Predicazioni/Genesi/Quando Dio trasforma il male in bene/English version
When God Turns Evil into Good
What does it mean to believe in God's providence when life confronts us with injustice, suffering and situations that seem to escape all control? Taking its starting point in the story of Joseph, which reaches its conclusion in Genesis 50:15–21, this sermon reflects on how God can turn to good even what human beings devised for evil. Through the events of Joseph's life, we discover that divine providence does not do away with human responsibility, does not make evil good, and does not guarantee that every difficulty will find an immediate solution. It does, however, teach us not to despair when we cannot understand what is happening, to live responsibly, and to renounce revenge, seeking reconciliation instead. Joseph's story ultimately leads us to Jesus Christ, in whose death and resurrection we find the assurance that evil and death will not have the last word.
Are we really at the mercy of events?
Have you ever looked back over your life and wondered how you came to be in the very situation you find yourself in today? An unexpected encounter, a missed opportunity, an illness or someone else's decision can profoundly alter the course of our existence. At times, what initially seemed negative opens up unforeseen possibilities; at other times we are left with unanswered questions. Is our life merely the result of coincidences and circumstances beyond our control? Or does God continue to work even when we cannot understand where events are leading us?
The Bible invites us to reflect on divine providence: God did not create the world only to abandon it to itself, but continues to sustain and govern it. His providence concerns the whole of reality, yet it takes on a particularly comforting meaning for those who belong to him. Paul writes: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). This does not mean that all things are good, nor that every event will be intelligible to us or immediately produce a favourable outcome. It means that God works through all things for the good of those who love him, according to his saving purpose.
How can we grasp this truth when we are the victims of an injustice, when other people's choices shape our lives, or when the future seems to close in front of us? And how should trust in God's governance change the way we behave?
The Bible text
To answer these questions, we shall consider the story of Joseph, marked by his brothers' jealousy, betrayal, slavery and imprisonment. Through painful circumstances and wicked decisions, Joseph would go on to save many people from famine and to preserve his own family. It is not simply a story with a happy ending, but a testimony to how God can work without in any way diminishing the reality of human responsibility. Let us listen to the conclusion of the narrative, and then retrace its events in retrospect.
"When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, 'What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrong we did to him?' So they sent word to Joseph, saying, 'Your father gave this command before he died: "Say to Joseph, 'Please forgive the transgression and the sin of your brothers, for they did you wrong." And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.' When this message was spoken to him, Joseph wept. His brothers also came, fell down before him and said, 'Behold, we are your servants.' But Joseph said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? You intended evil against me, but God intended it for good, to bring about what is happening today: to preserve alive a great many people. So then, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.' And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them" (Genesis 50:15–21).
1. When evil seems to prevail
Joseph is one of Jacob's twelve sons and enjoys his father's special affection. This arouses the jealousy of his brothers, who are further irritated when Joseph relates dreams that appear to foreshadow his future pre-eminence.
One day, as he goes to find his brothers who are pasturing the flock far from home, they decide to get rid of him. They first consider killing him, then throw him into a cistern, and finally sell him to merchants on their way to Egypt. For them the problem seems solved; for Jacob, on the other hand, Joseph is lost, and the family is overwhelmed by grief and deceit.
If we did not know what follows, we would think that injustice had won the day. Joseph has been stripped of his freedom, separated from his family and dragged off to a foreign land.
The first lesson is this: believing in providence does not mean denying the reality of evil or pretending that injustices have no consequences. The brothers are responsible for their jealousy, their cruelty and their deceit. The fact that God will bring good out of this affair does not make what they did any less grave. The Bible does not invite us to call evil good, but to acknowledge that evil is not sovereign. Joseph does not know his own future and cannot imagine what role he will play in Egypt. Likewise, when we go through difficult situations, we rarely see the whole picture. Faith in providence does not allow us to know in advance what will happen; it invites us to trust God even when we cannot understand the direction events are taking. Joseph's story, however, does not stop at the cistern. Sold as a slave, he is taken to Egypt, and a new phase of his life begins.
