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(1) |
Jesus and Joseph were both born through miracles. Jesus
through the virgin birth (Matt.
1:18-23) and Joseph through Rachel's barren womb which was
opened by God (Gen.
30:22-24). |
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(2) |
Joseph's father loved him more than his brothers. Jesus is
the beloved son and preferred one of the Father. |
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(3) |
Both are described in the Bible to be very pious men who
received revelations from God. The Bible records no sin in
the life of either Joseph or Jesus. |
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(4) |
Jesus and Joseph both went to Egypt in their youth. Both
began their life's work at the age of thirty (Gen.
41:46,
Luke 3:23). This parallel was noted by Origen in his
Homilies on Genesis (II,5). |
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(5) |
The course of the lives of Joseph and Jesus were
dramatically changed by the power of dreams. Joseph became
an interpreter of his own dreams and the dreams of others
which he used to save everyone's life including his own. It
was also a dream which led Jesus' earthly father, Joseph, to
flee Israel for their lives to Egypt. In the same way, it
was a dream of Joseph while acting as prince of Egypt which
led his family out of Israel and into Egypt. After the
danger was over, God called both Joseph's family and Jesus'
family out of Egypt and back to Israel as an act of
salvation. (Hosea
11:1 and
Matt. 2:15). |
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(6) |
Both Joseph and Jesus were hated because of their greatness.
Joseph had a dream which made it clear that he would rule
over his brothers some day and for this they hated him: |
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"Joseph had
a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him
all the more. He said to them, Listen to this dream I had:
We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when
suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves
gathered around mine and bowed down to it. His brothers
said to him, Do you intend to reign over us? Will you
actually rule us? And they hated him all the more because
of his dream and what he had said.'" (Gen. 37:5-8) |
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Jesus encountered the same reaction from his
brothers and everyone in town. After preaching in his own hometown,
Jesus received the following response: |
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Isn't this
the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and
aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren't
all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all
these things? And they took offense at him. But Jesus said
to them, Only in his hometown and in his own house is a
prophet without honor. (Matt.13:55-57) |
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While the religious leaders were rejecting
Jesus, even some of Jesus' own family rejected him. In John 7:5, his own
brothers asked Jesus for more signs because: |
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| "Even his
own brothers did not believe in him." (John 7:5) |
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(7) |
But ultimately, Joseph and Jesus attained great authority
and inspired confidence in those around them. When the
famine arrived and the grain ran out in Egypt, the Pharaoh
told the Egyptians: |
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Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you
(Gen. 41:55) |
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Likewise, Jesus' mother told the servants at the marriage
feast in Cana to do what Jesus tells them to do when the
wine runs out: |
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| Do whatever he tells you. (John 2 :5) |
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(8) |
Joseph miraculously gave bread to the people around him
because he received God's revelation which saved the people
from dying during the famine. Jesus miraculously gave bread
to the people around him because he received God's
revelation which saved the people from the spiritual famine. |
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(9) |
Joseph and Jesus were both sent by their fathers to their
brothers who hated them and rejected their claim to
preeminence. In the seventh chapter of Acts in the New
Testament, the martyr Stephen gives a speech before he is
stoned to death. In it, Stephen draws a parallel between
Joseph and Jesus: |
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"The
patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God
was with him, and rescued him out of all his afflictions,
and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt,
who made him governor over Egypt and over all his household.
Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan and
great affliction and our fathers could find no food. But
when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent
forth our fathers the first time. And at the second visit
Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's
family became known to Pharaoh. And Joseph sent and called
to him Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five
souls." (Acts 7:9-14) |
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The purpose of Stephen's speech was to show
how the enemies of Jesus were jealous of him in the same way that
Joseph's brothers were jealous of him. This theme of jealousy is also
used in three other places in Acts and they always describe the jealousy
of the apostle's opponents due to the success of the apostle's gathering
around them more people who become believers. (see
Acts
5:17,
Acts 13:45,
Acts 17:5). |
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(10) |
Because of envy, Joseph's brothers conspired to kill Joseph: |
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"So Joseph
went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they
saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they
plotted to kill him. Here comes that dreamer! they said to
each other. Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one
of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured
him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams. (Gen.
37:18-19) |
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In the same way, the religious leaders hated
Jesus because through his actions and words demonstrated that he was
greater than them. Jesus' claims to come from heaven, be greater than
Abraham, have God as his own Father, and be the one of whom Moses wrote
about, caused hatred and envy which caused them to conspire to kill him: |
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"Then the
chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the
palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they
plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him."
