Jesus And Joseph

The apostle Paul once wrote, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1).  That should be a lesson to all of us who are Christians.  We should strive daily to be as close a follower of Christ as possible.  The closer we follow, the more that we will live as Christ lived.  In other words, we will become more “Christlike”.  It is with that thought that we turn our attention to another man, who in various ways, lived a life similar to Christ’s.  That man is Joseph.  The Joseph of which I write is the son of Jacob/Israel.  Parts of Joseph’s life are recorded in chapters thirty-seven through fifty of the book of Genesis.  Let us examine some of the similarities that exist between Jesus and Joseph.

            First of all, Jesus was well loved of His Father.  Jesus said, “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again” (John 10:17).  Then we have the accounts of both the baptism of Jesus and the Lord’s transfiguration.  On each occasion, the Father said, “…This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17; 17:5).  Likewise, Joseph was well loved of His Father.  It is recorded, “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age:  and he made him a coat of many colors” (Gen. 37:3).

            Next, Jesus was obedient to His Father.  Jesus stated, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38).  Further, he said, “And he that sent me is with me:  the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29).  As a Son, Jesus submitted to the will of His Father.  Joseph did as well.  At one time, Joseph was not with his brethren, who were tending flocks.  His father said, “…Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem?  come, and I will send thee unto them.  And he said to him, Here am I” (Gen. 37:13).  Like Jesus, Joseph was obedient to the will of his father.

            As many know, Jesus was not treated well by many of His Jewish brethren.  On different days, some of His brethren wanted Jesus dead.  It is written, “And all they in the synagogue, when they heard all these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon the city was built, that they might cast him down headlong” (Luke 4:29).  Later, when given the option of saving the life of Jesus, a mob chanted “…Crucify him, crucify him” (Luke 23:21).  In similar fashion, the brethren of Joseph wanted him dead also.  “And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him” (Gen. 37:18).

            Jesus, unfortunately, had those who were false witnesses against Him.  “And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.  For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together” (Mark 14:55-56).  Joseph also had someone bare false witness against him.  When he refused the advances of Potiphar’s wife, she falsely stated, “…See, he hath brought in a Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice:  And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out” (Gen. 39:14-15).

            By dying of the cross, Jesus became the Savior of the world.  His death, burial, and resurrection allows all obedient persons to be saved from their sins.  Instead of experiencing the “second death”, men can enjoy salvation (Rev. 21:8).  The writer of Hebrews stated, “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedek” (Heb. 5:9-10).  Joseph was also a type of “savior”.  When seven years of famine could have caused the death of so many, including his brethren, Joseph prepared and executed a great plan to save lives.  Joseph said, “God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance” (Gen. 45:7).  While Jesus is a spiritual Savior, Joseph was a physical savior.

            There are more similarities between the two that are not mentioned in this article.  I encourage the reader to explore the Scriptures himself and see the great likenesses of Jesus and Joseph.
~ Corey Barnette