Looking Good, Feeling...

Genesis 37:3-4

Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

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You gotta look sharp
You gotta look sharp
And you gotta have no illusions
Just keep going your way looking over your shoulder

"Look Sharp" by Joe Jackson

Leave it to Joseph, leave it to the one called "The Dreamer" that he would have illusions. Actually, come to think of it, he didn't have illusions. His brothers, his brothers who imagined that they could get him out of their lives--now they had illusions. Still, Joseph would have been served well to look over his shoulder.

Joseph was the eleventh of twelve sons of Jacob, who was also called Israel. He was the first son of his favorite wife Rachel. He was also "the son of Jacob's old age." Is it no wonder that Joseph got all the good stuff?

And is there any better way to tick off your brothers than stealing the love of your father?  You always knew your mother wasn't the favorite but now it's about you, not just the grown ups?  Little Joe had better keep looking over his shoulder.

Maybe this is a warning to parents: The kids know what's going on in the life of the grown ups.  They know something is going on.  It may be like the elephant in the room, and the kids don't know it's an elephant.  They may just think it's a big gray wall, but they know it's there and when they figure it out they'll be able to see it for what it is.

Joseph had illusions.  He had no idea the depth of his brother's hatred.  His brothers had some illusions, they thought they could be done with Joseph and his coat and his dreams.  Both Joseph and his brothers had to keep looking ove their shoulders.  But one thing we know from scripture is Jacob kept these things in the back of his mind.  In his own way, he was looking back as he looked forward.  The gospel says that's no way to live as a disciple of the Lord, but somehow it worked for Jacob.