Joseph--A Better Adam and Foreshadow of Christ
Sunday afternoon Cleopas and his traveling companion[1] trudged home. Most couples trudge when they walk together, especially when both are gripped by feelings of perplexity, sorrow and hopelessness. They thought they had lost their beloved Master forever. Friday afternoon Jesus’ corpse was taken down from the cross, dead as dead man can be. Their hopes for Israel’s redemption were dashed at the sight of the dead Jesus. Their slow steps and faces betrayed unbridled disappointment and grief.
Yet, when the mysterious stranger drew close, joined their slow walk and conversation, like the Great Physician that he was, Jesus first listened to them, like a doctor gathering information from a patient. Then, rather than palliate symptoms (grief, hopelessness) Jesus diagnosed their root problem: unbelief.
You foolish people, how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Wasn’t it necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and enter his glory? Then, beginning with Moses[2] and all the prophets[3], he interpreted to them the things written about himself in all the Scriptures. Luke 24:25-27
Jesus claimed that he was the interpretive key to the Old Testament. He explained to them, from a canonical standpoint, that two areas of the Hebrew Bible—the Law (the Torah, or Pentateuch) and the Prophets (Joshua—Kings; Isaiah—Malachi) all promised that Israel’s Messiah would have to suffer first and then enter his glory. The cross was necessary before the crown. So, Jesus’ suffering on the cross that Friday afternoon was not a mistake or a terrorist act that caught God by surprise, or an accident of history that jeopardized God’s redemptive plan for Israel. Suffering, he explained, was necessary, part and parcel to the redemptive plan.
Jesus then went on to interpret all the canonical truths—including his suffering--written about him in all of the Scriptures[4]--The Law, the Prophets, and the Writings (Psalms—Chronicles).
Cleopas and his companion had read all of the Scriptural accounts that Jesus interpreted for them. Their problem was not that they had overlooked or missed those passages. Their problem was not an intellectual one, but a moral one: they had failed to believe the portions of Scripture that clearly showed that Israel’s Messiah first had to suffer. Must suffer. Had to. Suffering was non-negotiable. Suffering was predicted. Suffering was foreshadowed. But they thought, what good was a dead Messiah?
So, what Scripture passages in the Law and the Prophets did Jesus unpack for them? What specific stories showed that Israel’s Messiah first had to suffer and then enter his glory? When we approach the Bible from a canonical perspective, these stories are not hard to spot.
One story in particular that Jesus no doubt interpreted canonically for them was that of Joseph (Gen 37-50). The author of Genesis goes out of his way to consciously show in multiple ways that Joseph is a better Adam and a forerunner of the suffering Messiah.
Joseph, in other words, is a link between Adam and Jesus. In every task where Adam failed, the Genesis author consciously shows that Joseph succeeded. The portrait of Joseph, then, provides the reader with hope. He is the ideal man, the ideal king, accomplishing all that Adam was supposed to be. The portrait of Joseph—located at the close of Genesis—shows that he is a better Adam—presented as a failure at the beginning of Genesis.
But the pattern of Joseph’s life also points to the future. The story of Joseph is the most intricate example of the death and resurrection of a beloved son. The portrait of Joseph is a remarkable imitation of the anticipated, future Messiah. Joseph was rejected, even hated by his own people, suffered, disappeared from his family for a period of time, and then, miraculously reappeared as second in command of Egypt. As Pharaoh’s vice-regent, Joseph used his authority to lead his family, God’s people, to a type of Paradise. So, Genesis begins with Paradise lost and concludes with Paradise regained. Joseph is a better Adam. Jesus’ experiences, including suffering and leading God’s people back to Paradise, follow the Joseph pattern to a tee. Joseph foreshadows Jesus.
So, the pattern of Joseph’s experiences not only points back to Adam, but it also points forward to the pattern of the life of Jesus. What first happened to Joseph also happened to Jesus. Joseph reminds us of Adam, yet he also anticipates the One who restores God’s blessing to His people and the way back to the tree of life.
It’s all there in the Scriptures from a canonical standpoint. And, there is so much more in Scripture to see from a canonical standpoint.
Believe it!
This approach is what I will be showing from Scripture on Easter morning at Redeemer Bible Church. Come join us.
Thank you for reading.
[1] Most probably, though ultimately impossible to prove, Cleopas’ traveling companion was Mary his wife. They lived in the same house in Emmaus, the village toward which they traveled. Mary was the wife of Clopas according to John 19:25 and the mother of James.
[2] Moses is a common reference to the Torah, the Pentateuch, Genesis through Deuteronomy.
[3] The prophets refer to two sections of prophets in the Hebrew Bible. The first is the former prophets; the second section is the Latter Prophets.
[4] In Jewish nomenclature, the tripart Hebrew Bible is known as the Tanakh, “T” stands for Torah (The Pentateuch), N stands for the Nebi’im (The Prophets), and K stands for Ketubim (the Writings).