January 14, 2021: Day 11 – Genesis 37-41 and John 20-21
January 14, 2022We dive right into the story of Joseph, and chapter 37 gives us the impression that we are diving into almost a whole different story. Look at vs.2 where it states: “This is the story of the family of Jacob…” It is the story of the family of Jacob, but it is predominantly the story of Joseph. Chapter 37 lays out the priority of Joseph in the family, especially calling him the favorite of Jacob.
Chapter 38 is a bit of a side note describing the relationships of one of Jacob’s sons, Judah, and Tamar who ends up bearing sons as a result of a bit of trickery that was somewhat justified. We get back to Joseph in 39 where we see him once he arrives in Egypt as a result of being sold by his brothers into slave in chapter 37. The story of Joseph to me is the second most powerful story in all of Scripture next to the account of our Savior Jesus. We see God at hand even in those circumstances that seem impossible for God to be involved.
From the first step to the last we see how God is steering Joseph’s life to be one that will ultimately result in recognizing God’s kingdom through his life and his desires. In chapter 40 we see that Joseph is elevated even in the prison where he is prisoner and he interprets the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker which puts him strategically in a place where he can have an audience, eventually, before Pharaoh.
In 41 we see Joseph remembered by the cupbearer and brought before Pharaoh so that he can begin the work that God had planned for him all along. His plan was to place Joseph where he was so that the nation of Israel could be saved from famine. Of course, the nation of Israel was the father of Joseph and his brothers.
As we have stealthily made our way to the cross, we now find ourselves in the empty tomb with the women who discover only the linen cloths. From there we see Jesus appear three times to the disciples, with Thomas being dubbed the doubter and yet he is the only one to call Jesus “God” in all of Scripture. I like Thomas, he got it right, finally.
The final scene is that of the rehabilitation of Peter who denied Jesus three times and so had to admit his love for Jesus the same number of times. We have now finished the Gospel of John, arguably the most important of the Gospels.
John 20:22 “…He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.'” Acts 2:4 “And they were filled with the Holy Spirit….” Two different writers?
Yes, two different writers. John is thought to have been written by the disciple whom Jesus, loved, with the name of John. He is also thought to have written Revelation. Acts was written by the same author who wrote the Gospel of Luke. Although the words seem identical, and they very well could be, they are different writers.
They both are describing the receiving of the Holy Spirit by the disciples but the scene and action are very different in the two accounts. The one in Acts is much more familiar and the one in John seems to me to be rarely spoken of.