Joseph

The Shadow

You have probably heard Joseph taught as a motivational poster: stay faithful in the pit and God will promote you too. But this story was never about your patience. Joseph is the picture of Someone who would do everything Joseph did, permanently, and for the whole human race.

Count the parallels. Joseph was the beloved son of his father; Jesus heard it from heaven at the Jordan. Joseph was sent by his father to his brothers; Jesus came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver; Jesus for thirty. Joseph was stripped of his robe and thrown into a pit; Jesus was stripped of His garments and laid in a grave. Joseph was raised up and given all authority at Pharaoh's right hand, with a new Egyptian name that tradition has associated with the preservation of life. Jesus was raised and seated at the right hand of God, the Savior of the world. And when Joseph's brothers finally bowed before him, they did not recognize the one they had rejected.

The Fulfillment

The difference is the one detail the shadow could not carry. Joseph interpreted the suffering after the fact: you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. Jesus knew the plan from the beginning. He washed the feet of His betrayer. He turned evil into good not by reinterpreting it but by absorbing it, and what came out the other side was resurrection and a table with enough bread for every person who ever betrayed Him.

The stunning scene comes at the end. The brothers, still braced for payback, beg for mercy, and Joseph weeps: “Do not be afraid... I will provide for you and your little ones.” The man with every right to punish chose to provide.

Him All Along

We are the brothers. And when we come face to face with the One we rejected, He does not settle scores. He weeps, provides, and speaks kindly. If you have been living like God is still disappointed, hear the governor of Egypt and the King he pointed to: do not be afraid. The Beloved Son holds no record.