,” Joseph thinks, according to the Legends, "they will see my father and my brethren, and they will be convinced that I am a free-born man, of noble stock." It wasn't just about a family reunion. It was about reclaiming his identity, proving his true lineage to a skeptical court. He wanted to show them he came from a good family, dispelling all doubts and prejudices.
And get this: in his eagerness to welcome his father, Joseph doesn't wait for his servants. He prepares his own chariot! A powerful man, a viceroy, personally attending to such a task? It seems like a small detail, but it has huge ramifications.
According to Legends of the Jews, this act of filial devotion, this simple act of love, had an unexpected consequence: it neutralized Pharaoh’s later pursuit of the Israelites after the Exodus! You see, Pharaoh, too, prepared his own chariot with his own hands, driven by rage and regret. But because Joseph had already done the same out of love, Pharaoh’s action lost its potency.
Think about that for a second. A son's love for his father, expressed in a seemingly insignificant gesture, echoes through history and impacts the fate of an entire nation. It's a reminder that even the smallest actions, done with the right intention, can have profound and far-reaching consequences. It makes you wonder what seemingly minor acts of kindness or devotion in our own lives might ripple outwards, shaping the world in ways we can't even imagine.