Bible ReadingGenesis 37:1-36 Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan.
[24:37] These are the generations of Jacob.
[26:00] Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers.
[26:24] He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives.
[26:33] And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father.
[28:54] Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age.
[27:12] And he made him a robe of many colors.
[28:31] But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.
[29:29] Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more.
[29:52] He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed:
[30:48] Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright.
[31:13] And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.”
[31:24] His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?”
[31:36] So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
Then he had another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream.
Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed?
Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?”
And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem.
And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.”
And he said to him, “Here I am.”
So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.”
So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?”
“I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.”
And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’”
So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him.
They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer.
Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits.
Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.”
But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.”
And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father.
So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore.
And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
Then they sat down to eat.
And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.
Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.”
And his brothers listened to him.
Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.
When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes
and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?”
Then they took Joseph's robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.
And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son's robe or not.”
And he identified it and said, “It is my son's robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.”
Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.
All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.
Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
Matthew 14:22-33 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.
[24:48] And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
[38:22] When evening came, he was there alone,
[38:35] but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.
[39:20] And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.
[39:29] But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.
[39:42] But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
[40:25] And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
[40:36] He said, “Come.”
[41:21] So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.
[42:08] But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”
[43:39] Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
[46:58] And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
[49:15] And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
[50:07] Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.”
[47:45] And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
[48:08] Observation questions- In Genesis 37, what specific things seem to deepen the brothers’ hatred of Joseph: Jacob’s favoritism, Joseph’s bad report, or Joseph’s dreams? How do those details build on each other in the story? [28:54]
- What does the long-sleeved robe seem to communicate about Joseph’s place in the family and about who is expected to do the hard outdoor labor? [27:12]
- In Matthew 14, what changes between the moment Peter steps onto the water and the moment he begins to sink? [40:42]
- What words does Jesus speak in the storm, and what actions does he take toward the disciples and toward Peter? [48:57]
Interpretation questions- Joseph’s brothers call him “this dreamer” and treat his dreams like a threat. Why do God-given dreams so often stir up jealousy, fear, or resistance in families, churches, and communities? [37:21]
- The boat can be read as an image of the church, battered by storms from within and without. What kinds of storms most clearly fit that image today, and why does that picture ring true? [41:28]
- Jesus does not only say, “Come”; he also makes Peter’s impossible step possible. What does that suggest about the relationship between Christ’s commands and Christ’s power? [43:39]
- When Jesus says, “I am,” in the middle of the sea and fear, how does that deepen the meaning of his presence in places that feel chaotic, godless, or hopeless? [47:42]
Application questions- Favoritism can wound a household for years. Where has partiality, comparison, or resentment shown up in family life, church life, or work life, and what would honest repair begin to look like there? [28:31]
- God’s dreams often sound unrealistic to people who are settled into the present order. What hope, burden, or conviction has been hard to say out loud because it might sound naive, disruptive, or costly? [38:00]
- Dreamers may land in pits. When following what is right has brought misunderstanding, isolation, or loss, what helped keep faith from collapsing completely? [36:45]
- Peter sank when his attention shifted to the wind and waves. What “wind and waves” most easily pull attention away from Christ right now—fear, conflict, exhaustion, public pressure, bad news, or something else? [40:42]
- Jesus’ hand reached Peter before Peter had everything figured out. Where is help needed right now that can only begin with a simple prayer like, “Lord, save me”? [48:52]
- The church is often caught midway between faith and doubt. In this season, where does the group feel battered or tired, and what would it mean to trust Christ’s presence before seeing clear results? [43:04]
- Whatever Jesus commands, Jesus makes possible. Is there a difficult act of obedience—serving, reconciling, speaking truth, welcoming the outcast, enduring a hard season—that has been avoided because it seems too much? What might taking one step of trust look like? [43:56]