2. When providence is not yet visible
In Egypt Joseph is bought by Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, and put into service in his household. Despite his humiliating condition, he proves capable and reliable, so much so that Potiphar entrusts him with the management of his affairs.
But the situation deteriorates once more: Joseph is unjustly accused by Potiphar's wife and ends up in prison. After being betrayed by his brothers, he now also suffers the consequences of a lie.
Even in prison Joseph behaves responsibly and wins the trust of the governor of the prison. He meets two of Pharaoh's officials and interprets their dreams, acknowledging that the ability to understand them comes from God. Events unfold as he had foretold: one of the officials is released and restored to Pharaoh's service. Joseph asks him to remember him and to help him, but the man forgets him. Another two years pass. After every new opportunity, another disappointment seems to follow. Judging by appearances alone, we might think that God had abandoned Joseph. And yet his story is not over.
God's providence is not always recognisable while events are unfolding. Sometimes we understand only later how certain circumstances were connected; at other times we never come to understand why they happened. We must not promise those who suffer that they will soon understand the reason for their pain, nor that every difficulty will bring an immediate benefit. Such comfort would be too easy, and at times cruel. Faith reminds us that, even when we cannot see God's hand, he has not ceased to work.
3. When a personal ability becomes a service to others
The turning point comes when Pharaoh has disturbing dreams that none of his advisers can interpret. The official who had been released finally remembers Joseph, who is brought before the sovereign. Joseph explains that the dreams announce seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. But he does not stop at interpreting them: he proposes gathering and storing part of the harvests during the good years, so that there will be sufficient reserves when the crisis arrives. Pharaoh recognises the wisdom of the proposal and entrusts Joseph with the administration of the country. The man who was sold as a slave and locked up in prison thus becomes an authority in Egypt.
God also works through people's wisdom, abilities and sense of responsibility. Providence manifests itself not only in miraculous interventions, but also through work, planning and wise decisions. Joseph does not merely declare that God will provide: he commits himself concretely to preparing the country for the famine. His faith does not make him passive; it spurs him to act with intelligence and responsibility. Moreover, his work does not merely secure him a privileged position: it will help to keep very many people alive.
We too are called to use wisely the abilities and opportunities we have received in order to serve others. A prudent decision, careful stewardship or help offered at the right moment can become concrete instruments of God's care.
When the famine arrives, the Egyptian reserves make it possible to distribute grain to those in need. Among those who come to Egypt to buy food are Joseph's brothers. The man they betrayed now finds himself in a position to decide their fate. What will he do? And how will he recognise God's design in a story marked by so much wickedness?
4. When evil does not have the last word
The famine reaches Canaan, where Joseph's family lives. Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to buy grain, unaware that the man on whom their survival depends is precisely the brother they had sold as a slave. The brothers do not recognise him, but Joseph recognises them. Now he holds the power: he could take revenge, humiliate them or let them starve. After a series of encounters, during which he seeks to discover whether they have changed, he finally reveals his identity.
The brothers are distraught and fear his reaction. Joseph, however, invites them to come near and explains that God sent him ahead of them to keep many people alive (Genesis 45:4–8). Joseph is not saying that the brothers acted well. Rather, he acknowledges that the evil they plotted did not prevent God from accomplishing his purpose. The brothers wanted to get rid of Joseph; God ensured that Joseph himself became the instrument through which they, and many others besides, could survive. This does not mean that God needed their cruelty, nor that their sin became good because a positive outcome resulted from it. It means that human wickedness cannot frustrate the divine purpose. People remain responsible for their own actions, but they are not the absolute masters of history.
We too can suffer the consequences of other people's unjust decisions. We will not always see a positive outcome, nor can we know in advance how God will act. Joseph's story does not promise that every wrong will be put right during our lifetime; it warns us against confusing people's intentions with what God can still bring about.
The family moves to Egypt and finds sustenance there. The years pass and Jacob dies. The brothers then fear that Joseph, no longer bound to respect their father, will finally decide to take revenge. This is the moment in which we grasp most clearly how faith in providence had transformed Joseph.
