33-34 "So let me stay here as your slave, not this boy. Let the boy go back with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? Oh, don't make me go back and watch my father die in grief!" (The Message)
Judah can't stand the thought of what might happen if the brothers go home without Benjamin. So he offers himself to Joseph to stand in the place of Benjamin and stay in Egypt so that his father might not suffer once more the lose of a favorite son. This act of selflessness might represent who Judah has become over the years and gives us hope that we too might change.
The reality for most of is that we are selfish and self-centered. We are willing to do things for others when it doesn't really cost us that much. If we have the time, resources, and abilities we are more than willing to help out. But when it could cost us more than is considered normal we hold back. We don't want to be inconvenienced or put off of our own goals and dreams. We feel sad for those who have to pay the price of living but that is just the way it is.
Some thoughts to ponder and share with others:
- What do you think was going through Benjamin's mind in the midst of all this?
- Why do you think Judah was willing to stay in Benjamin's place?
- What would it take for you to really give up something for someone else not to have to suffer?
- What might you do to begin practicing being less self-centered in the coming week?
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