Surprise, Surprise, Surprise
By Rev. Heidi L. Barham | August 16, 2026
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Read Genesis 45:1 – 15 (NIV)
So, as I was working on the bulletin for this week and came up with the sermon title, I could not help but think about the tagline that was made famous by Jim Nabors’ iconic character, Gomer Pyle… SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE.
The bumbling gas station attendant, Gomer Pyle, was first introduced to homes across America on the Andy Griffith Show… and SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE… what was originally supposed to be a one-time appearance resulted in Jim Nabors being given a show of his own… Gomer Pyle, USMC.
For one reason or another, people were able to connect with this affable, albeit laughable, gas jockey turned Marine private. Now, would you be surprised to learn that beyond his acting career… Jim Nabors was also an accomplished singer who recorded numerous albums and singles on the Columbia Records label?
So, you may have already known that… but would it surprise you to learn that some of his recordings were gospel songs… and that he sang at his high school and in church? Not that surprising?
Well… would it surprise you to know that after he retired from singing and acting… Jim Nabors owned a macadamia plantation on Maui? Or how about this little known fact, Nabors was made an honorary Marine and received a promotion to lance corporal.
So, why am I telling you all this about Jim Nabors a.k.a. Gomer Pyle? Because his life demonstrates the fact that there is always more to someone than what meets the eye.
And that brings us to our text for this morning and the story of Joseph and his brothers and their encounter in Egypt.
In this passage from Genesis, we find Jacob’s sons all standing there in front of Pharaoh’s right-hand man… doing their best to find a logical explanation for how a silver cup ended up in the sack that their youngest brother was carrying… they stood there… caught up in the grip of fear as they anticipated the awful consequences that awaited them.
But SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE… little did they know… the man they knew only as Pharaoh’s second in command was actually their brother, Joseph.
Talk about your worst nightmare coming true.
This band of brothers found themselves standing face to face with the younger brother that they had sold into slavery all those years ago… having convinced their father that he had been killed by a wild animal.
Now, at this point in time… Joseph had served for more than 20 years in Pharaoh’s palace and had been put in charge over all of Egypt… so, it is little wonder the brothers did not recognize him.
How ironic that the brothers had nothing but contempt for Joseph when their father demonstrated his favor for his younger son by giving him a coat or a robe of many colors… and now here he is… most likely outfitted in much finer attire than they could have ever imagined.
And while the brothers may not have had a clue about who it was that held their fate in his hands… Joseph knew exactly who they were.
Now, never let it be said that Joseph suffered from post-traumatic amnesia… he had not forgotten that the brothers who were standing right in front of him had sold him into slavery all those years before.
Which is the reason why… if we look back at chapters 43 and 44, we read about Joseph having his brothers set up and placed into some very precarious positions… first by putting a bag of silver in the sack of food that they were taking back home to their father, Jacob… and then by putting a silver cup in the sack that was being carried by his younger brother, Benjamin.
It might seem that he was having a little fun at their expense… although, I dare say it wasn’t much fun for the brothers… being instilled with a sense of fear, dread, and uncertainty in much the same way as they had done to Joseph when they first left him for dead in a cistern and then sold him to a group of Ishmaelites (see Genesis 37:12 – 36).
But SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE… rather than exacting further revenge on them as some people might have done… Joseph made the difficult decision to extend grace to them… explaining that God had a greater purpose for everything they had done to him and everything else that took place as a result of their heinous actions toward Joseph.
That is why if we were to read ahead to Genesis 50:20, we would find Joseph telling his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Now, as we consider this account from Genesis… let me suggest that the story of Joseph and his brothers contains elements that are similar to what we read about Jesus in the Gospels.
For example, Joseph was one of twelve sons of Jacob... Jesus had twelve disciples.
Joseph was sold into slavery for twenty shekels of silver, at the suggestion of his brother, Judah (Genesis 37:26). Jesus was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver by His disciple named Judas.
Joseph told his brothers, “…do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you” (Genesis 45:5).
Jesus said, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17).
And just as Joseph forgave his brothers for the horrible things they did to him… as Jesus was hanging on the cross at Calvary having endured all the unspeakable acts of violence that were committed against Him… He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34)
And SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE…
Just as He did back then, Jesus still offers grace, mercy and forgiveness to us… despite whatever seemingly unforgiveable acts we may have committed.
And that’s not all… God is still able to bring good out of the bad things that happen in our lives. In fact, the Apostle Paul said it like this in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’”
Or as it reads in the Message Paraphrase, “That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.”
And that is what we should take away from this text… whenever things seem to be going all wrong… we can rest assured that God is working it into something good.
When Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, they basically thought they were getting rid of an annoying thorn in their side… although, they went to some pretty extraordinary lengths to do so.
