False Accusations Led to Reconciliation || Joseph v. Jesus #4

As we progress throughout the book of Genesis, it’s time to look at the long and comprehensive story of Joseph. While studying the material, I found a list of parallels between him and Jesus. I’ve learned that much Old Testament literature and storytelling often repeats itself, so does Joseph’s story truly prepare us for the story of Jesus. I have chosen eight parallels they both went through, which we might be going through, to see how they wrestled with them and what we can learn from their responses.

There are more parallels to discuss that focus on the Messiah and leadership-like stories. If you want to hear that side of their stories, let me know, and Part 2 of this series will return. Enjoy the latest series I’m calling “Joseph vs. Jesus.”

The fourth parallel is that they both were falsely accused by their peers.

Genesis 39:16-18

16           She kept the cloak with her until her husband came home.

17           Then she told me her story. “That Hebrew slave you’ve brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me,” she said.

18           “But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!”

Potiphar’s wife couldn’t tell her husband the truth. Due to their culture, she most likely could have been killed, sold off, beaten, or some combination of the three. She created this story to make herself look good and to make the innocent Joseph the guilty party. This isn’t morally or ethically proper according to today’s standards. Still, Old Testament rules were later created to help combat lying.

Exodus 20:16

16           “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.

It was important to not lie that it was one of the Ten Commandments, the foundation of the laws regarding loving God and neighbor. To testify falsely is referred to as lying in court. Potiphar’s wife lied to her husband to prevent any potential of going to a court hearing where she would’ve had to tell the truth. God knew that lies would be the downfall of Israel, so there must be an incorruptible system of justice. That lasted long, didn’t it?

For us today, we need to be honest in our private dealings as well as in our public statements. We lie when we leave something out of a story, telling a half-truth, twisting the truth, or inventing a new truth. Our moral compass must remain the same in private and public. How you’d treat someone behind closed doors is how you’d treat them to their face. Often, that doesn’t happen, which leads to back-biting and gossip, which leads to false truths and realities being formed and a skewed perspective of someone taking over the ultimate truth. My grandad taught me this when I was younger, and I have always remembered this: “If they don’t ask, you don’t need to tell. If they ask, you tell the truth.” People don’t have a requirement, within reason, to know something unless they ask for it. Yet if they want to know, you share the truth regardless of how brutal it might be. You may share it bluntly or let them down quickly, which is how the Bible teaches us to share this type of information.

Exodus 23:1

1             “You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand.

The court imagery continues here; however, this applies to a worldwide standard. Making up or spreading false rumors was forbidden by God. Gossip, slander, and false witnessing would destroy families, strain neighborhood cooperation, and cause chaos in the justice system. Lies can destroy a family unit, separating parents from their relationship or parents living in separate households. Lies can cause children to have no contact with their parents, removing a crucial relationship from later in life. Communities fall apart. Churches fall apart. Justice falls apart. There’s human nature to everything, and I recognize that sometimes you must separate yourself from lying communities. Parents can be abusive in a variety of ways. Churches and communities can be manipulative. Sometimes, splitting your mental and physical health is good. However, there’s often a lack of reconciliation that we don’t speak about. Even if it’s self-reconciliation, recognizing that you can find internal forgiveness allows you to have peace of mind and progress in life. It doesn’t mean you can’t grieve or feel the pain of the situation, but it means you do not have to stay there.

Matthew 26:59-60

59           Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death.

60           But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward.

The high council was the Jewish people’s most influential religious and political body. They were the ones trying to find people to lie against Jesus. The justice system God wanted to create to keep people from lying in court seems to be falling apart from the inside out. Although the Romans controlled Israel’s government, they had given the people power to handle religious disputes and some civil disputes, so the high council made many of the local decisions affecting daily life. The high council tried to find witnesses who would distort some of Jesus’ teachings. They found two people who would twist his words. What they did was claim that Jesus could destroy the Temple, which they took literally. So, Jesus did say the words, but they didn’t share what Jesus meant by them. Jesus was referring to his own body, not the Temple itself. Jesus found his reconciliation on the cross and through the ironic nature of the religious leaders. The religious leaders were about to destroy the “temple,” just as Jesus mentioned. Three days later (he said the temple would be reconstructed), he rose from the dead at that time.

The people to Jesus literally, where Jesus often taught in parables. Parables are an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. They tried to take his story and apply it literally from a physical perspective. Still, Jesus told the exact truth but from a physical perspective. We do the same thing with the teachings of the Bible. We often take it at face value or literally and miss its meaning altogether. Jesus gave them for that and forgave us for that. They didn’t know what they were doing to him, but we often don’t. To correct this action, we must study his word, talk with God for prayer, discernment, and understanding, gather with a group to study and talk about the Word, and embrace it in all parts of our life.

I’ll be back to start the 2^nd half of the series by discussing their unjust sentences. Until then, stay blessed.