Dreamers

One of my favorite lines from the Old Testament comes from today’s first reading about Jacob’s son, Joseph: “Here comes that master dreamer!”. The line is said with contempt and scorn by Joseph’s eleven brothers, who see Joseph as an existential threat to their good standing with their mutual father, Jacob (Israel). Interestingly, the twelve boys are divided amongst four different mothers. Why significant? Joseph was Jacob’s favorite. Joseph was the offspring of Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife, the wife of the covenant, the wife that he worked seven extra years for when he saw there was still a possibility of winning Rachel’s hand. The other eleven brothers were offspring of Leah and two maidservants, Bilhah and Zilpah.

The family lineage seems like biblical, genealogical minutia, but it has great typological (symbolic) consequences regarding trust, trust in the goodness of Israel (Jacob), the father, of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Arguably, the line ‘master dreamer’ seems to be a praise of the father, Israel, for his beloved son, a trait that is unique to Joseph alone, separate from his other eleven brothers. The line is peculiar, full of wonder. What sort of personality would be called a ‘master dreamer’? While the Old Testament writer doesn’t elaborate for us on its immediate meaning, it seems the connotation refers possibly to a compliment made by Jacob. The line is significant because it is an attribute of great praise about Joseph’s approach to life, generally.

In this season of Lent, often times we struggle finding the ‘master dreamer’ compliment within ourselves, that approach to ourselves that only the Father can reveal to us. Lent gives us a too acute reminder of our brokenness and sinfulness, the parts of us that we refuse to show even Abba. Yet, we are called to be ‘master dreamers’, maybe though, not with the same lens that we have always approached seeing our own life stories.

Joseph certainly had master dreams for himself that were unfulfilled the day he was thrown into a well by his brothers, left to die, only to be picked up by Ishmaelite traders. The Father’s master dreams for Joseph were much bigger than his brothers’ sins and Joseph’s own failings, for Joseph’s ultimate triumph and glory would be when he became second-in-command of all of Egypt, saving Egypt from famine, forgiving his brothers in front of their mutual father.

God’s master dreams of us include the wounds and failures others have inflicted upon us, as well as the iniquities and transgressions we’ve caused ourselves. Nothing stops grace, nothing stops mercy, nothing stops Providence from bringing us to that perfect glory, where we are men and women fully alive (St. Irenaeus: "The glory of God is man fully alive.")

Today, we make a concrete resolution to spend at least 10 minutes with our professional résumé, a scrapbook, a journal, a diary, maybe in front of the Tabernacle, thanking Jesus for the wondrous paths He has taken us, asking the Father to reveal to us the master dream he has left for us to fulfill.

Author: Adam Hauser, English Department