(Catch up on the series here.)

Anger is not bad; it’s an emotion that must be felt.

When the brothers arrived in Egypt, Joseph was rationing out food to people; however, the brothers didn’t recognize him, and they bowed before him in honor. Joseph immediately recognized his brothers, so he disguised himself and spoke harshly to them as he treated them like strangers.

He said, “Where do you come from?”

“From Canaan,” they said. “We’ve come to buy food.”

Joseph knew who they were, but they didn’t know who he was. (42:7-8 MSG)

Joseph remembered the dreams he’d had of his brothers, then he started insisting that they were spies. The brothers denied being spies and defended themselves by telling Joseph they were honest men. Still, Joseph maintained that they were spies. They replied, Your servants are twelve brothers in all, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no longer alive. (42:13 NASB)

But Joseph said, “It’s just as I said, you’re spies. This is how I’ll test you. As Pharaoh lives, you’re not going to leave this place until your younger brother comes here. Send one of you to get your brother while the rest of you stay here in jail. We’ll see if you’re telling the truth or not. As Pharaoh lives, I say you’re spies.”

Then he threw them into jail for three days. (42:14-17 MSG)

Can you imagine the disgust Joseph felt as his brothers bowed to him and treated him with honor? Certainly, their behavior was due to Joseph’s position as a high-ranking official in Egypt. Had they realized he was their brother, though, I’m sure the scene would’ve played out differently.

Joseph’s past —the years and the people he’d tried to forget—were suddenly right before his eyes. His anger had to have been palpable. The men who’d wanted to kill him, who had mocked his dreams, who had stripped him of the coat his father had given him, who had sold him as a slave, who had made their father believe he was dead, were standing before him claiming to be honest men. How heartbreaking and infuriating it must have been for Joseph to hear his brothers talking about their family, claiming that he was “no longer alive.”

It must’ve felt like sweet irony for Joseph to watch his brothers squirm as he accused them of being spies. I wonder if he felt a momentary twinge of satisfaction as he threw his brothers in jail.

While we could claim that Joseph was acting out of revenge, I suggest that he was reacting to years of buried pain that had suddenly resurfaced. In those moments, Joseph acted in a way that any normal person with a similar past likely would. I contend that he had to feel and express his anger before he could heal or forgive.

Many Christians are scolded and shamed for ever showing any signs of anger, as if anger isn’t a normal emotion just like happiness or sadness. In addition, children in narcissistic families learn to suppress anger because there are dire consequences for expressing it. However, anger ultimately demands attention before it will subside. To deny our anger is to deny ourselves the opportunity to eventually forgive and heal.

Next, we’ll see what other emotions surfaced in Joseph when his brothers unexpectedly re-appeared in his life.