When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons,
they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.
O Selfish Heart, why won't you celebrate the father's love for his son. Why do you fear that there won't be enough love left for you?
Jesus, you are clothed in light as with a robe (cf. Psa. 104:2). Why do we envy this "long tunic" you have from your Father? It is not just many colors but all for it is the Father's own light with which you are clothed. You are the light that is in the beginning with the Father. This light is the light of the human race which the darkness has not and cannot overcome (cf. Joh. 1:1-5).
This robe of light is ill suited for us to wear. Why can we not just rejoice in it's splendor? Why do we feel slighted by it? Why do we feel that we must shine with glory ourselves?
Jesus, you deserve the Father's love. You alone are worthy. We deserve nothing. But in your love and your mercy you do clothe us with robes of white in baptism. Quiet our envious hearts, LORD. Lay our selfish hearts to rest. We don't appreciate your glory LORD. We're too busy worrying about ourselves. When we see these robes of light which we do not have we become protective of ourselves and hostile toward you. We feel slighted that we aren't offered robes this bright. But even though we close our hearts to you you still come to us.
Israel said to Joseph,
Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem.
Get ready; I will send you to them.
Even though your brothers plot to kill you you come to them.
Even though your tenants kill your servants you come to them.
You ask for produce at the proper times because it is your vineyard and your produce. But it is where we live. It is what we do. We are invested in it with our entire identities. Giving up any of it seems unfair because we honestly come to see ourselves as owning it and deserving it. We withhold the fruit of the vineyard to which we have no legitimate claim.
But in spite of knowing that you come to us. You know what the results will be.
This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.
Joseph is sold for 20 pieces of silver and you are sold for 30. Yet the Father allows his son to go to the brothers, to the tenants, and to all disobedient hearts. The Father longs for a people who will produce the fruits of the Kingdom. He does not do this for his own sake. Jesus does not wear the robe of glory for his own sake. He does all of this to reveal who he is and to lead us to who he wants us to become.
Jesus, you see the selfishness of our hearts. You know that when you come to us we won't give you everything you deserve. Even today we won't give you all that we are. We hold back parts of our hearts from you. You reveal yourself to us and yet we rebel and try to take what is yours for ourselves. We divide your garments among us (cf. Mat. 27:35). Jesus, you see this and yet you come.
You don't want to put us to a wretched death. You don't want to take the Kingdom of God away from us. You want us to build upon the stone that the LORD makes the cornerstone. Will it reveal the shortcomings of all of our own construction projects? It absolutely will. And that's OK. Only in you can will build on rock. "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ" (cf. 1 Cor. 3:11). All else is sinking sand (cf. Mat. 7:24-27).
You actually want to share you inheritance with us. But we cannot obtain it by killing you. We cannot obtain it by all of the small murders in which we reject your legitimate claim on us. We cannot obtain Joseph's garment by leaving him to die. It is only through you and your Holy Spirit that we bear fruit (cf. Gal. 5:22-23). It is the Holy Spirit by which we share in your inheritance. "When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory" (cf. Eph. 1:13-14).
So let us remember the marvels you do. Let us remember how you come to us in spite of our stubborn hearts. May we make you the LORD of our house and the ruler of our possessions. If we do you assure us that it is wonderful to behold.
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
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