Modern movies love revenge. From westerns to superhero films, the crowd cheers when the villain finally gets what is coming. Justice falls, the gun smokes, the hero walks away—and somehow it still does not feel like a real happy ending. Why? Because payback never brings peace. But Scripture gives us a different kind of ending—one that heals instead of hardens. Joseph’s story in Genesis is a perfect example. By the time we reach chapter 44, life has finally brought Joseph full circle. The brother who was betrayed, beaten, and sold into slavery now sits as governor of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. He controls the world’s food supply during a global famine. His dreams, the ones his brothers mocked, have come true. His brothers come to him desperately in need—and they bow before him exactly as God had revealed decades earlier.
Here is where Joseph’s story takes a breathtaking turn. If Hollywood wrote Genesis, Joseph would unsheathe his sword, throw his brothers in chains, and deliver a righteous speech about betrayal. But Joseph had learned something deeper about life and God. Revenge may feel natural, but it does not produce joy. Instead of punishing his brothers, Joseph tested their hearts and discovered repentance. They were no longer the same selfish men who once sold him away. They refused to abandon their younger brother Benjamin and willingly offered themselves in his place. When Joseph saw their change, he broke. Genesis tells us he wept loudly, embraced them, and forgave them fully. No poison of payback. No bitterness. Just overwhelming grace.
Then Joseph speaks one of the most powerful lines in the Bible: “Do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life” (Genesis 45:5). Joseph does not excuse their sin—but he recognizes God’s sovereignty in using it for good. That is the key to genuine forgiveness—not pretending evil never happened, but trusting that God can redeem even the worst of it. Joseph would not allow his brothers to remain trapped in guilt and shame. How many of us still beat ourselves up over sins long forgiven? Joseph says, “Do not be angry with yourselves.” God says the same to His children. We confess, He forgives—and He does not want us living in the prison of regret. Joseph suffered so that life might be preserved. Jesus went to the cross for the same purpose. And because of Him, we too are part of a story with a happy ending. As Jesus Himself promises in John 3:15: “Everyone who believes in Him will have everlasting life.” Sounds a lot like “and they lived happily ever after,” does it not?