(Matt. 26:3-4) |
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(11) |
Joseph was sold into Egypt on the advice of his brother
Judah. Jesus was handed over to the Romans by the hand of
his disciple Judas. |
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(12) |
Joseph did not utter a word to his brothers when they sold
him. Jesus did not utter a word to the judges when they
judged him. |
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(13) |
Joseph asked the imprisoned chief cup bearer not to forget
him when he is released and reinstated at court. He said: |
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Be sure to remember me when things go well for
you." (Gen. 40:14) |
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In
the same words, the thief on the cross said in karmic
fashion to Jesus: |
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Remember me when you come into your kingdom.
(Luke 23:42) |
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One could even extend this parallel to include the fact that
Jesus was bearing the "cup" which his Father gave him to
drink in the same way the cup bearer did for the Pharaoh. |
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(14) |
Two other prisoners were with Joseph suffering the same
punishment. Two other prisoners were with Jesus suffering
the same punishment. In Joseph's case, it is written: |
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"After they
had been in custody for some time, each of the two men - the
cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being
held in prison - had a dream the same night, and each dream
had a meaning of its own." (Gen. 40:4-5) |
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The two prisoners told Joseph their dreams
for which Joseph interpreted. As a result of these two dreams, death
would come to one of the prisoners but release and exaltation for the
other. In Jesus' case, it is written that: |
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"Two robbers
were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his
left." (Matt. 27:38) |
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As it was in Joseph's case, one prisoner
would be condemned while the other prisoner would be released and find
salvation: |
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"One of the
criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: Aren't you
the Christ? Save yourself and us! But the other criminal
rebuked him. Don't you fear God, he said, since you are
under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are
getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done
nothing wrong. Then he said, Jesus, remember me when you
come into your kingdom. Jesus answered him, I tell you the
truth, today you will be with me in paradise. (Luke
23:39-43) |
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(15) |
In
persecution, Jesus and Joseph were stripped of their robes
and placed in a pit for three days where they ultimately
arose victorious to be great princes and became exalted by
God for their great suffering. In the pre-Christian
apocryphal Jewish text called "Testament
of Joseph," Joseph's suffering is described in a way that could
easily apply to Jesus as well: |
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"My brothers
hated me but the Lord loved me. They wanted to kill me but
the God of my fathers preserved me. Into a cistern they
lowered me, the most High raised me up. They sold me into
slavery, the Lord of all set me free. I was taken into
captivity, the strength of His hand set me free. I was
overtaken by hunger, the Lord Himself fed me generously. I
was alone and God came to help me. I was in weakness and the
Lord showed His concern for me. I was in prison and the
Savior acted graciously on my behalf. I was in bonds and He
loosed me. Falsely accused, and He testified on my behalf.
Assaulted by bitter words of the Egyptians, and He rescued
me. A slave, and He exalted me." (Testament of Joseph 1:4-7) |
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(16) |
Both Joseph and Jesus are persecuted because of false
witnesses. The wife of Potiphar bears false
witness against Joseph before the members of her household and before her husband (Gen. 39:14-19). Witnesses falsely
accused Jesus before the Sanhedrin (Matt. 26:60-62,
Mark 14:55-59) and
before Pilate (Matt. 27:12-14,
Mark 15:3-5). Joseph went to prison
because of the false witnesses. Jesus went to hell after being crucified
because of false witnesses. The words "prison" and "hell" are often used
interchangeably in the Bible. |
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(17) |
Joseph becomes a model of sexual purity in the early Church
as found in the early Christian apocryphal texts of the
Protevangelium of James and the
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew. They record how Jesus' earthly father,
Joseph, was falsely accused of having had sexual relations with the
virgin Mary before their marriage and how he was arrested by the
religious authorities and forced to submit himself to a test to prove
his purity. In the same way, Joseph refused the sexual advances of
Potiphar's wife and this made him a model of the sexual purity praised
by many Church Fathers such as Origen who wrote: |
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"Joseph, refused to give in to passion, despite the
entreaties and threats of the one who was legally his
mistress Joseph preferred prison to the loss of his
chastity." (Against Celsus IV,46 ). |
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In this sense, Joseph is shown as a man who
resisted the seduction of a woman and reversing the karmic debt for the
sin of Adam who was tempted by Eve. Origen credited Joseph's ultimate
rule over Egypt to Joseph's mastery over his own body: |
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"Joseph,
whom no sensual passion was able to vanquish, became lord
and master of all Egypt," (Homilies on Genesis XV,3) |
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Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, was
also seen as a model of this same purity as was the virgin Mary whose
purity reversed the karmic transgression of Eve thereby attaining
perfection as a mother. |
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(18) |
Joseph's brothers smeared his robe with goat's blood in
order to blame Joseph's demise on wild animals. On the day
of Jesus' death, it was Passover and a goat is sacrificed
for the atonement of sins. |
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(19) |
Both Joseph and Jesus were men among many brothers who
rejected them but saved by God and raised to be the judge of
their brothers. This same theme can be found in Jesus'
parable of the murderous tenants in the vineyard. It is a
parable which can be found in all three synoptic gospels.
