"Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age; and he had made him a long ornamented tunic. When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his brothers, they hated him..."(Genesis 37:3-4)
Envy is one of the seven deadly sins, also referred to as "capital sins" because from them spring other sins, other vices. The envy of Joseph's brother led them to plot killing their little brother, but they convinced themselves, instead, to sell him as a slave and make some money; in either case their hearts were darkened by envy. In reading the story of Joseph, we see that he went through a litany of great suffering which began at the hands of his own brothers. He eventually became second in command to the Egyptian Pharaoh who put him in charge of all affairs of the entire nation. Years later when there was a great famine in the land, his brothers came to buy provisions from Joseph; however, not recognizing who this mighty prince was - but Joseph recognized them - Joseph slipped away from their audience to weep when he realized that all the suffering he had endured was permitted by God only to bring good from it, not only the salvation of his immediate family but, for the salvation of the young nation of Israel.
Who can understand the mind God who at times permits evil to be committed against us only to then bring a greater good from it! This is the story of Easter: the life, passion, and ugly death of Jesus on the cross, followed by his glorious resurrection and our salvation!!!
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