Grace does not come after a confession or an apology, nor is it earned in any shape or form. Grace always costs. But the one paying the price is the one who carries the grace, not the one who receives it.
“So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. “Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11 I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise, you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’ 12 “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13 Tell my father about all the honour accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.” 14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.” (Genesis 45 v9-15)
- Grace doesn’t wait for an apology.
They have not said sorry. Grace comes way before an apology. It moves first. It does not sit back and wait until the conditions are right. Grace is not earned.
- Grace renames the wound.
Joseph hasn’t forgotten what happened. “It was not you who sent me here, but God.” Grace does not require us to pretend that nothing happened; it refuses to let what happened have the final word.
- Grace is grounded in a story bigger than the offence.
God has been narrating a story through Joseph’s suffering, and that story is larger than the brothers’ cruelty. Grace flows most freely from people who are most convinced that God is at work in all things.
- Grace comes with an embrace.
It is not a formal declaration. Grace is physical. Joseph does not send word of his forgiveness through a messenger. He crosses the room himself.
Missions Paul 