Joseph became the first-born son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel. Immediately, Jacob identified him as his favorite son and gave him a special coat of many colors to confirm it. Jacob made no bones about it. He loved Joseph more than any of his other 11 sons and made him his clear favorite child. The Scriptures describe him as Jacob’s beloved son.

Similarly, God the Father called Jesus his beloved Son. When John the Baptist baptized the Lord Jesus, the record says that after Christ came up out of the water, God spoke from heaven and said, “This is my beloved Son. Hear him” (Matthew 3.13-17). John witnessed this event, identifying Jesus as the Messiah as God had foretold. (John 1.29-34). On two other occasions God spoke from heaven with the same words. “This is my beloved Son. Hear him.”

What nature does a son have? He has the nature of his father. When God said, “This is my beloved Son,” he declared him as more than what we like sometimes to call ourselves. We view all of mankind as children of God. But, God did not describe Jesus in that fashion. You see, Jesus did not merely have human flesh like you and me.

When God called him the Son of God, my Son, he declared that Jesus had the nature of his Father making him God in the flesh, far different from you and me. “This is my Son, carrying my image, my nature, one with me.”

As Jacob called Joseph his beloved son, so God called Jesus his beloved Son. “This is my beloved Son,” God said, “Listen to him.”

As Joseph matured and grew in age, he became a shepherd. He worked for his father, who had multitudes of herds and flocks. As Joseph grew, he assumed the responsibility of caring for the sheep. He worked in the family farm as a shepherd.

Jesus declared, “I am the good shepherd” (John 10.11-15).

The responsibility of a shepherd in that day does not differ wildly from our day. However, we have many conveniences that the shepherds of that day did not enjoy. Shepherds of that day literally stood between their sheep and their enemies, whether people or animals. In a very real sense, they laid their lives on the line on behalf of their sheep.

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. I lay down my life for my sheep” (John 10.15). Jesus has a flock. He has sheep, those whom he calls his own. He cares for them just like a shepherd would care for his flock. Jesus calls his sheep as a shepherd calls his sheep. Like a true shepherd, Jesus laid down his life on behalf of his sheep, on behalf of people just like you and me.

The Bible describes another interesting aspect of Joseph. His brothers hated him, betrayed him, and sold him. How could a brother do that? How could a brother have such hatred and animosity for his own flesh and blood to sell him to a wandering tribe who would take him away from them, as far as they knew, never to see him again? Such hatred and animosity boggles the mind.

But, they did that. They sold him. They hated him because of his father’s favor upon him, and they despised the very ground on which he walked. When they had the opportunity to get rid of him, they sold him, betraying him as their brother.

We read the same thing about the Lord Jesus, but not from his physical brothers. One very close to him, one of his disciples and a follower of Christ, one who went with him throughout all of his ministry and saw all of the wondrous miracles and deeds of love and of kindness that Jesus did, betrayed him to his enemies. Judas betrayed Jesus and sold him to the enemy for 30 pieces of silver.

Joseph felt the sting and pain of his brothers’ rejection. Likewise, the Lord Jesus experienced the pain of rejection by one who claimed to love him, who followed him and traveled with him for three years of ministry up and down the course of the land of Israel.

When Joseph’s brothers sold him to a wandering, nomadic tribe that they saw passing by, that tribe took him in chains to Egypt. When they arrived in Egypt, they sold him again. This time they sold him to Potiphar, a high ranking official in the land of Egypt. Joseph became Potiphar’s slave.

When Jesus came to earth, he left the glories of heaven to inhabit human flesh like ours. It says he came to be a servant, a slave. Philippians chapter two describes how Jesus left his position and his rank with his Father, took upon himself human flesh, and became a servant.

In Philippians chapter two starting in verse number five we read this:

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped...”

Let’s stop there. Do you hear what it said? Jesus did not have to grasp after Godness. He didn’t have to grasp for it. He didn’t have to fight for it. He was God, with the Father in the glorious splendors of heaven sharing eternity with him.