Joseph had always been the apple of his father, Jacob’s eye… and the brothers were fed up with all the favoritism he received… including being gifted with that extraordinary robe of many colors.
So, the brothers initially hatched a plot to kill Joseph and tell Jacob that a wild animal had attacked him. But thankfully for Jospeh… his oldest brother, Reuben, spoke up and convinced his siblings to throw him into a cistern and just leave him there… ostensibly to die.
But Reuben secretly planned to come back and rescue Joseph. However, by the time he came back, the other brothers had already sold Joseph to some Midianites… who in turn sold him to Potiphar.
From there, Joseph’s life took a series of twists and turns that ultimately landed him in the highest position of authority just under Pharaoh… a position that I might add was a long way up from the bottom of a cistern.
And it was from that position of power that Joseph was able to fulfill the purpose and plan that God had for his life… to save the lives of many others.
Now, when the chief priests and other religious leaders falsely accused Jesus of all manner of things, beat, imprisoned and ultimately crucified Him… they, too, thought they were getting rid of an annoying problem.
But little did they know that they were playing right into God’s hands like Joseph’s brothers… doing exactly what needed to be done in order to fulfill God’s purpose and plan… to give us eternal life through His Son and our Savior, Jesus the Christ.
So, when circumstances go wrong in our lives… rather than get angry and frustrated… we should take a moment (or two or three) and think about how God might be using that situation for His purpose and His plan for our life.
That means we should look for ways in which God is blessing us even in the midst of our trials and tribulations.
Some of you all might remember that I had a sabbatical planned for the summer of 2024 which started on June 1st. However, my Mom was discharged from rehab on May 31st… thus began my sabbatical that was anything but restful. I spent most of the summer couch surfing while tag-teaming with Pam to take care of Mom. It was arguably a very stressful time in my life… but even in the midst of everything we were dealing with… I could still see God’s hand at work… because I did not have to juggle caregiving, full-time work, AND the church.
And unbeknownst to us at the time, God was giving me what would be the last summer I would spend with my Mom. In between all the caregiving duties, we watched a lot of ridiculous TV shows together… and that was the good that God brought out of that situation… we were together more in those last few months than we had been in more years than I can remember.
Now, perhaps someone is thinking… that’s great for you, Pastor… but you don’t know what I am dealing with… how could something good possibly come out of my situation?
Let me say this, I will not stand here and profess to know all about what anyone may be dealing with right now… for some it may be health issues, or job pressures… the death of a loved one, financial challenges, or something else… but whatever it may be, I can say with absolutely certainty that God knows all about what you are going through.
And SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE…
Not only does God know all about it… God loves and cares about you even in the midst of whatever it is you may be going through.
That is why, if we took a quick look at 1 Peter 5:7, we find these words, “Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you.”
Words that echo what the Psalmist David wrote, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken” (Psalm 55:22).
And not only does God love and care about us… He has promised that there will be better days ahead… regardless of whatever it is that we may be dealing with right now.
It is in Revelation 21:4 that we read, “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Now, I wish I could tell you exactly when the day will come when that will happen… but I can’t. However, what I can tell you is that if God said it… it must be true. Because unlike the Internet… everything that God says is true.
So, we just have to hold on a little while longer… and trust that God will be with us every step of the way until that day finally does come… when everything that is upside down will be right side up again.
And until that day arrives, we have been given the gift of God’s Holy Spirit to help see us through.
As it says over in John 14 (15-17a), “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.”
Or as it reads in the Message, “If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you.”
Perhaps it is not all that surprising to hear just how much God loves us and the extremes to which He has repeatedly gone to show us that love through the gift of His Holy Spirit and the gift of His Son and our Savior, Jesus the Christ… the One who gave His very life for us at Calvary… the One who has said He is coming back for us some day… after all, we hear about it fairly often.
Now… if we take a quick look at the end of our text from Genesis… we will see that Joseph made provision for his father and brothers and their families to find safety, security and shelter in Pharaoh’s kingdom as they faced the very real prospect of devastation from famine.
Hopefully, it will come as no surprise to any of us how much greater the provision is that Christ made for each of us to find safety, security and shelter in God’s kingdom for eternity… not because we deserve it… but simply because of God’s grace that is continually being showered upon us because of how very much He loves us.
Now, Jacob and his sons found themselves living in some rather perilous times… and dare I say it? We, too, are living in some pretty perilous times ourselves. I mean, has anyone been watching the news lately?
But SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE… there is good news for us today. No matter what the enemy tries to use to destroy us… God can and God will turn it around and use it for our good… and that really is some good news we all can use.
Amen.
And if that thought blesses you as much as it does me, then you won’t be surprised when I invite you to stand and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: God of Grace (v. 1. 4. 5) #464
