The Threadbare Runner

Joseph has been put into the worst possible circumstances. Stripped of his beautiful robe, left in a dark pit to die, and then, very suddenly, lifted out of the dark pit only to be sold into bondage and slavery in a far away land. One can only imagine the pain, the suffering, the turmoil that must have wreaked havoc on Joseph’s soul. And yet, even in this lowest of moments, “God was with Joseph”.

In the midst of the chaos and darkness of life, God was nevertheless bringing about the blessings of new creation in Joseph’s life. We must read closely, or we’ll miss it:

“ the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hands… the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field.”

Do you see what God is doing here? The blessing of the Garden of Eden is bestowed on Joseph: “Be fruitful...” and all that Joseph did prospered and flourished. And, even now, God has remembered his promise to Abraham, Joseph’s ancestor as well. To Abraham, the LORD declared “all the nations will be blessed through you.” Even in slavery, God continues to bless Joseph. Not only does he prosper, but the house he’s in prospers, and even beyond that, the nation of Egypt prospers on Joseph’s account.

Very quickly, Joseph rose through the ranks and became a prominent member of his master,Potiphar’s, household.

A Snake in the Garden

But, just as in the garden, the serpent was not content to let God’s people flourish and prosper. Temptation slithers into Joseph’s life, as we see the Eden story play out in all new ways. This time, it is Joseph, and not a fruit tree, that was “a delight to the eyes.” Potiphar’s wife begins to notice that Joseph is quite handsome, and decides to take him for herself.

Joseph, on the other hand, recognizes that Potiphar’s wife was like that forbidden tree in the garden. He says, “My master has put everything that he has in my hand. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”

Potiphar, like God in the garden, had been generous to Joseph. In Eden, God gave to the humans every tree in the garden to eat from. They could eat from any tree they wanted to, except one. Likewise, Potiphar had given Joseph everything in his house, “He is not greater in this house than I am,” Joseph says. “He hasn’t kept anything at all from me, except you.”

What a generous God! And what a generous master! Yet, Potiphar’s wife came to Joseph with the same tricks as that serpent of old. She tried to draw attention away from the abundance and extravagant generosity of the master of the house in order to get Joseph to focus on the one exception. Despite all of the generosity of God, the serpent tried to convince the first humans that God was holding something back from them. Likewise, Potiphar’s wife wanted Joseph to forget the many ways that his master had been generous, and focus on the one thing that was off limits.

Unlike that first couple in the garden, however, Joseph saw through the trick.

Cut off your Hand

Unlike that first couple in the garden, however, Joseph saw through the trick. Joseph managed to outwit the crafty serpent, speaking in Potiphar’s wife, and to remain faithful to his God and loyal to his master.

But how? So many times in the story, we’ve witnessed humans come to the time of trial, to be tested by the serpent, and fall short. Adam and eve, Abraham, Jacob, all have fallen short. What did Joseph do differently?

For starters, he put up a barrier between himself and temptation. Saying no to Potiphar’s wife was not a “one and done” thing. She approached him day after day: this was a daily temptation. But Joseph not only said “no” but began refusing to even be around her. He put distance between himself and the temptation.

Here, Joseph provides a good example for us as well. There are sins that tempt Christians daily. For many of us, that temptation might be lust, as it was for Joseph. Pornography, adultery, lustful thoughts, the ancient serpent has many ways to lead Christians astray. Perhaps it’s not lust, but anger, greed, conceit, jealousy, gossip or slander that is a constant temptation. To be tempted is to be human, but it is not to be helpless. Like Joseph, we should seek ways to remove ourselves from situations that tempt us to sin. If we find that we’re more prone to temptation of lust when we’re alone in the house for extended periods of time, then don’t be alone in the house. If we find we tend to be tempted more tempted to gluttony when we have ice cream in the house, then don’t buy ice cream. And if we’re tempted to let anger get the better of us when we don’t sleep well, then we should be careful to get the rest we need.

In the Lord’s prayer, Christ instructs us to pray “Deliver us from evil, and lead us not into temptation.” This is because Jesus knows that humans don’t do well with temptation. We should avoid it at all costs, because Satan, that ancient serpent, is crafty and wise, and knows just how to lead us astray. So we pray for God not to bring us to temptation, and if we pray that, then it is wise not to lead ourselves into temptation either. So, if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off, and cast it far away from yourself.

Temptation Mingled with Power

But Satan does not like to be ignored. And while it is certainly wise to avoid temptation when possible, there will inevitably come a time when we have to face such things. Despite his best efforts to avoid her, Potiphar was wise and crafty, and she found a way to corner Joseph alone one day. She grabbed onto his robes, and more fiercely than ever, demanded that Joseph give into her tempting.

