Fill in the blank: I love(d) _________________ more than anyone else on earth. Instructions: You cannot fill in the blank with the answer “God or Jesus.” Keep it on terra firma, that is: earth. Now imagine you are in a court room facing the person who killed the person you named in that blank. In effect, that killer created the blank of your blank. That is what Brandt Jean faced when he addressed Amber Guyger. Guyger, a Dallas police officer, was convicted of murder, shooting Brandt’s brother, Botham, as Guyer entered, mistakenly, his apartment. She thought he was an intruder. At the victim impact phase of the trial, Brandt spoke to Guyger, “I know I can speak for myself; I forgive you.” With that, he asked the judge if he could hug her. A sobbing Amber, met him and hugged him long and hard for minutes. Brandt moved the court and the world to face forgiveness.
The question is: Are you moved to forgive the one who has harmed you in such a grievous way, what amounts to someone killing your beloved? This kind of forgiveness is possible, but it requires a person willing to lead by example like Brandt, Nelson Mandela, and Joseph of Genesis 45,46 whose brothers tried to kill him and his dream.
How do you lead like Brandt, Mandela, and Joseph to profound forgiveness after great loss? First, be transparent and insightful of God’s plan to bring life, not death. Second, be generous to promote the peace of God. Lastly, be open to where God wants you to go to find forgiveness. This lesson is an updated repeat of a recent lesson. The current news headlines bare witness of its necessary repetition. You never know when the unthinkable will rush into your life, will barge through the door, and will require of you, forgiveness when the unforgivable has its day in court. As Joseph takes the stand, let exposition, reflection, and application of Genesis 45 and 46, be your testimony.
KEY VERSES: Genesis 45:4 4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Genesis 45:7 7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” Genesis 45: 15 Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him. Genesis 45:21b… and Joseph gave them wagons according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. 24 So he sent his brothers away, and as they departed, he said to them, "Do not quarrel on the journey.". Genesis 46:3-4 3 And He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. 4 "I will go down with you to Egypt.
First, be transparent and insightful of God’s plan to bring life, not death to a seemingly, unforgivable situation. Look at Genesis 45:4,7,15.
Genesis 45:4 … he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Genesis 45: 7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. Genesis 45: 15 Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.
EXPOSITION: Joseph revealed himself a brother, part of God’s plan to bring life. He testified to his relationship to humanity.
REFLECTION: When there was a big fight in your family, among your friends, or on your job, what role did you play? Did you lead with: “We are brothers”? Joseph, Brandt, and Mandela did.
APPLICATION: Be the one with the compassionate tone who gets your brothers talking to each other. Acknowledge your relationship to each other in a time of reconciliation. This is no time to hide.
Second, be generous to promote the peace of God to a seemingly unforgivable situation. Look at Genesis 45:21,24.
Genesis 45:21b... and Joseph gave them wagons according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. 24 So he sent his brothers away, and as they departed, he said to them, "Do not quarrel on the journey."
EXPOSITION: Joseph was generous to meet the physical and spiritual needs of his brothers. He was willing to bring sacrifice to reconciliation.
REFLECTION: What were you willing to give to bring peace to the family, community, church table? What did Brandt bring to the table when he addressed Amber?
APPLICATION: Be sacrificial. Bring something tangible to the table to promote peace. Don’t come empty handed. Say to the situation, “Tell you what I’m going to do.”
Lastly, be open to where God leads you to find life and peace. Look at Genesis 46:3,4a:
Genesis 46:3-4 3 And He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. 4 "I will go down with you to Egypt…
EXPOSITION: God told father Jacob not to be afraid because He was with him in Egypt even as He was with his son Joseph. Forgiveness is generational.
REFLECTION: What were you afraid of that stood in the way of reconciliation? What did Brandt face from those who wanted justice at the expense of forgiveness?
APPLICATION: Let God lead wherever He chooses to bring life and reconciliation. Forgiveness is a God thing. You can’t do it without him. Be prayerful, humble, and obedient.
Begin forgiveness with finding the common ground in the face of differences between parties. Despite their many differences, Jack Swart—one of the last wardens of Nelson Mandela who served 27 years in a South African prison, later to become the first president of the post-apartheid country—they shared one thing in common: both were loving fathers and family men. Neither discussed politics or current events with one another but rather their conversations often centered around each other’s family and children.
This math exercise, made by Jack Swart’s daughter Alet while playing “school” with a friend, was brought to Nelson Mandela by him at her request. Proud of her results, she wanted her father to show it to him. In a touching gesture, Mandela wrote a small note to her in Afrikaans: “Good luck. Very good."
Wanting good for someone else’s children as if they were your own is proven common ground for forgiveness and reconciliation in times fracture and division.
Brandt Jean, Nelson Mandela, and Joseph have testified to the efficacy of forgiving the unforgivable. They rest their case. It is your time to take the stand.
APPLICATION: From this lesson, I will: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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