06. The Language of Suffering

06. The Language of Suffering “Oh, that my anguish were weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas.” (Job 6:2) Joseph was distressed by his own situation, sinking into despair with no way out. As he thought about it, an indescribable anger began to rise within him. He resented Potiphar’s wife and even the entire household for creating such a situation. “If it’s going to be like this anyway?” Joseph felt that he should not be the only one to suffer. He wanted to retaliate against Potiphar’s wife and the household, and to appeal his injustice to others. But then, a figure suddenly appeared in his mind. It was the old man who had given him hope when he was first sold into slavery and had helped him get to where he was today. Remembering the old man brought peace to Joseph’s heart, and he recalled the old man’s confession. “Once I realized that everything is under the Creator’s order and providence, it no longer mattered whether I was a slave or a king. When I came to that realization, I was sold to Potiphar’s house. In a situation where I couldn’t even communicate, I was the slave of slaves. But like everyone else, I decided to bear one more hardship.” Joseph finally came to his senses. “Yes, just as the old man said, there is no point in resenting Potiphar’s wife. People live by influencing and being influenced by each other, whether it brings pain or the fruits of happiness. The problem starts from there. There is no issue when influenced by happiness, but what will you do when it becomes a problem? That is the key. However, bearing it is my responsibility.” With this thought, Joseph felt much lighter. He decided to handle everything as it came and to accept everything given to him. As evening fell, the servants who had been absent all day returned home, looking like they had been working in the fields. Joseph realized that Potiphar’s wife had ordered all the servants to work in the fields, leaving the house empty, and had been waiting for him to return. When the servants returned, Potiphar’s wife ran out into the yard. Her appearance was a sight to behold; her clothes were torn, and her hair was disheveled. She looked truly pitiful. In front of the servants, she cried out. The servants were shocked and tried to calm her down, asking what had happened. “What’s wrong, madam? What happened?” Potiphar’s wife shouted in response. “That scoundrel Joseph, knowing there was no one in the house, tried to mock and assault me. When I resisted and screamed, he left his garment and fled!” She showed them Joseph’s garment as evidence. The servants saw that it was indeed Joseph’s garment and believed their mistress, becoming very angry. “How could he do this to our mistress?” They thought it was an outrageous act. Moreover, Joseph, who had been in the same position as them until recently, was now ordering them around, which made them feel inferior and angry, though they couldn’t express it. Joseph’s continuous success made them even more envious and resentful. They thought it was a good opportunity to get back at him. The servants dragged Joseph to Potiphar’s wife and beat him mercilessly in front of her. Potiphar’s wife looked at Joseph with a triumphant gaze, as if to show him the consequences of not listening to her. Joseph, with his head bowed, endured the beating and all the insults. Meanwhile, Potiphar returned from the palace and was shocked to see the commotion. A servant ran to him and explained what Joseph had supposedly done to Potiphar’s wife, showing him the garment as evidence. Potiphar’s wife was crying, and Potiphar was momentarily overwhelmed with complex thoughts. “Joseph? Why would Joseph, who lacks nothing, do such a thing?” Potiphar found it strange. Joseph was in a special situation, even associating with the princess, so it didn’t make sense for him to do such a thing. Potiphar remembered that Joseph had burned his hand and wrapped it in a white cloth, and that his wife had also burned her arm. They had both hidden it while drinking tea together, which Potiphar had found odd. He thought it must be related to that incident. However, he couldn’t handle the situation differently because his wife was involved, and he risked disgrace himself. If it were true, Joseph couldn’t survive. Potiphar felt there must be more to the story but decided to suppress the issue for now. Potiphar, appearing very angry, ordered the servants to lock Joseph in the storeroom. He thought about it all night, realizing he couldn’t handle Joseph’s issue alone. The next morning, Potiphar went to the palace and reported the matter to the king. The king, upon hearing the news, was furious. “How could such a thing happen?” The king ordered Joseph to be imprisoned in the special prison at Potiphar’s house, which was used for officials who had committed crimes against the king. However, the king’s anger was more about the disruption of his plans for the princess than the actual incident. The princess, upon hearing that Joseph had not come for practice, asked Potiphar to explain the situation. She thought there must be some misunderstanding but was worried about Joseph’s future. A month passed, and the incident faded from people’s memories. During this time, the old man, who had heard about Joseph’s situation, wanted to visit him immediately but was advised by his son, the prison warden, to wait until the situation calmed down. Finally, the old man came to see Joseph. Fortunately, his son being the warden allowed the old man to meet Joseph. “Young master! What happened?”The old man was very worried, but Joseph comforted him, telling him not to worry. The old man agreed, believing Joseph would be released soon. After the old man left, the warden approached Joseph. “I’ve heard a lot about you from my father. He says you are a noble person.”“Ah, you must be the son of the elder. I’ve heard a lot about you too.” “Yes, I couldn’t acknowledge you before due to sensitive issues, but now you don’t have to worry. I will make sure you are as comfortable as possible.” “Thank you.”“You said you were serving the country, but you were working here!” “Yes! This was also made possible by the efforts of my uncle, General Potiphar. While you are here, I will make sure you don’t have to worry too much.” He also comforted Joseph. Joseph had become quite accustomed to the environment and rules of the prison, and after meeting the warden, who was the son of an old man, he felt even more at ease. Thus, he became a model prisoner, and when the warden thought there would be no problem even if his subordinates saw Joseph, he appointed him as the head of the prison, handling all the affairs inside. The other prisoners were very pleased and satisfied with Joseph becoming the head of the prison. With their support, Joseph managed the prison affairs so well that the guards and the warden didn’t have to worry much. The warden also reported this to Potiphar, who was aware of the situation. One day, the warden quietly called Joseph. Following the warden, Joseph found that a princess had come to visit. When the warden stepped aside, the princess, with tears in her eyes, threw herself into Joseph’s arms. Surprised by her actions, Joseph didn’t know what to do at first but gently embraced her. The princess, sobbing, reproached Joseph with a tearful voice. “You asked me to dance with you, and now what is this?” Joseph simply replied, “I’m sorry, Princess! Everything happened beyond my control, but please don’t worry too much, Princess!”Joseph comforted the princess. The princess, feeling strange about the situation, cried and said in a trembling voice, “No! Who is comforting whom right now? Am I the prisoner, or is Joseph the prisoner?” To this, Joseph replied, “Originally, the prisoner cries, and the visitor looks at the prisoner as if they shouldn’t be there, right?” “Then are you saying I’m the prisoner? Do I look pitiful to you?” The princess, still sobbing, snapped at Joseph. Joseph defended himself, “No! I don’t mean it that way. It’s just the situation right now, Princess!” When Joseph responded like this, the princess, with a resentful tone, delivered a final punch to Joseph. “Hmph! Just wait and see. I’ll definitely tell my father!” Joseph, with a surprised expression‎, waved his hands to stop her. “Oh, Princess! Not now! If you do that,  it will be hard for me to survive even with ten lives, so please do it later.” Joseph laughed as he said this. “I don’t care! I don’t care!” The princess, pouting, hit Joseph’s chest with her hands, but when their eyes met, they both ended up laughing. The warden, who was watching from a distance, heard the laughter and muttered to himself, “What on earth is so funny in prison?” He couldn’t understand the feelings of the princess and Joseph. After that incident, the princess occasionally visited the prison in plain clothes, avoiding the eyes of others. Each time, the warden provided a private space for them, allowing them to meet safely without anyone knowing. However, despite the passage of time, Joseph’s case showed no signs of being resolved, and it was gradually being forgotten by people.