The third and final Old Testament patriarch (Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham) has died at the age of 147. Before his death, he declared his sons to be tribes. Together they and their descendants would constitute “a great nation.” He reminded them that the land of Canaan (the land that God promised to give to their forefather Abraham) is their true home. They reside in Egypt as temporary residents. They are never to become complacent and forget. They are to stay awake and keep watch.

As Joseph and his father had an especially close relationship, it would make sense that grief hit him hardest. Jacob also had made Joseph promise to see to his proper burial in the family tomb back in the land of Canaan. In order for that to be possible, Joseph orders his father be embalmed in the elaborate Egyptian manner. For forty days embalmers attended to their duty, and then the Egyptians (with the family of Jacob) mourned for him an additional thirty days, making a total of seventy days of official mourning.

Pharaoh gives permission for Joseph and his brothers to bury their father in the family cemetery in Canaan, the one in the cave in the field at Macpelah which Abraham bought. Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Leah are all buried there. The traditional site is the city of Hebron, southeast of Jerusalem.

A very large entourage goes with the family. Servants of Pharoah, elders of his household, elders of Egypt, chariots and horsemen. Jacob receives much pomp and circumstance in burial, as if a prominent dignitary of the state. Perhaps this is related to Joseph’s prominence and the respect he bore, but we also remember that when Jacob met Pharoah, it was Jacob who blessed Pharoah—twice.

The sons of Jacob fulfill the request that they solemnly promised to do for him. They bury him with his grandfather and father, with his grandmother and mother, and with Leah. As the Canaanites stand by watching the scene, they notice all the Egyptians in bitter mourning, and they call the place “mourning of the Egyptians.”

The sin that the brothers committed against Joseph—desiring to murder him, tossing him into a cistern to die, selling him to a caravan of traders who sold him to Egypt, and telling their father than he was torn by animals—it’s all been eating away at them. Sin can do that. Even sin that has been forgiven. Regarding this section of Scripture, Martin Luther wrote about how sin can bite us so hard, that it’s harder to let it go. True faith in forgiveness can seem to be elusive. You remember that sin you committed (the size of the sin doesn’t necessarily matter), and you relive it all over again. The guilt and shame come back. That’s what the brothers felt.

Compounding their sense of guilt is the realization that if the sorrow of their father was the only thing holding Jospeh back from vengeance… Well, Dad’s gone now and Joseph can get his revenge.

There’s debate about whether Jacob actually gave the command to forgive the brothers or maybe the brothers made it all up. Given their past track record, the thought that they made it up can’t be ruled out entirely. And yet, these are also men whose hearts have been changed through repentance by the Holy Spirit. So, as one source says, “It seems fair and right to regard these brethren of Joseph as men of good and seasoned character, who speak the truth as godly men should.

If that be the case it has been suggested that Jacob did give this command, knowing that his sons needed to be confronted by their sin one more time, so that their hearts and minds could be eased and set at peace by the Lord’s forgiveness through Joseph.

Joseph is actually saddened by what he hears. When we have good, right, and salutary motives which are then questioned, it can bring sadness. Joseph didn’t harbor ill will against his brothers. He wasn’t waiting for their father’s death in order to exact revenge. So, to learn of their distress concerning their sin quite frankly saddens him.

Nevertheless, Joseph doesn’t disappoint. He says, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?” He doesn’t want revenge. In Scripture, God says, “Vengeance is mine. I will repay.” So, for anyone to exact vengeance is an attempt to take the place of God, except for those to whom it has been granted (like the legal system or on the battlefield).

As the man grew in his experiences, God allowed him to see the bigger picture. We all don’t get to see the big picture all the time on why things happen in our lives, but sometimes the Lord allows us to see it. Joseph got to see the fulness of it. He sees and understands why God allowed his brothers to do what they did. He sees and understands why he was sold to Egypt. He sees and understands why God granted him to interpret the dreams of the baker and cupbearer. He sees and understands why he was imprisoned (and then kept in prison even longer). He sees and understands why the Lord granted him to interpret Pharoah’s dream. He sees and understands why God gave him wisdom and insight to have much authority in Egypt. From the very beginning, it was to save many lives. From the very beginning, it was to preserve the ancestors of the coming Messiah, in whom the world’s families are blest, and by whom the sins of the world are taken away. Joseph sees the big picture and realizes he can’t argue with God’s plan.

Joseph says, “Do not fear (all is forgiven); (I will show all is forgiven) I will provide for you and your little ones.” The famine is over, but Joseph cares for the family. He comforts them. He speaks kindly to them. He forgives their sins and shows it in his actions.