Notice what it says further:

“...but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

You will either bow the knee here or you will bow the knee there. You will bow the knee. You may bow the knee more than once. If you come to Christ, you may not physically get down on your hands and knees, but you will bow before him. You will recognize your nothingness. You will recognize your inability in your sinfulness, humbling yourself before him, bowing before him, recognizing his superiority to you.

You will do that often during you life until you die, and then you will bow the knee again, because the Father will establish him as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Every knee will bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things beneath the earth.

The Bible says that satan dwells beneath the earth. Who will bow the knee to Jesus? His enemy will bow the knee to him.

Jesus, for a short time, 33 years, took upon himself human flesh from a virgin. He humbled himself, God in the flesh, fully man, fully God, and became a servant that he might become the Savior of sinners like you and like me.

Joseph not only knew the pain and suffering of servitude and rejection by his brothers, but he also knew the pain of unjust condemnation. When Potiphar’s wife saw that Joseph had fled from her presence and left his coat, she took revenge against him, lied about him, and deceived her husband.

When Potiphar came home and heard the these dreadful charges, he took Joseph and threw him in prison, without a trial and without pity.

Jesus stood before King Herod and then before Pilate. They passed judgment upon him. Pilate himself even said, “Why do you want to crucify him? I don’t see anything wrong in him. He has done no wrong.” Then he committed him to their hands that they might crucify him.

Jesus stood before King Herod and then before Pilate. Pilate even said, “Why do you want to crucify him? He has done no wrong.” Yet authorities condemned Jesus unjustly, just as Joseph had been condemned.

Joseph ultimately became savior of his world. There came a time when Pharaoh had a series of dreams that he could not understand. None of the Pharaoh’s wise men were able to help him. But one of his servants who shared the jail with Joseph in his past, remembered that Joseph was able to interpret dreams.

Pharaoh immediately sent for Joseph and told him of his dreams. Joseph, a wise, godly man, said, “I don’t interpret dreams. God gives the interpretations of dreams. Pharoah’s dreams foretold seven years of tremendous bounty followed by seven years of dreadful famine. At Joseph’s suggestion that the pharaoh appoint someone take charge of the necessary preparations in order to prepare for famine. Pharaoh wisely appointed Joseph as second in command of all things in the kingdom with full authority over the distribution of grains. Joseph became the savior of a nation.

The Scriptures describe the Lord Jesus as more than a Savior like Joseph. Jesus became the Savior of sinners like you and me. Jesus said, “God loved the world in such a way that he gave his only Son, me, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. I am come not to condemn the world, but that the world through me might have life” (John 3.16-17).

Jesus came as a servant, as God in the flesh, that he might die on the cross and pay the penalty of sin for people like you and like me. We deserve that death. But, he died on behalf of people like you and like me and became a Savior that all who call upon him and come to him in faith will be saved. He became a Savior.

Jesus himself said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by me” (John 14.6).

The life of Joseph shows us how God chooses a leader, and the kind of characteristics he wants in a leader. Ultimately, throughout the rest of Scripture God reveals progressively more and more clearly this one who was to come to be the Savior that he had promised to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the one who would come and crush the head of the serpent. Joseph provides a description of this one.

We also find that through these pictures, God reveals how people like you and I come to know God. He provides a Savior. The Bible provides many pictures of the savior to come, including those from Joseph’s life. Only one person fulfilled completely every picture, Jesus.

What does that mean to you and me? How do these things correlate to you and me? These events took place centuries ago. God has revealed to us through Joseph pictures of his Savior the Lord Jesus and their complete fulfillment not just of Joseph, but of all of the pictures in the totality of Scripture, fulfilled in one man, Jesus Christ. Therefore, you and I must reject all other notions of Jesus than the ones that he has revealed in his Word. We must bow the knee to him as the one and only Savior, the one whom the Father sent to us to become a servant that he might become ultimately then a Savior of sinners like you and me.

You may say, “Oh, I don’t understand it all.” That explains why God calls for faith. Understand simply that the Father sent him as the Savior of people like you and like me. Jesus himself said, “Every one who comes to me, I will not cast out and whoever believes upon me shall have eternal life.” That gives you all you need to know. You need him. He has made provision for people like you. Trust him.
I pray that you will.