In our message on Sunday, we considered how numerous messengers of God’s salvation were rejected, and mistreated or killed. The coming of Christ, who was not merely a servant of God but His very own Son, was the culmination of that pattern.
In Acts 7, Stephen mentioned Joseph as one of the iterations of that pattern. There are so many parallels between Joseph and Christ that to read the story of Joseph is like hearing distant echoes of the gospel sung!
Jesus’ message of salvation was prefigured in the life of Joseph:
Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” (Gen. 37:5–7, cf v9)
That Joseph’s dream was a message of salvation was not immediately understood by anyone, not even Joseph. It was only in the fulfillment that it became clear why this dream was a picture of salvation from death (Gen 42:9a). The dream depicted Joseph’s exaltation to the functional ruler of Egypt, which was the mechanism used by God to save the family of Jacob from death by famine (Gen 45:5-8).
The religious leaders’ incredulous questioning of Jesus’ authority was prefigured in the life of Joseph:
His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” …But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” (Gen 37:8, 10)
This is quite similar to the question asked of Jesus in the temple in Mark 12, “By what authority do you do these things or who gave you this authority?” The message of salvation comes and the fallen heart immediately questions it.
Jesus’ rejection, suffering, and murder is prefigured in the life of Joseph:
[His brothers] saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. (Gen. 37:18, cf Mark 11:18)
They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” (Gen. 37:19–20; cf Mark 15:29-32)
So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. (Gen. 37:23; cf Mark 15:17, 20, 24)
Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt. (Gen. 37:28; cf Matt 26:15)
And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.” And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. (Gen. 37:32–34)
Later in the narrative, when his brothers come to Egypt to buy food, not knowing that they are in fact talking to Joseph, they tell him that their brother “is no more” (Gen 42:13). Joseph was as good as dead to his whole family, not just to Jacob. He was rejected, suffered, and figuratively died.
Further, his being thrown into a pit is repeated in Egypt, as the same Hebrew terminology is used to describe his being put into prison in the aftermath of the incident with Potipher’s wife (Gen 40:15, 41:14). This pit imagery is itself often coupled with depictions of death (Psa 30:3; 40:2; Isa 38:18; Eze 32:30; Zech 9:11), indicating once again that Joseph has figuratively died…an apt prefiguring of a persecuted and buried Jesus.
Jesus’ resurrection is prefigured in the life of Joseph:
And they told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” And his heart became numb, for he did not believe them. But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, “It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.” (Gen. 45:26–28)
Just a few comments. First, “my son is still alive,” could be translated, “my son is again alive.” Second, compare this scene to the disbelief of Thomas until he saw and touched the Lord (John 20:24-28). Third, because of the imagery of the prison being a place of death, Joseph coming out of the prison is similar to a rising from the dead.
Jesus’ ascension to the right hand of God is prefigured in the life of Joseph:
And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. (Gen. 45:7–9; cf Matt 28:19)
Jesus died, was raised, was granted authority over all, and ascended to the right hand of the Father. So also, Joseph “died,” rose, was granted authority over all Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.
Jesus’ gracious bestowal of blessings in salvation is prefigured in the life of Joseph:
When the report was heard in Pharaoh’s house, “Joseph’s brothers have come,” it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your beasts and go back to the land of Canaan, and take your father and your households, and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land.’ And you, Joseph, are commanded to say, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. Have no concern for your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’” (Gen. 45:16–20; 1 Pet 1:3-5)
Joseph’s brothers, who deserved only punishment, were granted tremendous blessings due to the graciousness of God through the suffering of Joseph. So also, we deserve only punishment. However, by grace through repentance and faith, we are granted all the blessings in the heavenly places because of the suffering and resurrection of Christ.
The sovereign hand of God in our salvation is prefigured in the life of Joseph:
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. (Gen. 50:20)
The book of Acts provides great commentary on the suffering of our Lord, essentially teaching the same truth that Joseph taught his brothers. All the evil that man intended against the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished what God’s plan predestined to take place (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28).
What a magnificent God we serve, so loving as to foretell and re-tell the gospel many times. Apparently, need to hear it! May we be so saturated with His good news that its themes jump off the pages of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, warming our hearts and elevating our affections for Him and one another.
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