Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!" (Gen 45:24)

Joseph made himself known to his brothers in Egypt: their secret chamber was open wide. Guilt will always catch one up, sooner or later, maybe not until eternity. However, a person burdened by his conscience is not free. He avoids certain situations or people, trying to convince himself that what he did was necessary. In this way, he gets himself into an internal prison.

We do not know if the brothers were relieved they had not done away with Joseph in the end. However, they soon realized that they would now have to tell the truth to the father, whom they had deceived. Josef warned them "not to quarell on the way" - he concluded it was necessary from their reactions. They began to consider who was to blame, which one more, which one less.

Although the brothers' guilt came to light, they had not gotten rid of it internally because they had not reached the point of repentance yet. They were now like the perpetrators caught in the act, so they have no choice but to confess. It makes a difference when a person's guilt comes to light with his consent - which is liberating - or he is more or less pressed by circumstances or people. But he didn't really want to, he was convicted against his will. "OK, I admit if you insist". Even these people are accepted and baptized today as pardoned sinners, but as long as man is just a little righteous in himself, he will never love God from the depth of his heart. This is one of the reasons why nowadays there are so many people in the church who do not find much joy in their religion. They do what they were convinced by others they have to.