For the last couple of programs, we spent time looking at how the Old Covenant characters of Joseph and David parallel each other. What is it about these two men that make rabbis look at the possibility of two possible Messiahs? A Messiah like Joseph who suffered for his family or a Messiah like David, who was a warrior that defeated all Israel’s enemies and set his nation onto a path of peace during the rule of his son Solomon? Both these men were completely different and yet, their lives strangely parallel each other and that’s what we’ve been looking at.
There’s a Bible scholar by the name of Amnon Bazak, who says that out of all the characters in the Bible, only Joseph and David are described as both handsome and wise. King Saul was described as being handsome and David’s son Absolom was described as being handsome, but they weren’t wise at all. Handsome and wise, is a label owned by Joseph and David only.
There’s a Midrash – a sacred Jewish writing – that was written by R’ Zalman Baruch Melamed, and it explains how Joseph and David are both forerunners of the long-awaited, desperately longed-for Mashiach. This is what he wrote.
“Joseph is the breaker making a way, and in the future it is expressed by the fact that there is Messiah son of Joseph and Messiah son of David. Messiah son of Joseph’s actions are unknown, he appears in an external reality, unrecognized, unclear, as if there is no holiness in him.
Genesis 42:8, ‘And Joseph recognised his brothers, but they did not recognise him.’
In the book of Kol HaTor it is said that the brothers do not understand and do not recognise the degree of Messiah son of Joseph, they do not recognise the holiness found in these actions, they think these are negative actions, external and secular and not containing any internal content of holiness, but that is the way of Messiah son of Joseph – his internal aspects are extremely strong, whereas externally he seems otherwise.” (Esoteric work describing the process of the future redemption according to the vision of the Vilna Gaon, written by Rabbi Hillel Rivlin). He goes on…
On the other hand, the strength of Messiah son of Joseph is: ‘The Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands.’ (Gen 39:3) He is to advance and succeed through the troubles and misunderstandings. His job is to always be first, the one pushing forward – yet not the finisher. The finisher is Messiah son of David. Here too at the beginning we find the concept of ‘like father, like son,’ Joseph is the first, the one leading, he is the ruler that leads and guides all his brothers…Joseph had to go through the whole difficult ordeal he had been through, in order to reach the fulfillment and the revealing of this special character, this special ‘Josephism.’”
Did you notice what he said here…that Joseph’s brothers didn’t recognise him, and they didn’t see the holiness or the holy purpose within Joseph. Joseph recognise them, but they didn’t recognise him. Joseph needed to go through the suffering, rejection and despising in order to attain the position of authority and power, in order to bring about salvation and redemption for his own people and the people of Egypt and the surrounding nations. It was essential for Joseph to suffer first before the salvation could come. Keep that thought in your mind as we keep going.
I want to start to focus now on the parallels between Joseph and Jesus. Again, I’m using a fabulous resource from the ministry of One For Israel, and in particular the research of Dr Eitan Bar.
When you look at the two possible Messiah’s in Jewish tradition, Joseph who would suffer for his people, or David who would conquer his enemies, you always see Joseph as the Messiah dealing with sin and making atonement. That is never part of the description of David. So here are the parallel characteristics between Joseph and Jesus.
- They were both despised by their own brethren
- They were both thirty years of age when they began their ministries of power and authority
- They were both stripped of their clothing, Joseph his coat of many colors and Jesus His robes before His crucifixion
- Both became servants
- Both resisted temptation and remained pure
- Both were described as shepherds
- Both knew what their future’s held. Joseph had dreams about it, and Jesus always knew His destiny
- Both were accused of being dreamers, of being delusional
- Both were the victims of a violent conspiracy against them, with the intention to kill them
- Both were sold for money, Joseph was sold for money by his brothers, Jesus sold by Judas for thirty pieces of silver
- Both were falsely accused of wrongdoing
- Both suffered as a result of the rejection, knowing they were innocent of the accusations
- Both spent time underground, Joseph in the pit first and then prison and Jesus in the grave
- Both were counted among criminals and treated as criminals, in spite of their innocence
- Both were considered dead
- Both appeared as foreigners, and belonging to Gentiles. Joseph in Egypt, and Jesus as a rebel and one who even reached out to Gentiles even though they were considered unclean
- Both were unrecognizable to their brethren. Joseph’s brothers didn’t know who he was even when standing right in front of him, Jesus own people (the leadership) couldn’t recognise Him even when doing all the works of Mashiach, foretold by the prophets
- Both were raised up from the earth, Joseph brought out of prison, Jesus from the grave, alive
- Both acted as advocates for their people, Joseph to Pharaoh for his family, Jesus to God on behalf of humanity
- Both provided food. Joseph from the storehouses to the people during famine. Jesus to the populace who came to Him for the answers to life
- Both were reconciled at the end of the story. Joseph with his brothers and his father. Jesus to humanity, and one day at the end, with His own people when their eyes are opened
- Both end up as rulers, against every expectation or possibility. Joseph as 2nd most powerful ruler of Egypt and Jesus, now seated at the right hand of His Father, and yet to come, a physical government over the whole earth
Next time, we’ll finish by looking at the parallel between David and Jesus.
Shalom
Mandy
