Joseph claims to practice divination, I am not sure why, but to this end his medium is a silver cup. He hides it in Benjamin's bag and then accuses his brothers of stealing. In this act, his brothers break down. They tear their clothes and when Judah speaks to Joseph about servitude, the words appear less formal than they did during their last visit. They are from the heart. I am sure the brothers are bewildered by how this Egyptian is both holding them up and knocking them down in the same breath.
To be called a servant causes a natural egotistical reaction. Joseph is sold to slavery and serves the prison master, but he never sees himself as a servant (nor should he). To be called a servant, doesn't make you one. On the other hand, claiming to be a servant is the ultimate state of humility. Judah's words seem different here, they feel different. These are the same guys that sold Joseph into slavery. Judah sleeps with prostitutes and then hypocritically almost had his daughter-in-law burned. But here, he is humble and you almost believe him he feels that he is Joseph's servant.
Jesus came to serve, not to be served. We talk about that all the time on Sunday. We even (used to) sing Simeon's Song at the end of the service about "let your servant go in peace," but I don't think any of us really feel humbled to be servants to our neighbors or to God. Yes, we do good things and those things should not be taken lightly, but would I wash a neighbor's feet? Would I take the place of a brother/sister who felt was unjustly punished? Or does the word "serve" only go as far as "Welcome to McDonald's, how can we serve you?"
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