Is There Such A One?
A Homily for the 12th Sunday in Trinitytide
Genesis 41.
During this Trinitytide season, we have been delving into the profound truths of the first book of Moses, known as Genesis. Our exploration of Genesis goes beyond merely enhancing our understanding of the Old Testament. We are not solely focusing on the origin stories presented within its pages, nor are we conducting a character study of the influential patriarchs—Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Instead, our purpose throughout this liturgical season, as in every season, is to discover our Lord Jesus Christ within the scriptures, to listen for His voice, and to grow in love and charity towards God and our neighbors through the Spirit.
Trinitytide's chief concern is our spiritual growth. Holy Mother church desires, above all things, is the same as Mary's, that her children grow in wisdom and stature. This she does through the hearing of God's word, nurtured with the sacraments, reforming the soul through the liturgy and prayers of the church. She desires good for our bodies and souls, our minds and hearts. Prayer, sacrament, common life; these are the means she offers that we might seek God.
Christian spirituality, in its purest form, is the seeking of God. The truth is that we seek after things that we most desire. We desire good health, so we seek exercise and eating right. We desire a fruitful and comfortable life, so we strive to get educated and secure the best-paying job that provides a sense of purpose. We desire a shared life, a family, so we enter into holy matrimony and build a life with our spouse, and if God wills, we may have many children. Human desire and longing compel so many challenging and wonderful pursuits.
For the Christian, our desires should encompass all that is true and commendable, as the Apostle encourages. However, all such desires must be subordinated to our ultimate pursuit: seeking and knowing God. The highest desire for a Christian is to seek the face of Christ. "Who have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth I desire but you? (Ps. 73:25-26). For the Christian, no relationship in this life compares to our relationship with Christ. "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God" (Ps. 42:1-2).
To possess God and to be possessed by Him is the pinnacle of human existence. To have Him is to experience profound blessedness; to lose Him is to encounter great sorrow. Our Christian lives, as we strive for sanctification, often move between these two states. This side of the resurrection, we may never fully attain divine fullness. Instead, we encounter God through the mediated means of Grace—in types and shadows.
In our imperfection, we seek after Him because we desire a union with the God of our salvation. We pursue God out of our need for wisdom and understanding that exceeds our own, enabling us to live the Christian life; as often noted, the Christian life "aint easy!" So many things beset us. We are troubled by unexpected circumstances—moments of spiritual abundance interspersed with seasons of famine. Even when God speaks, as He did to Pharaoh, His revelations may be difficult to grasp and interpret, leaving us troubled in spirit as Pharaoh was.
"And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed. And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh" (Genesis 41:1-2).
In Pharaoh, we find a representation of the Christian soul, perplexed by revelation. Like Pharaoh's dream, we too receive difficult revelations—a grave diagnosis for ourselves or a loved one, or an unexpected layoff notice. Sometimes, misfortune strikes simultaneously and without warning. We don't understand. We often feel lost, and we don't know what to do. We become troubled.
In such times, we often turn to others for clarity in search of answers and understanding. Pharaoh summoned a company of the wisest men in his kingdom, and yet they were incapable of soothing his soul. When our souls are troubled, where do we go, who do we seek? My first impulse can be to lean on my own understanding, forming a council of one, and thinking I can cure my own soul. But divine wisdom would tell me to "lean not on my own understanding" (Proverbs 3:6). At least Pharaoh first sought wisdom apart from himself. In such times of a troubled spirit, we need the wisdom that far surpasses the wisest of earthly men.
In times of confusion and trouble, we often struggle to see clearly, asking, like Pharaoh once did, "Can we find anyone like this, a man in whom the Spirit of God resides?" Is there anyone who can save us from drowning in a sea of despair and difficulties? For Pharaoh, the answer was "no," except for one man in all of Egypt: Joseph. "Then Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon. He shaved, changed his clothes, and went in to meet Pharaoh."
Only Joseph could bring comfort and clarity to troubled Pharaoh, for he was a man filled with the spirit of God, who spoke not the wisdom of men but the unsearchable wisdom of the Lord. "It is not in me," said Joseph, but "God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace." If Pharaoh is the type of a troubled soul, then Joseph is a type of Jesus Christ, upon whom the Spirit of God came to rest, and was filled with the Spirit. The God-Man who "spoke not on his own authority," but spoke what His Father who sent him commanded him to say and to speak (John 12:49).
Joseph is but a foreshadow of the wise man who speaks by the spirit of God, echoing words from the Father. Jesus Christ, the greater Joseph, is the one who imparts wisdom to soothe the troubled soul. When we seek Jesus in times of trouble, we are sure to find a trustworthy counselor, for he alone loves you more than any person on this earth. For he is the wisdom of God incarnate. "Where is the wise?" Asks Paul, "Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?"
But Christ, my friends, is "the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." Jesus is the Divine Wisdom with the power actually to do something about our troubles. For Joseph wasn't merely a vessel conveying Divine wisdom to Pharaoh, but the man who could bring salvation not only to Pharaoh, but to the entire Egyptian people. And Pharaoh, making the wise choice, placed Joseph over all of the affairs of his kingdom to ensure not only his own well-being but also his people.
"And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed 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." The wise soul seeks Jesus, the wise man, and listens to him. And in receiving the wisdom from above, the Christian entrusts her life, her soul, her circumstances, to Him. For no one save Jesus can bring peace to a troubled soul. Like Pharaoh, we must earnestly seek the Lord, calling him into our presence through prayer, allowing him to speak comfort to our souls. Because in this world, like Pharaoh, we will have trouble. "But take heart! Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33).
Friends, seek not the magicians or wise men of this age. Lean not on your own understanding. Rather, seek Jesus Christ, who alone saves your soul from sorrows and protects you through the storms. Brothers and sisters, let us set him over the house of our souls, He who is greater and wiser than any Pharaoh or a king, the only One who can save us from the famines to come.
In Christ, the troubled soul shall find itself not lacking in blessing; instead, being guided by divine wisdom, it shall be as "a heap of corn in the earth, high upon the hills; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and the city [of your soul] shall flourish like grass upon the earth. Blessed be the Lord God, even the God of Israel, which only doeth wondrous things (Ps. 72:16, 18). Amen+