It is not insignificant that Potiphar’s wife was among the royal elite. While temptation from lust, greed, anger, etc. are certainly dangerous, Joseph’s story reminds us of another, often forgotten, tool of the Devil: power. This is a powerful woman who could utterly destroy Joseph if he were to cross her (and, in fact, she tries to!). It is this very thing that has lead so many followers of Christ astray throughout the history of the church, and that continues to lead many astray even to this day.

In the early days of the Church, many were persecuted, tortured, and killed for their faith. The martyrs of our faith serve as powerful inspiration for us, but we must also remember the many who faced such trials and chose to forgo torture and death by turning away from Jesus. In those days, the Devil’s use of power to lead Christians astray was a blunt weapon, obvious, and easily seen.

This is a powerful woman who could utterly destroy Joseph if he were to cross her (and, in fact, she tries to!).

But, in the 4th century, the Devil began to use the weapon of power in a different way. Constantine came to power in Rome, and after many years of persecution, Christians finally began to gain a comfortable place in society. In fact, Constantine himself was converted to Christianity, and he began to take an active role in church affairs.

At first, this seemed like a good thing. But quickly, many in the church began to realize that it had its downsides. Constantine and his successors began to use their authority and power to influence church decisions, and many bishops and elders caved. The threat was no longer torture and death, but a loss of favor with the Emperor, and even loss of their own newfound power in society.

Today in America, we see a similar kind of tool being used against the church. Christians in the West don’t need to fear torture or death for practicing our religion. But we do face the threat of social stigmatization and the loss of cultural and political influence. If we speak truth, we may not face death, but we may face the scorn and rejection of our neighbors, our co-workers, the media, and society at large. In fact, we may also face persecution from within the church!

There were a great many bishops and elders who had grown comfortable with the perks of conforming to Constantine’s will, and who sought to oppress bishops who spoke out against some of the things Constantine tried to impose on the church. Likewise, there are many in the church today who have grown too comfortable with our lofty position in culture and politics, and who quickly try to stifle anyone who would speak out against our culture or our government when those things conflict with the teachings of Christ.

And so Satan has wisely mixed together the threat of power with the allure of temptation to lead many astray. Christians today are faced with the temptation to over consume, to splurge on luxuries, to hoard money and goods, to give in to sexual desires of all sorts, and to place our own needs above those of the orphans, widows, and refugees. Sin, in these many ways, is alluring to us not only because it promises to gratify our fleshly desires, but also because of the power such things grant us, and the ways in which giving in to such temptations help us avoid such power being used against us.

Leave Your Garments and Flee

So, we can perhaps relate to the dreadful situation Joseph found himself in. He found himself not only facing the temptation of lust, but the threat of the powerful lady of the house against him. How should the faithful respond to such things? The story provides a clear answer by telling us four times: “Joseph left his garments and fled.”

Robes, at this time, often represented ones social status and rank. The story presents us with a metaphor that represents Joseph once again being stripped of his social status. Unfortunately, Joseph soon learns that rejecting the temptations offered by the powerful has its consequences. All of the perks and powers that Potiphar had bestowed on Joseph are stripped away from him. Once again, Joseph finds himself stripped of his robes and thrown into a dark pit, this time a prison cell.

This is often what it means to follow God in a world that follows the serpent, however. We will inevitably have to give up the things of the world in order to receive the things of God. St. Jerome, an early leader of the Church, wisely recognized this when he said,

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers 2.6: St. Jerome: Letters and Select Works Letter LXXI

to escape the Egyptian woman Joseph had to leave his garment with her. And the young man who followed Jesus having a linen cloth cast about him, when he was assailed by the servants had to throw away his earthly covering and to flee naked.4 Elijah also when he was carried up in a chariot of fire to heaven left his mantle of sheepskin on earth.

“...to escape the Egyptian woman Joseph had to leave his garment with her. And the young man who followed Jesus having a linen cloth cast about him, when he was assailed by the servants had to throw away his earthly covering and to flee naked. Elijah also when he was carried up in a chariot of fire to heaven left his mantle of sheepskin on earth....As long as we are occupied with the things of the world, as long as our soul is fettered with possessions and revenues, we cannot think freely of God.”

Potiphar’s wife, in her conceit and confidence in her own power, thought that she could grab onto Joseph the man, but found she could only grasp his garments.

So, after handing over his worldly garments, Joseph “fled outside”. In the face of such temptation, Joseph knew he could not remain in the house alone with Potiphar’s wife. He couldn’t reason with her, just as Adam and Eve were powerless to reason with the serpent. He could only flee, remove himself from the situation, to “Cut off his hand and cast it far from himself!”.

Paul offers similar advice in 1 Corinthians when he says, “Flee from sexual immorality!” Put as much distance between it and yourself as humanly possible.

