Jesus, JACOB, and Joseph

Every now and then I realize how much is implied about Jesus in the “Old” Testament.  The life of Joseph is really this whole foreshadowing of Jesus.

We have this guy who on the surface doesn’t look special.  In Jesus case he comes from Nazareth; in Joseph’s he’s the youngest of the crowd.

Both are blessed with miraculous abilities.  Those around both are threatened by these abilities.  The father-figure of both of them seems to be saying that each is the rightful heir to them.  (Some people believe the many-colored coat carries symbolism within a family of Joseph’s time similiar to the crown with royal families.)

Both are betrayed by those who are supposed to love them.  (Yes, the debates are endless about whether it was the Romans or the Jews who crucified Jesus… but right here I’m thinking about the disciples… whose number was similiar to Joseph’s brothers.  The disciples included Judas of course, the most obvious betrayer.  But also Peter, who betrayed Jesus three times, and of course the group who fell asleep in the garden.)

Both end up in servitude.  Joseph is sold into literally slavery.  Jesus allows himself to be a sort-of servant to pay off the price of our sin.

Joseph ends up at the right hand of the king; Jesus does, too, though obviously the kings are quite different.  Despite the betrayal… almost because of the betrayal, both of the key figures end up liberating the ones who betrayed them in the first place.  Those who follow Jesus and Joseph end up spending centuries as strangers in a stranger land, people not quite at home in the places that they were lead to; this time that the whole peoples spend in exile, is an echo, in turn of Jesus exile on the cross and Joseph’s exile in Egypt… The amazing thing is that we too will have an exodus…