The parable is an important key to understanding how Jesus'
rejection and death is to be understood (see
Matt. 21:33-46,
Mark 12:1-11,
Luke 20:9-19). In the parable, evil men plot to kill the
son of the vineyard owner, saying: |
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These words are even similar to the words of Joseph's
brothers when they plotted to kill Joseph: |
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"Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one
of these cisterns" (Gen. 37:20) |
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(20) |
Both were sold for the price of a slave. Joseph was sold for
20 shekels of silver and Jesus was sold for 30 pieces. Both
were assigned with two other prisoners. Church Father
Tertullian (A.D. 145-220) wrote explicitly about the parallels between
Joseph and Jesus and their suffering: |
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"Joseph
himself was made a figure of Christ in this point alone,
that he suffered persecution at the hands of his brethren,
and was sold into Egypt on account of the favor of God.
Likewise, Christ was sold by Israel according to the flesh,
by his brethren, when he is betrayed by Judas." (7,10 ) |
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In the
Treatises of Aphrahat the Persian, a
Father of the Syriac tradition, stated: Joseph persecuted is the image
of Jesus persecuted (21,9). |
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(21) |
The stories of Joseph and Jesus are both a kind of "rags to
riches" story. Joseph was brought out of the pit and prison
to be exalted to the Pharaoh's right hand: |
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"Then
Pharaoh said to Joseph, Since God has made all this known
to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You
shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to
submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will
I be greater than you. So Pharaoh said to Joseph, I hereby
put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh
took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's
finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold
chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as His
second in command." (Gen. 40:39-41) |
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Jesus was brought out from the pit after
death and exalted to the Father's right hand: |
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"And being
found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became
obedient to death - even death on a cross! Therefore God
exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that
is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth, and
every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father." (Phil. 2:8-11) |
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(22) |
Forgiveness and reconciliation are the major aspects
concerning the lives of both Joseph and Jesus.
Caesar of Arles, in his Sermon XC, drew this parallel between
Joseph and Jesus: |
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"He
[Joseph] embraced them one by one and shed tears over each
one of them. Watering the neck of each one of them, who feared him, he
washed away the hate of his brothers by the tears of his love." (XL,4). |
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The actual Bible verse referred to here is Genesis 45:14
when Joseph's dramatic revealing of his true identity to his brothers and
their reconciliation and his forgiveness is the dramatic climax of the
story of Joseph: |
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"Do not be distressed and do not be angry with
yourselves for selling me here, because it was
to save lives that God sent me ahead of you ...
So then, it was not you who sent me here, but
God ... Then he threw his arms around his
brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced
him, weeping. And he kissed all his brothers and
wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked
with him." (Gen. 45:5-14) |
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In a similar vein, Jesus was revealed as
the Son of God while on the cross when he forgives his brothers: |
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| Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. (Luke 23:34) |
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(23) |
When Mary announced Jesus' resurrection to the disciples,
they didn't believe it: |
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But these words seemed to them an idle tale and
they did not believe them. (Luke 24:11) |
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Likewise, Joseph's father is unbelieving when his sons
announce to him that Joseph is alive: |
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But he was as one stunned for he did not
believe them. (Gen. 45:26) |
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(24) |
When Joseph's father finally did see Joseph, he stated that
now he is read to die: |
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Now I can die, now that I have seen you again,
and seen you still alive. (Gen. 46:30) |
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The same thing was said by Simeon the Elder, awaiting the
Messiah in the Temple when he meets Jesus and recognized him
as the long awaited Messiah. He exclaimed: |
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Lord, let your servant now depart in peace
according to your word. My eyes have seen your
salvation. (Luke 2:29-30) |
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(25) |
The brothers of Joseph recovered his bones from Egypt and
brought them to the Promised Land. The Father of Jesus
resurrected his body from Hades and brought him to heaven. |
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(26) |
Even more interesting parallels between Joseph and Jesus can
be found
at this
website. |
The
life of
