Shanghaid in Beijing

Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver in the mouth of his sack. Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain." And he did as Joseph said. As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way…They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, "Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid good with evil? Isn't this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.' "

When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. But they said to him, "Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found…So why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house? If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves."

"Very well, then," he said, "let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame." Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city. (Genesis 44:1-13)

The XXIX Olympic Games are in their second week and it’s a medal slugfest between the United States and the host country China. The Chinese have been golden in gymnastics and diving while American athletes have shattered world records in swimming (thanks to superstar Michael Phelps) and dominate in volleyball and basketball, among many other competitions. As of today, the overall medal count leans to the U.S.’s favor with 93 medals (28 gold, 34 silver, 31 bronze) while China is in hot pursuit with 83 (46 gold, 15 silver, 22 bronze). The spoils of third place go to the Russian Federation with a distant 51 medals overall.

So imagine this scene: America finishes big in Beijing. I mean, really big. Michael Phelps has his record eight gold medals. The dream team of professional basketball players roars to an expected golden championship. World records shatter and the U.S. enjoys unprecedented medal counts. The proud Chinese national team loses face on their home court, especially when the Star Spangled Banner is played so much the communist Chinese children now hum it from heart. Imagine the U.S. Olympians at the Beijing airport, after the Games, just about to fly home when Chinese police detain the flight and accuse the Americans of doping, stealing and cheating. It’s neither true nor fair, but according to Chinese law it’s a serious felony. Within hours an international scandal brews as Michael Phelps, Kobe Bryant and the whole Olympic team is detained indefinitely. Nobody is going home for now.

Of course that would never happen, right? Maybe not in Beijing but it did once play out in Egypt. The Hebrew brothers were on the fast track home to father; unaware their donkeys were doped with more than just Egyptian grain. One beast held a special prize of burden: Joseph’s silver cup. Of course stealing this silver chalice is akin to pilfering the President’s personal PDA. We’re not talking lifting a pillowcase or pocketing an ashtray. The silver cup was special. It had power and purpose. It protected Pharaohs from being poisoned. Nobody—I mean, nobody—touched the chalice—especially low-life, dirt-bag foreign beggars.

So it’s no minor offense that brings Joseph’s private security forces in pursuit of the Hebrews.

The brothers are stunned by the situation, and hopes of going home without accident or incident wilts beneath the midday desert sun. Appealing innocence, the brothers willingly consent to a search. “Steal silver? Us? No way!” one says. “We even returned the cash from last time,” another brother chimes in, trying to build a case for confidence. “We know nothing about a silver chalice” still another offers, sweat beading on his forehead, “but feel free to keep searching.” “Shoot, if one of us did steal the cup, he should be hanged and the rest of us should be your slaves,” another brother glibly suggested, surely nailing dirty looks from the others. If they’d learned anything, it’s that strange things happen. Be careful what you say.

About that time one of the cops uncovers the cup in Benjamin’s trunk, not to mention all the silver in everyone else’s. Busted. This isn’t looking good. A framed Benjamin is shocked and the brothers are confused. As Ben is hauled off in handcuffs, the rest of the siblings hightail it back to town. “Why is this happening to us?” “Are we cursed?” “Dad is going to kill us.” “I can’t believe Benny would steal silver?” “By the way, I thought we paid for the food. Where’d all that silver come from?"

I’ll get right to the point. Sometimes life makes no sense whatsoever. Sometimes everything can go from right to wrong in an instant. Sometimes innocent people pay the piper while the guilty dance for free. Sometimes silver linings weigh more than they’re worth. You can’t see everything coming and if you’re not careful the baggage you haul can eventually bury you.

Nobody wants to be shanghaied in Beijing or cuffed outside Cairo. Joseph knew how it felt to be cornered without cause and innocently imprisoned better than anyone. Now his brothers would, too.

You might say it was their “just desert.”

NOTABLE QUOTABLES ON JUSTICE:

"Justice is a certain rectitude of mind whereby a man does what he ought to do in circumstances confronting him." (St. Thomas Aquinas)

“No man suffers injustice without learning, vaguely but surely, what justice is.” (Isaac Rosenfeld)

“Injustice is relatively easy to bear; it is justice that hurts.” (H.L. Mencken)

“Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just.” (Blaise Pascal)

Father, I am certainly the chief of sinners, most deserved of Your Justice. I have dined at Your Table of Protection, Peace and Provision only to be caught a common thief of Your Grace. I accept Your Justice and seek Your Mercy. Pardon my failing and forge a new strength in me today to live Free and Forgiven. Amen.