Joseph lived 110 years. With Noah and his ancestors, we have seen ages ranging from 700 to 800 to 900 to almost 1,000 years. Methuselah lived to be 969 years old! Imagine that! That’s nine and two-thirds one-hundred-year lifetimes! It boggles the mind!

Simply for that reason, some people doubt it’s truthfulness. Some suggest that maybe a year means something else. Others suggest that maybe the timeframe in Genesis is different somehow.

But I want you to notice that the lifespans are shortening. Noah’s son Shem lived to be 600. Abraham’s father lived to be 205. Abraham died at 175 years old. Isaac was 180. Jacob lived to be 147 years old. And now Joseph dies at 110 years of age. To dive into the future, Moses will flee Egypt at 40 years old, come back to Egypt at around 80 years old, and die at the age of 120. By the time we get to Joseph’s generation, lifespans seem to have shortened to what we know them to be. With that being the case, I see no reason to question the ages of Adam, Methuselah, Noah or the others. They lived longer—most likely because they lived in a world much closer to the perfection of creation.

Joseph lived long enough to see his grandchildren on Ephraim’s side. And he either adopted some of his great-grandchildren on Manasseh’s side or (most likely) the phrasing of the Hebrew language means he lived long enough to hold these great-grandchildren.

Genesis concludes with the death of Joseph. But as the word “genesis” means origin, so this is only the beginning, and that’s indicated by Joseph’s words to his family. He speaks to his brothers before death, which means two things are possible. Either his blood-brothers outlived him or he spoke these words to his brothers’ descendants. Whichever way, what’s important is the words—and believe it or not—the words tie in to our Gospel reading this morning.

Joseph says, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Then Joseph says, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” Not just once, but twice Joseph emphasizes that God will visit them. He says, “This is not your home. God will visit you and bring you to the land He promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God will bring you to the land of Canaan. That’s your home.” Then he says, “This is not my home. I served in Egyptian government for many years, but I’m not an Egyptian. I’m a part of God’s people, a descendant of Abraham. God will visit you, and I want you to bring my bones to the Promised Land.” With these words Joseph declares His faith in the Lord’s promises, and he reminds his whole family of God’s promises. He puts his faith into action by arranging that he will be embalmed and kept in a coffin. This provides the best opportunity for his descendants to fulfill his desire to be brought to the Promised Land. He so trusts the Lord’s promise.

In the meantime, God’s people (the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the twelve tribes of Israel) are to keep watch. They don’t know the day or hour. God’s people will be bitterly enslaved, and with a display of great power and might the Lord will set them free to leave Egypt. They will journey to the Promised Land. Moses made sure the bones of Joseph were carried from Egypt as recorded in Exodus 13:19. Joshua 24:32 tells us that Joseph’s bones are buried in Shechem. God fulfilled His promise to visit and redeem His people from Egypt.

Of course, all this points to an even greater redemption. For Christ Jesus is our Passover Lamb, who has been sacrificed to set us free from slavery to sin, death, and hell. Sin leads to death and death leads to hell. So, we were enslaved to all three. But Christ has set us free to be His people. And now… We wait… Like the family of Jacob, we wait for the Lord to visit and fulfill His promises. We wait for the full and complete redemption promised to us. We wait for the ultimate Promised Land… the heavenly Jerusalem… the paradise spoken of by Jesus… the great wedding banquet… the rich food and well-aged wine prophesied by Isaiah… We await the Lord to come again in glory and completely fulfill all of the promises that He has made to us.

As we wait, we keep watch. We keep watch by receiving His Word and Sacraments regularly. We keep watch by hearing His promises, hearing His forgiveness, and hearing His salvation (through which He has made us His people). We keep watch by recalling our Baptism, recalling that we are His children, and recalling that we have been “adopted as sons” of God. We keep watch by receiving the Lord’s body and blood, receiving Holy Communion with our Lord and with one another, receiving the medicine of immortality, and receiving the great foretaste of the feast to come. We keep watch, ultimately because the Holy Spirit keeps us watching through these blessed gifts. Honor them. Love them. Cherish them. They are gifts of love from God.

As the Lord redeemed Israel out of Egypt and led them to the Promised Land. So, the Lord has redeemed us from sin, death, the devil, and hell, and He will return to bring us to our heavenly home.

You don’t need to be afraid of the day of His coming. It’s a day to look forward to. We shouldn’t be so attached to this sinful, fallen world. Yes, there are joys of life here. But they don’t even come close to comparing with what’s to come. So, we should always keep watch with a desire that it happen now. As God’s people, we pray the final prayer recorded in Scripture. “Come, Lord Jesus.” Amen.