📖 From the Bible
When Joseph’s dad died, the brothers started to get scared. They said, “What if Joseph is still angry with us? What if he pays us back for all the wrong we did to him?”
They sent word to Joseph: “Before he died, your dad asked you to forgive them. Please forgive us for what we did to you.” Joseph cried when he heard that.
The brothers came to Joseph themselves, fell down on the ground in front of him and said, “We will do whatever you tell us.”
Joseph answered, “Don’t be afraid. It’s not my job to punish you. You wanted to hurt me, but God turned it into something good. Because of that, many people were saved.”
“Don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.” That’s how he comforted them, and he spoke kindly to them.
Jacob, the dad of Joseph and his brothers, had died. The brothers were afraid that now Joseph would get back at them.
15When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us, and will fully pay us back for all the evil which we did to him.” 16They sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father commanded before he died, saying, 17‘You shall tell Joseph, “Now please forgive the disobedience of your brothers, and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ Now, please forgive the disobedience of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18His brothers also went and fell down before his face; and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to save many people alive, as is happening today. 21Now therefore don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones.” He comforted them, and spoke kindly to them.
This is how we tell this passage to kids. The exact words of the Bible are under “As it is in the Bible”.
The sign (…) marks a place where we left something out. The sentence in italics is ours. We never change the words of the Bible.
Genesis 50:15-21 · Scripture: World English Bible Updated (public domain)
The ball flew straight into the neighbor’s window. The glass cracked with a crash. Everybody knows whose ball it was. The neighbor must be so angry. For a few days you walk around scared of what will happen. That is exactly how Joseph’s brothers felt.
The dad of Joseph and his brothers had died. The brothers started to get scared. As long as their dad was alive, they felt safe. Now they thought: what if Joseph is still angry with us? What if he pays us back? After all, they had once sold him into Egypt. And now he was the most important person in the country after the king. He could do whatever he wanted with them.
So they came up with a plan. They had a message sent to Joseph saying that before he died, their dad had asked Joseph to forgive his brothers. The Bible doesn’t say whether their dad really said that. Joseph heard the message and cried. It looks like it hurt him that his brothers were still afraid of him. Then they came to him themselves. They fell down on the ground in front of him and said they would do whatever he told them.
Joseph told them, “Don’t be afraid.” He said it wasn’t his job to punish them. And then he said something beautiful: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to save many people alive.” He promised to take care of his brothers and their children. He spoke kindly to them, so they would feel safe. That’s how the first book of the Bible ends. There was no revenge. There was peace, and relief.
To forgive means to say: I won’t keep bringing it up. Then the other person can breathe out again.
Did you know?
Many years later, there was a prophet named Jeremiah. A prophet is someone who told people God’s words. Jeremiah wrote down a promise from God: “I will remember their sin no more.” God doesn’t keep a list of our mistakes. Joseph acted a lot like that with his brothers. Instead of bringing up old stuff, he said: don’t be afraid.
Look at Jesus
Joseph forgave the brothers who hurt him. Jesus did the same thing, even though the hurt was huge. When people were doing the worst thing to Him, He prayed for them. He said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Jesus doesn’t keep bringing up our mistakes. He forgives.
What about you?
When you’ve hurt someone, you can be scared for a long time. Is he still mad? Will she tell my mom or dad? Don’t carry that around inside. Go up and say, “I’m sorry, that was mean.” And if someone says sorry to you, do what Joseph did. Don’t remind them of the old thing. Say, “It’s okay, no worries.” Then that person can really breathe out.
Let’s talk about it
- Remember what the brothers were afraid of, and what Joseph told them.
- Which is harder: saying sorry or forgiving? Or can you think of what helps with both?
- Is there someone you want to say sorry to, or someone you want to tell that everything is okay?
Today’s challenge
Think of someone you have something unfinished with. Say one sentence to that person: “I’m sorry” or “It’s okay.”
Prayer
God, sometimes I’m afraid that someone still remembers my mistakes. Teach me to say sorry and to forgive, the way You do. Amen.
Tap when you have prayed.