As we read this story, we see Joseph's patience and wisdom. Only a matured person has such patience and wisdom. The more matured we are, the more wisdom and patience we have. Although Joseph was just about forty years of age, in his spiritual life he was matured. Because he was spiritually mature, he had great wisdom and patience. Thus, he was not governed by his desire or emotion, but directed by his wisdom and patience.
In the church life today we all, especially the elders, need a life of wisdom and patience. What the elders do should not be under the direction of their emotion, desire, or intention. Although your intention may be very good, you may cause damage to others if you are governed by your good intention. None of the elders or leading ones in the church or in the work should be governed by his intention. On the contrary, we must be governed by our wisdom and patience. It takes no maturity to be directed by your intention or desire. But it does require maturity to be directed by patience and wisdom.
In the story of Joseph's revealing himself to his brothers we do not see any display of childishness on his part. Being full of patience and wisdom, he conducted himself according to the maturity of life. He was tried by his brothers' ignorance and blindness. But instead of being manipulated by his intention or desire, he was completely under the control of his wisdom and directed by his patience. In patience and wisdom he gave his brothers all the tests they needed. Because we are not as mature as Joseph, we may think that he was too severe and troublesome in dealing with his brothers. But Joseph was not a troublesome person; he was a person fully matured and governed by wisdom and patience. He knew what was the best time to reveal himself to his brothers. His acknowledgment of them was not directed by his desire or his feelings; it was completely under the direction of God's wisdom.
In wisdom, Joseph gave his brothers another test. By giving them this test, he gave them another opportunity to consider his identity. But, as we have seen, they remained ignorant. Therefore, he arranged for them to be brought back to him. When they returned, they were fully subdued. Judah said to him, "What shall we say unto my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves?" (44:16). When Judah spoke to him like this, Joseph still did not reveal himself to them, but continued to be patient, testing Judah to the uttermost. I do not say that Judah was mature in life, but at that moment he had improved very much. By the way he spoke to Joseph we see that he was a subdued, broken man. The attitude and spirit in which he spoke to Joseph about his father touched Joseph deeply. It was through Judah's talk with him that Joseph became convinced that his brother had learned his lesson. That was the right time for Joseph to reveal himself to them. At that time, all his emotions burst forth.
Do not think that Joseph was emotionless like wood or stone. No, he was full of emotion. Look at the way he wept when he revealed himself to his brothers (45:1-15). He told all his servants to leave the room, and then his emotions burst out. This indicates that Joseph was very emotional. Since he was so emotional, how could he have refrained from expressing his emotion for at least several months? The fact that he could do this was a sign of his maturity.
If we do not know how to control our tears, laughter, or anger, it means that we are childish in life. The strongest sign that we are matured is that we are able to control our emotion. As we pointed out in a previous message, when the two sons of Aaron were burned in the presence of God, there were indications that Aaron was forbidden to weep (Lev. 10:1-3). Aaron might have said, "My two sons have just died in my sight and you ask me not to weep. Moses, you are not human." Both Moses and Aaron were in the presence of the Lord. Moses could serve God in His presence because he knew how to control his feelings of sympathy for his brother. Aaron took Moses' word. Whether or not you should weep, laugh, or be angry depends upon the Lord's presence. We are not in the world, but in the presence of the Lord in the Holy of Holies. When you are about to express your emotion, you should not do so according to your feeling. Rather, you must express your emotion according to God's presence. Does God's presence allow you to laugh? Does it allow you to weep? You should not say, "I have just lost my sons and I am very sorrowful. I simply cannot control myself. I must weep." If you say this, it reveals that you are not mature. Joseph could be the ruler in Egypt because he was mature. Being mature, he ruled over himself and over the whole earth. At the right time Joseph wept regarding his brothers. Even this reveals that he was a person fully under the control of God's guidance. In chapters forty-two through forty-four Joseph did not weep in the presence of his brothers. But in chapter forty-five, after the brothers had passed through the dealings and had learned their lessons, Joseph wept.