Joseph's Coat and His Dreams
(Genesis 37)
Jacob, whose other name was Israel, had twelve sons. But he loved one son more than all the rest: Joseph. Joseph was one of the youngest, and to show his special love, Jacob made Joseph a magnificent, colorful coat. It was long and beautiful, the kind of coat that said, "This one is my favorite."
Joseph's ten older brothers saw the coat, and they saw what it meant. Their father loved Joseph more than them. Jealousy crept into their hearts, and soon that jealousy turned into hatred. They could not even speak a kind word to Joseph.
Then Joseph started having strange and powerful dreams. In his first dream, he and his brothers were out in the field tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly, Joseph's bundle stood straight up, and all of his brothers' bundles circled around it and bowed down. When Joseph told his brothers, they were furious. "Do you actually think you are going to rule over us?" they sneered.
Soon after, Joseph had a second dream. This time, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were all bowing down to him. Even Jacob was surprised and said, "What is this dream? Will your mother and I and your brothers really bow down to you?" His brothers burned with jealousy, but Jacob kept the dream tucked away in his mind, wondering what it could mean.
One day, Jacob sent Joseph to check on his older brothers, who were grazing their flocks far away. When the brothers saw Joseph coming in the distance, with that colorful coat bright against the sky, they started plotting something terrible. "Here comes the dreamer! Let's kill him and throw his body into a pit. We will tell our father a wild animal ate him. Then we will see what becomes of his dreams!"
But Reuben, the oldest, talked them out of murder. "Don't kill him. Just throw him into this empty well." Reuben secretly planned to come back later and rescue Joseph. So when Joseph reached them, his brothers grabbed him, ripped off his beautiful coat, and threw him into a dry well.
While they sat down to eat, a caravan of Ishmaelite traders came by, heading to Egypt. Judah spoke up: "What good is it if we kill our own brother? Let's sell him to these traders instead." The others agreed. They pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him to the traders for twenty pieces of silver. The traders carried Joseph away to Egypt as a slave.
To cover their crime, the brothers dipped Joseph's coat in animal blood and brought it to their father. "We found this. Is it your son's coat?" Jacob recognized it immediately. "A wild animal has torn Joseph to pieces!" he cried. Jacob mourned for his son for days and weeks and months, refusing to be comforted. He did not know that Joseph was alive, far away in Egypt. But God knew exactly where Joseph was, and God had a plan that none of them could see yet.
A Curious Question
Joseph's brothers thought they were getting rid of him forever. They sold him, lied to their father, and went back to their normal lives. But God had a secret plan that none of them could see. Have you ever had something really bad happen and later discovered that God was working through it the whole time?
Jesus Connection
Joseph's story is like a sneak preview of what would happen to Jesus hundreds of years later. Look at the parallels. Joseph was the beloved son of his father, and Jesus is the beloved Son of God the Father. Joseph was hated and rejected by his own brothers, and Jesus was rejected by His own people. Joseph was sold for silver, and Jesus was betrayed by Judas for thirty pieces of silver. Joseph was thrown into a pit and sent away to suffer, and Jesus was sent to the cross to suffer and die.
But here is the part that matters most: Joseph's brothers meant their actions for evil, but God meant it for good. God used Joseph's suffering to eventually save his entire family from starvation. In the very same way, the people who put Jesus on the cross meant it for evil. But God used the cross, the worst event in human history, to accomplish the greatest rescue in history: the salvation of everyone who believes. Joseph's rejection saved one family. Jesus' rejection saves the world.
Discussion Questions
- Joseph's brothers let jealousy grow until it turned into hatred and then into a terrible action. Have you ever felt jealous of a sibling or friend? What is one thing you can do to stop jealousy before it grows?
- Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver, and Jesus was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver. What do these prices tell us about how little value the brothers (and Judas) placed on someone incredibly precious?
- God had a plan for Joseph that nobody in the family could see yet. How does knowing that God sees the whole picture help you when something bad or confusing happens in your life?
"So What?" What Can I Do?
Joseph's brothers let jealousy destroy their family for twenty years. Because God is always working, even in our worst moments, we can choose a different path. Here are three ways to live that out this week:
- Guard Your Heart Against Jealousy: The next time you see someone get something you wish you had, a gift, a compliment, a special opportunity, stop and say: "God, help me be happy for them instead of jealous." Jealousy grows when you feed it. Starve it with gratitude instead.
- Trust God's Hidden Plan: When something unfair happens, it is okay to be sad or confused. But before you go to bed that night, pray: "God, I cannot see Your plan right now, but I trust that You are still good and You are still working." Joseph could not see Egypt from the bottom of that pit. But God could.
- Be Kind to Your Family: Joseph's brothers could not say a single kind word to him. This week, say one genuinely kind thing to a sibling or family member every single day. One kind word can break the cycle of jealousy and anger.
Memorize God's Word
1 Corinthians 13:4: "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy."
Hand Motions:
- Love is patient: Clasp your hands together calmly against your chest, like a quiet, steady heartbeat.
- and kind: Gently stroke your arm with the opposite hand, showing tenderness.
- love does not envy: Shake your head "no" firmly and push both palms out in front of you, like you are pushing jealousy away.
Praying with Kids
Dear Father, thank You for the story of Joseph. It reminds us that even when people do terrible things, You are still in control and You are still working for good. We are sorry for the times jealousy has crept into our hearts. Help us to choose kindness instead of envy. Help us to trust Your plan, even when we cannot see it. Thank You for sending Jesus, who was rejected like Joseph but used that rejection to save the whole world. We love You. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Craft: Joseph's Patchwork Coat
Children will build their own version of Joseph's colorful coat, giving them a hands-on reminder that God's plan is bigger than what we can see.
Materials Checklist:
- Prepare the Bag: Help each child cut a hole in the bottom of the paper bag for their head, and two armholes on the sides. The bag becomes a simple wearable vest.
- Cut the Patches: Have the children cut the colorful construction paper scraps into small shapes: squares, triangles, rectangles, anything goes.
- Cover the Coat: Using glue sticks, cover the entire bag with overlapping colorful patches until no white paper shows. The messier and more colorful, the better.
- Add the Verse: Once the glue dries, write the memory verse on the back of the coat: "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy" (1 Corinthians 13:4).
- Wear and Remember: Let the children put on their coats and look at each other's creations. Remind them that the coat brought jealousy, but God used the whole story for good.
Effective Teaching Techniques
Before you start the story, try this quick warm-up: hold up something colorful and desirable (a bright scarf, a shiny crown, or even a candy bar) and give it to one child. Watch the room. Ask the other kids: "How does it feel when someone else gets something special and you don't?" Let them be honest. Then say: "That feeling is called jealousy, and it is exactly what Joseph's brothers felt. Let's find out what happened when they let that feeling take over." Now you have every child locked in.
Use different voices for the characters. Give the brothers a mean, whispering tone when they plot. Give Joseph a bright, innocent voice. When Jacob cries over the bloody coat, let your voice crack with real emotion. Kids pick up on vocal shifts more than they pick up on explanations. The story will teach itself if you perform it with heart.
For younger children (ages 4 to 6), pre-cut the paper patches and the bag armholes before class. Keep the story focused on two big ideas: jealousy is dangerous and God had a plan. Skip the deeper parallels to Jesus and let them discover those in later lessons. For the craft, younger kids love the sensory experience of covering the bag in colorful paper. Let them enjoy it.