Opinion: Perspectives from readers

The story of Joseph takes up more of Genesis than any other story. His suffering as a youth, the accomplishments of his maturity and the foresight of his last words are described in considerable detail. Obviously, the author of Genesis considered his story worthy of sustained attention.

As our Sunday school classes discussed Joseph’s story last winter, it spoke most clearly to me as a parable for European Mennonites.

At the beginning of the Anabaptist movement, suffering and injustice drove the narrative. Later, here in the West, Mennonites gradually assimilated into broader society, gained a national reputation for good works, and saw our sons and daughters become accomplished in many areas of public life. Now might we be at the third stage of Joseph’s story, when he prepared future generations for a different role?

The last chapter of Genesis records Joseph’s final words to his kin: “ ‘I am about to die; but God will surely come to you, and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.’ So Joseph made the Israelites swear, saying, ‘When God comes to you, you shall carry up my bones from here’ ” (50:24-25).

These are surprising words from a man who had assimilated so successfully into Egyptian life. He had an Egyptian name and an Egyptian wife and family. He had arrayed himself in the symbols of Egyptian success, served the empire as its second in command, and traveled throughout the land representing the Pharaoh. He arranged for his brothers to settle in Goshen, the finest agricultural land available.

Yet Joseph apparently never was convinced his family’s story and Egypt’s story were one. In his last words of advice, he talked of a time when they would part ways from the nation that had welcomed them. By making this his last will and testament, Joseph began a conversation among his descendants that sustained their identity over the centuries. Without that conversation, it is doubtful the Hebrew people would have recognized the call of Moses two or three hundred years later.

In our time, the earth has become more densely populated and opportunities for migration less available. Yet that should not cause us to conclude Joseph’s example does not apply to us. If we desire to be part of God’s faithful witnesses, we will need to embrace Joseph’s insight, even if its application takes different form.

What would be evidence of this insight?

• For starters, we would find opportunities to say to our families, “Our witness to Messiah Jesus does not depend on the success of the United States.”
• In our public times of worship, we would acknowledge that our nation is only the latest entry on a list that includes the ancient empires of Egypt, Babylon and Rome. We would frequently remind ourselves that part of God’s saving work is freeing people from the arrogance and violence empires produce.
• In our religious instruction, we would teach one another to recognize how the empire uses popular culture—especially the media—to shape our worldview and distort our understanding of justice and righteousness. We would build relationships with congregations and individuals that reside in the borderlands of the empire and ask them to correct our understanding.
• When political campaigns dominate the public discourse, we would remind one another that the major political parties are equally committed to using the violence of the empire to seize resources and kill and oppress those who resist.
• We would encourage financial investments in activities that are locally controlled and thus not as easily co-opted for the empire’s purposes. And we would encourage skepticism about careers that require deep investments in the survival of centralized structures dependent on the empire’s largesse.

Within the ebb and flow of empires, God calls forth a community to bless the peoples of the earth through its dissent and witness to another way. Joseph plays an improbable role in this history. As we Mennonites contemplate our future, we would do well to follow his example and begin a sustained conversation that distinguishes our way from the empire’s way.