Mercy That Transforms Evil

Reading — Genesis 45:1–15

You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.

Genesis 50:20

When Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers, the scene trembles with emotion. These are the men who betrayed him, sold him, and erased him from their lives. Now he stands before them clothed in authority, holding their future in his hands. Revenge would have been understandable. Instead, Joseph weeps — and mercy rewrites the story. He does not deny their wrongdoing; he names it plainly: “You meant evil against me.” But he refuses to let evil define the ending: “God meant it for good.” In Joseph’s words, we hear the echo of Romans 8:28 long before it was written: “In all things God works for the good of those who love Him.” Evil is not minimized — but it is overruled.

Joseph’s forgiveness is not passive resignation; it is active redemption. He feeds the very brothers who once starved him of freedom. He shelters those who cast him away. In doing so, he embodies what Paul would later write: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). Joseph literally overcomes evil with provision. Walter Brueggemann observes that Joseph’s mercy interrupts the predictable spiral of retaliation. Revenge would have perpetuated fear; mercy creates a future. Forgiveness does not pretend the wound never happened — it refuses to let the wound have the last word.

Eugene Peterson often reminds us that Scripture teaches us to “live in the large story of God.” Joseph could have reduced his identity to betrayal and injustice. Instead, he chose to trust the wider narrative of providence. The pit, the prison, the waiting — all became chapters in God’s unfolding redemption. Mercy allowed Joseph to see his life not as a tragedy but as part of a larger saving purpose. And in Christ, we see this pattern fulfilled: the cross was humanity’s evil intention, yet God turned it toward salvation. Lent invites us to release our smaller stories of resentment and step into the larger story of grace.

Mercy transforms evil not by denying it, but by surrendering it to God — who alone can turn harm into hope.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

You are able to bring good out of what was meant for harm.

Teach us to overcome evil with good, and to trust Your larger story when our own chapters feel painful. May Your mercy transform our wounds into witnesses of Your grace. Amen.