I do not know this man of whom you speak.

Genesis 44

An elaborate test. Are the brother's sorry for their betrayal? Joseph has to see their hearts. Ligon Duncan says of the close of the chapter:

"It is interesting, isn’t it, here, the guilty [Judah] offers himself as a substitute for the innocent [Benjamin]. But there would be another lion of the tribe of Judah who was innocent, but who would offer himself as a substitute for his guilty brothers. And that substitute would be accepted and He would live and die in their place that they might experience His glory."

Mark 14

The beautiful mystery of communion. The ugliness of betrayal. The shame of denial. How dark that night must have felt. I can't imagine the confusion.

Job 10

Job walks a tightrope. On the one hand, he maintains God's position over all of creation:

"Remember that you have made me like clay;
and will you return me to the dust?" (v 9)

On the other hand he seems to assert that God is not acting "fairly".

"And were my head lifted up, you would hunt me like a lion
and again work wonders against me." (v 16)

This whole conversation between Job and his "friends" continues with both sides not ultimately getting it.

Romans 14

God is ultimately about reunifying his people. We ought to be working tirelessly for unity in the body, and yet we continue to create labels to describe how different "they" are from "us" (and ultimately, we must be right).