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Genesis 37
Jacob/Israel is now the father of twelve sons from whom will come the twelve tribes of Israel. This "account of Jacob" zeroes in on Joseph: his 11th son and the first-born son of his beloved wife Rachel. Like those before him, Joseph is tested. In spite of dreams indicating that he will rule over his brothers, circumstances are against him for years. "Will you trust God?" is still the question. How does he fare?
In spite of mistreatment by his brothers being sold as a slave, unjust accusations, and languishing forgotten in prison, Joseph never loses faith in God. He is honest, hardworking, thoughtful, and courageous. He is humble and give all credit to God rather than trying to advance himself in the eyes of others. He does not grasp what has been promised but waits patiently for it, trusting that God will do as He has said. Consequently, he rises to the chief position of leadership under Pharaoh and is able to bless not only Egypt but the surrounding countries as well.
Joseph Sold by his Brothers (Antonio del Castillo)
Day 19 Joseph and His Brothers
Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter (Pietro Perugino)
A Daily Defense
DAY 19
Peter’s Sins
CHALLENGE: “Peter was not the first pope. Even if Jesus appointed Peter as leader of the apostles, he would have
been disqualified later by his sins—particularly when he denied Jesus.“
DEFENSE: Jesus foresaw Peter’s denial, took it into account, and afterward confirmed him in his office.
Peter’s denial was very grave. According to John, he denied being a disciple of Jesus (John 18:25).
That was a public denial of the Faith (albeit an insincere one, since Peter did not abandon the
Christian movement).
Despite this, Jesus had foreseen Peter’s denial and told him in advance to take a pastoral role with
respect to the other apostles after he repented, saying: “I have prayed for you that your faith may not
fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:32).
He did not say this to
any of the others. Jesus thus envisioned Peter continuing to have a unique leadership role among
the apostles even after his denial.
It is thus questionable whether Peter lost his leadership role even temporarily, but lest there be any
doubt, Jesus afterward publicly confirmed Peter in office.
In the presence of the other disciples, he
asked Peter three times whether he loved him (mirroring the three denials). Jesus emphasized
Peter’s unique pastoral role among the disciples by initially asking him, “Do you love me more than
these ”—indicating the other disciples. When Jesus then told Peter three times to feed his sheep, the
other disciples are included in that group (John 21:15–17).
If Peter’s denial had cost him his office, it likely wouldn’t have prevented him from being the leader
of the apostles, but from being an apostle altogether. Yet this clearly did not happen. Peter continued
to function as an apostle for decades. What’s more, the New Testament continues to portray him as
their leader.
In Acts 1–12, where he served as the focus of the book, Peter is the leader and the central
figure in almost every event recorded.
The Gospels also were written in the decades after Peter’s denial, and the fact that three of the
Gospels contain passages in which Jesus formally confers a leadership role on Peter (Matt. 16:18;
Luke 22:32; John 21:15–17) indicates his leadership was still relevant in these decades.
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