5. "Am I in the place of God?"
After Jacob's death, the brothers ask for forgiveness and present themselves before Joseph, declaring themselves his servants. Joseph weeps. He is not insensitive to the wrong he suffered, but he does not want to turn his pain into a fresh opportunity for revenge. His reply begins with a question: "Am I in the place of God?"
Joseph is not claiming that justice does not matter. He acknowledges that it is not for him to take God's place, as though he could put everything right through personal vengeance. Then he utters the central words of our message: "You intended evil against me, but God intended it for good" (Genesis 50:20). Joseph holds two truths together: the brothers did evil and are responsible for it; yet God worked so that that evil would not have the last word. The result is the preservation of many lives, and of the family through which God carries forward his plan. Joseph does not merely promise not to take revenge. He adds: "I will provide for you and your little ones." He comforts them and speaks kindly to them.
Trust in providence translates into mercy, reconciliation and responsibility towards others. It is not a theory with which to explain other people's sufferings from the outside, but a faith that changes our behaviour, especially when we would have the power to make others pay for the wrong they did us. This does not mean that a relationship must always be restored as though nothing had happened, that justice must be given up, or that we must expose ourselves to further abuse. Forgiveness does not erase the truth, and reconciliation requires wisdom and responsibility. We can resist evil and protect the vulnerable without letting resentment rule our lives.
Joseph's question can become ours as well: when we have suffered a wrong, are we willing to entrust the final judgement to God while continuing to do what is right, or do we insist on restoring order in proportion to our resentment? Providence does not ask us to call evil good. Rather, it frees us from the idea that evil must determine everything that comes afterwards.
6. From Joseph to Jesus Christ: evil will not have the last word
Joseph's story leads us to Jesus Christ. Jesus too was rejected, betrayed, unjustly condemned and put to death. Yet precisely through his death God accomplished his plan of salvation. As Peter declares, Jesus was handed over according to God's definite plan and foreknowledge, yet crucified by the hands of wicked people (Acts 2:23). Human responsibility and divine sovereignty do not exclude each other.
There is, however, a fundamental difference: Joseph helped to save many people from hunger; Christ, through his death and resurrection, accomplished redemption from sin and death. The resurrection proclaims that evil, injustice and even death will not have the last word. In Christ God has inaugurated the new creation and will bring his project for the whole of reality to completion.
Our trust in providence therefore does not rest on the conviction that every personal story will necessarily end like Joseph's. We will not always see a favourable turn of events during our lifetime. Our hope goes deeper: the God who worked in Christ for our salvation is faithful, and he will bring his purpose to completion.
Conclusion: living in trust, not resignation
What, then, does it mean to trust in God's providence?
First, it means not calling evil good and not playing down suffering. Faith does not require us to pretend that injustices do not exist.
Secondly, it means not despairing when we cannot understand what is happening. We do not possess an explanation for every event, but we can trust the God who sustains his creation and does not abandon his purpose.
Thirdly, it means acting responsibly. Just as Joseph prepared reserves for the years of famine, so we too are called to use wisely the abilities and opportunities we have received for the good of others.
Finally, it means renouncing revenge and seeking reconciliation, where it is possible and right to do so. We are not in God's place: we may pursue justice and protect the vulnerable without letting resentment rule our lives.
Thus we return to Joseph's words: "You intended evil against me, but God intended it for good." These are not words that authorise us to explain away other people's suffering lightly. They are the testimony of someone who knew betrayal, injustice and waiting. Joseph could not change the past, but he recognised that the evil he suffered had not prevented God from working. Nor can we always choose the circumstances in which we find ourselves. We can, however, face them with trust rather than despair, with responsibility rather than passivity, with mercy rather than revenge.
Not everything that happens is good; but evil is not God, and it is not the master of history. Our hope is in the Lord, who sustains his creation, keeps his promises, and in Jesus Christ assures us that his saving purpose will reach its fulfilment. Amen.
Paolo Castellina, 20 October 2026