And Fleeing Toward God

When we, like Joseph, find ourselves cornered by temptation and power, there is only one defense against Satan’s greatest weapon: leave your garments and flee! Cast off your cares for worldly things and get as far away from temptation as humanly possible!

But we must not leave it there. God does not leave it there. When Joseph casts off the soft, luxurious garments of Potiphar’s house, he adorns the rough ragged garments of a prisoner. Yet, even in the dark depths of the Egyptian prisons, “ the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love.” He continued to bless Joseph, and Joseph prospered then as he had before.

This story of temptation and confrontation with worldly powers is encapsulated by another story about a man fully relying on the goodness of the Lord. If we forget how Joseph’s story begins and ends in this passage, there is potential to abuse the good advice to “leave your garments and flee”.

When I was growing up, I remember seeing many Christians in my school wearing “purity rings” and taking vows of abstinence. More recently, some of the people who did such things have begun to speak out against the purity ring movement. What they’ve said is that some of the books and teaching they were given as teenagers taught them that their desires were bad, and that they should repress those feelings, as if they could pretend they weren’t really there. Unfortunately, this kind of repression of desires lead many to experience trauma later when they were married. It also simply didn’t work for many, and when they found that they failed to keep their vows of purity and abstinence, they became convinced that they were irreparably broken.

I can’t

I believe the people who taught these things had the best of intentions, but they had some terrible theology, and that has unfortunately caused a lot of people serious pain, and has damaged the relationships of many with God. Joseph’s story is not a story about how desire is bad. All desire is god given. It is a good and holy gift from our creator, whether that is the desire for food, or sex, or joy, or the desire to feel the breeze on a cool summer day. To “leave your garments and flee” is not to pretend we don’t have desires, or even to say that desire is bad.

It is, instead, to flee from wrong desire, to admit that, though our desires are god-given, they have been disoriented by sin, by the Devil’s attempt to lead us astray. It is not enough to flee from sin, we must flee to God, who is the fulfillment and goal of all our desires. C.S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, remarks that,

“Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water.... If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or to be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that country and to help others to do the same.

Our desire is not a curse, but a holy gift from God. When Potiphar’s wife was rejected by Joseph, this was not because Joseph was a man devoid of passion. It was because his passions were of a very different kind than hers. It was not because he did not desire, but because Joseph sought the one who fulfills all desires. Joseph had come to understand that what Potiphar’s wife had to offer, what Satan had tempted him with daily, would never truly satisfy. ““Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” ABUNDANCE

I’d like to leave you with another story about someone tempted, as Joseph was. In the early days of the church, around the time that Constantine came to power, many Christians became disgusted with the way some of the bishops and elders were bowing to imperial power, so they left and set out to live in the desert as monks. One of these desert monks was a woman named Sarah. When Sarah went out into the desert, she quickly discovered that she could not escape from the temptations of the Devil even so far away from the empire. Day and night, she was tempted by a demon of lust. When this demon would come to tempt her, she would begin to fast and to pray to God.

One day, as she was praying, the demon appeared to her in bodily form and said, “You’ve done it, you have overcome me Sarah.” But Sarah looked at the demon and replied, “It is not I who have overcome you, but my Lord Christ.”

A- The Eden Blessing: Be Fruitful and Multiply

1-Eden Blessing on Joseph

2- Abrahamic Blessing on Egypt

Point/Coutnerpoint (This/But Then)

B- A Snake in the Garden: Empire, Temptation, and Worldly Flesh

1- Potifphar’s wife is like the Tree

2- But, God (and Potiphar) have been Generous

3- Wife tries to draw attention from generosity and abundance toward prohibition, just like serpent

Problem/Solution ( That… Therefore this)

C- Fleeing from Sin

C-

1- Joseph “left his garments and fled”

2- Joseph stripped of social status (robes symbolic)

3- St. Jerome:

4- Potiphar’s wife, in her conceit and confidence in her own power, thought that she could grab onto Joseph the man, but found she could only grasp his garments.

5- Jesus & Paul verses

Correction (Not just this, but also that)

D- Fleeing to God

D-

1- Inclusio of God’s blessing

2- Story about Purity culture

3- Desire isn’t bad: Joseph had desire too

4- To “leave your garments and flee” is not to pretend we don’t have desires, or even to say that desire is bad. It is, instead, to flee from wrong desire, to admit that, though our desires are god-given, they have been disoriented by sin, by the Devil’s attempt to lead us astray. It is not enough to flee from sin, we must flee to God, who is the fulfillment and goal of all our desires.

5- C.S. Lewis:

6- When Potiphar’s wife was rejected by Joseph, this was not because Joseph was a man devoid of passion. It was because his passions were of a very different kind than hers. It was not because he did not desire, but because Joseph sought the one who fulfills all desires

7- Jesus, “Whoever drinks of this water will be thirsty again....”

8- Mother Sarah Story

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