Israel said to them: You have done this for my misery, in that you told him you had also another brother.
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לָמָ֥ה הֲרֵעֹתֶ֖ם לִ֑י לְהַגִּ֣יד לָאִ֔ישׁ הַע֥וֹד לָכֶ֖ם אָֽח׃
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Jacob found himself surrounded by distress on every side. Overwhelmed with sorrow, he expressed his anguish by asking, “Why have you brought this harm upon me by informing that man of the existence of another brother? What motive drove you to inflict such suffering upon me? Why have you burdened me in this way? Had you not mentioned that, I would not have lost Simeon, nor would he have made this demand.”
Consider a particularly striking aspect of the situation: the blessed Joseph, fully aware of the immense suffering his father endured on his behalf (cf. Gen. 37:34-35), now, as though his father's pain was insufficient, insists on separating Benjamin from him. It is clear that Joseph recognized this would only intensify his father's anguish. I personally believe that none of this unfolded without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God, whose judgments may be concealed yet remain just, did not reveal to the cherished Jacob that his son was alive; similarly, He prevents Joseph from sharing his glory with his father. Instead, by keeping Simeon imprisoned (cf. Genesis 42:19, 24) and taking away Benjamin, He deepened the father's sorrow.
However, if we, dear brethren, examine these events through faith and discernment, we will recognize God's profound mercy. From the dawn of creation, He has shown kindness to His saints akin to what He exhibited towards the beloved Jacob. We ought to reflect carefully on these occurrences. Although God's servants and friends strive to avoid grave sins and engage in virtuous deeds, we must acknowledge that they are not without shortcomings; God is not misled when He proclaims, "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one" (cf. Job 14:4). Furthermore, the esteemed Evangelist John, who certainly shares equal merit with St. James, asserts, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). In another passage, we read: "For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again" (Proverbs 24:16). It was due to the minor faults that the blessed Jacob, as previously noted, could not have avoided, that God intended to purge them from this world through the fires of suffering. In him was realized the truth of what God had spoken through the Holy Spirit: "As clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel" (cf. Sir. 27:5). Furthermore, the Lord disciplines those He loves; He chastens every son whom He accepts (cf. Heb. 12:6), and through numerous trials, we must enter the kingdom of God (cf. Acts 14:22). Thus, to present St. James as pure gold at the forthcoming judgment, God first cleansed him of all iniquity, ensuring that the fiery judge would find nothing within him to condemn.
THEOSIS