Out Our Way: The tandem bike

And Joseph said to his brothers who had sold him into slavery in Egypt “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good … ” — Genesis 50:20

Out our way, one of the first lessons you learn when working horses is that there can be only one boss. He’s a little rusty (as am I), but Goliath responds to neck rein and leg pressure and trusts me to know where we are going. Oh, I know there are lush patches of grass here and there still green and juicy that he’d like to visit, but he also knows that under saddle we have work to do and there will be oats at the end of the ride. So he trusts me to handle the navigation aspect of our journey, and it's worked our pretty well.

Now for us human beings, it’s a different story. Most of us are resistant to neck reining and fight the bit. Above all, we don’t like anyone else holding the reins … even when it is God. Yet it is amazing what we can accomplish when we stop fighting and let God guide.

   The story of Joseph and his brothers is amazing on numerous levels. From hindsight, we know that Joseph being sold into slavery in Egypt and eventually rising to grand vizier of the empire is critical for the survival, growth and development of the Hebrew people. By bringing his father and brothers and relatives out of the  famine-struck land of Canaan into the unsettled, but lush and protected land of Goshen, a small band of nomads were able to become a people and eventually a nation. Yes, that’s all perfectly clear in hindsight — but what about at the time?

Joseph the slave had no idea of his destiny when he was sold to Potiphar, the head of Pharaoh’s guard. Even when he was eventually raised up to chief steward, he didn’t see any real plan. Then Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him and because he had too much honor and dignity to give in, she lied and had him thrown into prison. Things were really looking up for old Joe. But from there he was brought into contact with royal prisoners — members of Pharaoh’s personal palace staff — and eventually into contact with Pharaoh himself. Eventually he was once again raised up and now made chief minister of the empire. As such he was able to save his family from starvation and defend them against hostile tribes so that they could become the people who would forever after be known as Israel.

Like Goliath, Joseph had no idea where he was going as God lead him down an unknown trail, but he did not fight the bit or challenge the reins. And indeed — as Joseph himself realized — even wickedness and evil can be transformed by the will of God into something marvelous and holy

I once read a parable of the tandem bike, which you may have heard before, but even so, consider its message again, for it is worth remembering.

There was once a man who had a tandem bike and as he road along he suddenly came across Jesus. The man invited Jesus to hop on the back seat and help him pedal while he steered.  It went well until Jesus tapped him on the shoulder and suggested they trade places.

They began again and suddenly Jesus swerved off the well-traveled biking trail and began going cross country. They crossed streams where there were no bridges but only shallow fords the man had no idea were there. They went along the edge of sheer cliffs  and down steep coulees that he would never have dared to attempt. “Just keep peddling,” Jesus said with a laugh as they went through dark valleys and places where no trail had ever been laid out. And they ended up on a glorious mountain top with an earth-shaking view the man had never known existed.

Never in all his bike-riding adventures had he ever been so scared or enjoyed himself so much. When Jesus asked him if he’d like to go again and explore even more wonders and sights, the man could not help himself but say, “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Joseph let God ride up front and trusted Him to get them to a place Joseph could not even imagine. And God did. Twelve brothers became 12 tribes and the 12 tribes became the nation of Israel — and from that nation God raised up the Savior of the world. Joseph couldn’t see all that ahead — but he could see God at work guiding the way. We are also asked to trade places and let God sit up front and steer. We can’t see where we are going either — we can only trust and keep peddling.

(John Bruington is pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Havre. Copies of the “Out Our Way” column and cartoon, as well as his weekly cartoon and children’s message series “Bruin-Town Tales,” can be viewed at the church website: http://www.havrepres.org. The book “Out Our Way: Theology Under Saddle” is also available at Amazon.com.)