As I’ve travel back through ancient times recorded in the book of Genesis, I’ve frequently felt disturbed by all of the layers of lies and deception in the lives of Abraham’s family. But this morning, God showed me how God uses “despised ones” for His plans and for His glory. Joseph was despised by his older brothers because he was favored by his father and because of his superior dreams. Joseph’s angry and jealous brothers threw him into a pit and later sold him into slavery. Joseph was despised by Potipher after Potipher’s wife falsely accused Joseph of raping her. Joseph’s next pit was a dungeon for thirteen years. I doubt that when Joseph lost everything and everyone and spent thirteen years in prison, he felt good about where God put him to use his “dream-ministry” gifts.
We’re not the dream-givers nor the storywriters. In God’s Script, the despised ones play central roles in His redemption narrative. In God’s supreme plan, our vilest offenses can and will be used for God’s glory. God used Joseph’s brothers’ offense to put him into a position to save the family. God can even use lies and false accusations, where we become the despised ones, to position us to be used in greater narratives yet to come. While feeling and dealing with all of the injustices, God was teaching Joseph to trust Him and to be obedient. Joseph had no idea how or where God was going to use him in the future.
He learned obedience through what he suffered. In the process of changing and preparing him, God used Jacob and his gifts wherever God put him. When God is writing the story, even the despised Hebrews and shepherds in his family system of villians were treated like royalty in Egypt. Why? Because Jesus truly is a “Friend of sinners.”
Jesus was despised and rejected. He was familiar with bitterest grief (Isaiah 53). He took all of our sin and guilt and shame upon Himself. We were forgiven and healed because of all of the injustices and offenses and sins that He took upon Himself. Throughout history, God’s eternal narrative was to pay the price for all of the rejected, despised ones. In order for His grand redemption narrative to work, God willingly chose to have His One and Only Son, Jesus, to be the Despised One. Because of Jesus’ incredible and boundless love for His rebellious children, we now can stand forgiven at the cross. Because Jesus was despised and rejected, we despised ones are called His loved ones.
Where this narrative becomes overwhelming and personal is when we feel despised and rejected by God, by ourselves, or by others. We tend to respond by building cases against God, ourselves, and others when what’s been thought, said, or done is unjust and utterly offensive. When we build walls and cases against God, self, and others, we’re constructing our own prison in which we sometimes spend years wondering if we’ll ever get out.
Instead of spending the rest of our lives worrying about when we’ll die or if we’ll ever get through our unfair circumstances that we’re “stuck” in,
the Grave Robber and Prison Buster is just waiting for us to surrender our lives and stories for Him to rewrite. Whatever we despise about ourselves and others can and will be used in God’s redemptive narrative for His glory. If only we will stop playing judge, critic, defense attorney, god, avenger, revenger, guard, and prisoner.
In God’s redemptive narrative, the Despised One is called “The Lord of all.” Despised ones can become beloved children of God. The repentant vilest offenders can be forgiven and spend eternity with Jesus. The forgotten and marginalized ones can come to sit on Jesus’ lap and discover God’s love and favor.
You may still want to build a case, a wall, or a prison. You may want to continue your self-dialog and tell everyone about how unfair life and people and God have been to you.
But someday, you may just get tired of it all and surrender it all to Jesus. The Despised One loves despised ones. And because of Jesus’ incredible, sacrificial gift of His own life on your behalf, you aren’t despised. You are loved. Why not give in and receive what you need most: Love and Grace. Then you can spend the rest of your life telling yourself and everyone else a new narrative about what’s not fair. Sinners are forgiven. Despised ones are freely given everything that belongs to Jesus. Then you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.
