Families can be complicated and messy. Oftentimes, our greatest sorrows and deepest wounds come from those closest to us. However, through these difficult and painful relationships, God works out His sovereign will and good purposes. This does not happen despite the sin and chaos, but rather, God accomplishes His good will through it. What people intend for evil; God works for good (Genesis 50:20).
In the book of Genesis, Joseph’s family life is one which many of us can relate to on multiple levels. Yet in this stunning account, God provides a vivid picture of Christ against the backdrop of evil and sin. Amid the anguish and strife, God used Joseph’s life to cast a shadow of the Messiah to come.
This article is the first of a series which will compare the life of Joseph to the life of Christ.
Joseph
Joseph had an edge over his other brothers; he was the son of Jacob’s old age. As a result, Jacob loved and favored Joseph more than his other brothers. As an expression of his unique love for Joseph, Jacob had a special coat made just for him — a coat of many colors (Genesis 37:3). Working in tandem with Jacob’s unique love for Joseph is Joseph’s apparent obedience to his father.
In this passage, there seems to be a connection between the father’s love and the son’s obedience. One day when he was out shepherding the flocks with his brothers, he brought back to Jacob a bad report of his brothers (Genesis 37:2). We might be tempted to think Joseph was acting like that annoying younger sibling who just wants to get his other siblings in trouble, but the more one studies Joseph’s account, the less likely this seems.
First, Joseph’s brothers acted corruptly; Scripture does not hide their wickedness. This comes to light when they sell Joseph into slavery (more on that later). Also, Genesis 38 records Judah’s immoral incident with his daughter-in-law Tamar.
Secondly, Joseph, in contrast to his brothers, is portrayed as righteous and honorable throughout the account. With this in mind, it seems most likely Joseph’s bad report of his brothers was a true account. This shows that Joseph’s loyalty to his father outmatched his brothers’.
Joseph’s obedience to Jacob also comes to light when Jacob initially commissions him to check on his brothers. Joseph’s response is, “I will go” (Genesis 37:13). The phrase in Hebrew is hinneni. We should be careful not to move past this phrase too quickly. It carries great significance because it reveals Joseph’s obedience and dedication toward his father. This saying is akin to a humble servant addressing their master promptly saying, “your servant, sir!” This same phrase occurs earlier in Genesis when God commands Abraham to sacrifice his only beloved son, Isaac. Three times in Genesis chapter 22, Abraham responds by saying, “hinneni!” This reveals Abraham’s servant heart toward God amid the greatest test of his faith. In a similar vein, Joseph reveals his servant heart when he responds to his father’s request to seek out his brothers.
Throughout Scripture, obedience to one’s father is an integral part of what it means to be a son. In this father-son picture — which develops throughout the Bible — we can see the father’s love for his son and the son’s obedience to the father go hand-and-hand. Likewise, the account of Joseph contributes to this picture, which foreshadows Jesus’ perfect obedience to the Father through His work of redemption.
Jesus
As the only begotten Son of God, Jesus is the fulfillment of this picture of obedience. Jesus is the only One who obeyed God’s Law perfectly — without sin — so He could impute His perfect righteousness to us when He died in our place for our sin (Romans 5:18-21). In the account of Jesus’ baptism, when He comes out of the waters, the heavens open and the voice of God calls down and states, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17). The eternal relationship between the Eternal Father and Eternal Son was put on display within creation through the incarnation of the Son.
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, we see the Son submit perfectly to the will of the Father, and we see the Father express His unparalleled delight in His Son (Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 17:5). Jesus displayed the ultimate act of obedience to the Father when He went to the cross to bear the full wrath of God on behalf of the elect, who deserved God’s eternal judgment for their sin (Matthew 26:36-42; Hebrews 2:9-18).
Jesus’ act of obedience was not at all like what some critics blasphemously describe as “child abuse.” Nor was it like the famous train illustration which is sometimes used to describe Jesus’ death. In the illustration, a father tragically sacrifices the life of his son against his will and against the will of the son because it’s the only way to prevent a train wreck which will kill a lot of people.
Such explanations fail to capture the astounding nature of God’s plan of redemption. Jesus did not go to the cross against His will, but rather He went to the cross willingly because He is the only perfect Son who loves the Father and seeks to carry out His will (Hebrews 12:2). And the Father neither sent His Son to the cross out of an act of cruelty nor out of an unwilling act of desperation. Instead, the Father’s intent was always to glorify the Son whom He knew would rise victorious (Hebrews 2).
Both Jesus and Joseph are sent by the father to do the father’s work.
Joseph
As already referenced, Jacob sent Joseph to find his brothers. Joseph wasn’t some bratty kid looking to squeal on his brothers again, he was acting in obedience to his father when he went looking for them. The account of Joseph searching for his brothers has some irony. The brothers were put in charge of Jacob’s flocks to keep watch over them, yet they wander off with the flock. Like a shepherd seeking after his lost sheep, Joseph seeks after his brothers who are thought to be in Shechem (Genesis 37:12-3), but have wandered off to Dothan (Genesis 37:17).
Jesus: The Apostle
The overarching theme of one being sent carries over into the New Testament. The Greek word apostolos embodies this concept, typically meaning “the sent one.” As the Eternal Son sent by the Eternal Father, Jesus fulfills this picture (John 5:37-38). He was sent by the Father to accomplish the divine plan of redemption the Triune God established before the foundation of the earth (Ephesians 1:3-12). This is one reason Jesus holds the title of supreme Apostle (Hebrews 3:1).
Jesus was sent by the Father to give God’s testimony to the world (John 18:36; 1 John 5:11-12). Everything God wants to disclose about Himself has been revealed through His Son, whom He sent. Jesus was keenly aware He came to the earth by the Father’s commission. He makes this point in a most piercing manner when He tells the parable of the vineyard owner. The vineyard owner eventually sends his only son to the tenant vineyard workers, who end up killing the son in hopes of possessing the vineyard for themselves (Matthew 21:33-40).
If God the Father had not sent His only Son into the world, we would be lost. Had the Son not obeyed the Father perfectly, we would have no hope because there would be no one else to take our place to bear the punishment for our sin. Scripture dispels any delusions that humans somehow seek after the only One and true God. Paul tells us in Romans, “There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one” (Romans 3:10-12).
God is the One Who seeks. He is the One Who pursued us. In the most stunning act of love in all history, the Father sent His Son into the world to die for sinners who were hostile enemies toward Him (Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:1-7). God displayed this redemptive picture in a veiled manner in the life of Joseph, and it is unveiled in the Person and work of Jesus Christ Who came into the world to seek and save the lost.
Related article: Seeing Christ in the Life of Joseph: Born to Rule
Stephen Baker serves as the Associate Pastor at Faith Fellowship Church in Minerva, OH where he is discipled by pastor Chet Howes. He is currently a student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also the writer of a special Scripture study/reflection addendum to Someplace to Be Somebody, authored by his wife, Lisa Loraine Baker (End Game Press Spring 2022).
He is a cross pendant.
He is engraved with a unique Number.
He will mail it out from Jerusalem.
He will be sent to your Side.
Emmanuel
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